Teagan POV.It’s just after two in the afternoon. I sit on the edge of my bed and pull on my bedazzled flip-flop sandals. I stand up and smooth down the cornflower blue sundress. I look in the mirror and tighten the hair tie in my hair. I move my fingers through the length of my high ponytail and smile. I am bare faced just how I prefer to be.I grab my white cross body purse and put my phone inside. I leave the bedroom and walk down towards the living room to see Lucifer laying on the sofa. I roll my eyes at him as he lifts his head and looks at me with those judgemental brown eyes of his.“So, what do you think?” I hold my arms open slightly as I twirl and he tilts his head and wags his tail. He likes it. Good. “Come on, we need to go to the florist before we meet the neighbours.” I say as I move to the door and grab his leash. He sits and waits patiently as I attach the leash to his collar. Grabbing my credit card and change, stuffing them into my purse. Open the door, grab my keys
Antonio POV.I watch as she walks away with Lucifer to mingle when nonna squeezes my bicep, snapping me out of my trance.“So, what do you think?” she asks, her eyes lighting up. I gulp and nod my head. What the hell? This is the woman she wanted to introduce to me? Fate works in mysterious ways, it would seem.“She, erm nonna, I know who she is.” I say and I look at Gianni and he smirks at me the motherfucker. I plead with him to help me with this and he drinks from the bottle of beer in his hand and I narrow my eyes at him.“Oh, you do. Well, it is fate then. How do you know her?” she asks as I need to sit down. This is not how I planned on telling them. But how could I not tell my nonna about her? Nonna is more like my mom than anything.“Well, she works for me. She is a waitress in the club.” I say, waiting for her to explode or for my pa to. But nothing. I look at them both and my pa smirks at me and nonna she smiles warmly at me.“The girl is really nice and I won’t pass judgeme
Teagan POV.I sit opposite him and I’m trying my best to not lose my cool.“What are your conditions?” he asks and I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this bullshit, but what choice do I have? I have no protection whatsoever.“I agree we marry in name only. I have my own room, for all intents and purposes. If you whore around, please make sure you aren’t fucking seen, and it isn’t done near me. I don’t care what you do or who you do, just be mindful that we need to make sure that asshole believes we are happily married and in love. When we are in the house or wherever we will be living we stay away from each other unless we have to be seen out with each other. No PDA unless it is needed. Other than that, a small, intimate service will be fine. You don’t want to do this as much as I don’t.” I tell him, folding my arms over my chest. Yes, I’m being a bitch, but I need to lay down the law, so to speak. He smirks at me.“What will happen when I need an heir?” He says with a shit-eating grin a
Antonio POV.I watch as the clean-up crew enters the house to get rid of the body and to clean up the scene. I knock on my tiger’s bedroom door and she opens it. I look round the room and see she has tidied it up.I enter the room without her inviting me into her sacred space. I look at her and she looks at me. Her jade green eyes have a faraway look in them. I think it’s hit her now.“Tiger, it will be OK,” I say as I move towards her, but she steps back and turns her back to me as she walks to her closet and rolls out three large suitcases that I assume are filled with her things.“No time like the present to move, right?” she says. Her voice is broken and monotonous. Like she is going through the motions, which I suppose she will be.“This is everything you need?” I ask her when she turns to look at me, her eyes glassy, but she blinks and the mask slips back in place.“Yes, are your guys here?” she asks as she moves around the room and it’s only then that I notice she is still in h
Teagan POV.Not again! I groan as I open my eyes. God, I have drank more in the last two days that I have in my life. I suppose this is what my life will be like now. I sit up and look around the room. Wait, this is not my room. I dive out of bed and stumble towards the door. I open it and step out and see a man dressed in black standing there with his hands folded in front of him.“Morning miss Costello.” I shriek and run back inside and slam the door shut. I back away from the door slowly. My heart pounds out of my chest, the same as my brain inside my skull. I look around for something I can use as a weapon. I run towards the bedside table and grab the lamp, pulling the cord from the wall.The door opens and I brandish the lamp at the intruder as I jump up on the bed. My feet get tangled and I fall, landing on my back as the lamp bounces off the bed and smashes on the floor. What in the Sam hill?“Morning tiger. How did you sleep?” I look at him and he leans against the door, with
Antonio POV.When Tatum hit Bobbi from the back, I lost it completely. I never fight with my men, but that fucker had it coming. No-one touches my woman, no-one! I have requested the doctor come and take a look at her, hopefully she will be ok.“What the hell, Antonio? You going to allow her to stay here? She is goddamn feral. She is going to destroy us. We need to get rid of her! She is hiding something, Antonio, and you are too wrapped up in that pussy to see it!” Gianni spits as he screams at me. I place the tumbler of whiskey down and look up at him.“You better watch what you say to me. I may be your brother, but I am the head of this family. Or do you need re-training?” I say to him calmly as possible. I know when to react and to stay calm. But being this calm is not good, and he knows it. He shrinks back as he slumps down in the chair opposite me.“No, I don’t need re-training. It is my job as your underboss and brother to check for any threats, and she is a threat. We don’t ev
Teagan POV.Waking the next day, I’m dog tired. Antonio didn’t leave my side after what happened yesterday. He was so attentive. Waking me every so often and helping me eat. For someone who is a cold-blooded killer, he was caring. It could be because he felt guilty. But that can’t be right, can it?I look at the side of the bed that Antonio slept on and it’s empty. I reach for the pillow and hug it to me, taking a deep whiff of his woodsy, spicy cologne that lingers. This is not creepy at all. I chuckle as I feel myself relax. This is so messed up.I shouldn’t be feeling this way about him. I am essentially his prisoner and her I am rubbing the pillow on myself like some bitch in heat. But god even I will admit he smells and looks so goddamn good. The man is a snack.Six foot two inches of muscle. Those honey coloured eyes peer into my very soul. The dirty blonde hair begging for my fingers to pull. His tattoos daring me to lick and suck them. Get it together, you hussy! I throw the p
Antonio POV.Walking through the mansion with my tiger. I know she is uneasy and who could blame her after what happened to her yesterday? I notice her stiffen and her hold on my hand tightens.“It’s ok, no-one will touch you with me here.” I try to reassure her. She nods her head and releases a breath.“I’m sorry for the last few days. I don’t usually act that way. It has been a lot to adjust to. I apologise.” I stop walking with her and turn to face her. She is looking at the floor. No, where is the little spitfire? I need her, not the little lamb standing in her place.“You have nothing to apologise for. It is completely understandable that you would lash out and, if I’m being honest, it was kinda hot when you pulled a gun on me.” I tell her and she looks up at me through her lashes and I smile, running the back of my tattooed knuckles down her cheek to her chin and I tilt her head up.“Still, I shouldn’t have acted like that. I’m sorry.” She says just above a whisper, like she is
Angel POV.I watch as my momma and daddy dance around the kitchen. I smile at what they have and I know I will never have that. You see, I am now twenty-one years old. I’m keeping a secret from my parents. A secret that will cause a war.I sigh as I head to my room. I take the stairs and head into my room. I sit on the bed and think about what I’m going to do? I look at my phone next to me and pick it up. I open the messaging app and look at his profile picture.Ryder or Savage, as he is known to the club. He is the son of Hatchet, the former president of the Prince of Darkness MC. The same MC that has an allegiance with my family.I have known Ryder since we were kids. He is older than I am. He is twenty-five years old and has recently taken over as pres of the MC. I have been in love with him since we were kids, but everything changed a few weeks ago.I have been sleeping with him since I turned eighteen. We were in a relationship. A secret one at that. I couldn’t tell my parents be
Teagan POV.I’m numb. That’s all I can describe this. Numb and in shock. I look at the black-and-white image in my hand and blink. No, this is not happening!I’m fifteen weeks pregnant! What the fuck!“Teagan, it’s ok.” I look from the image in my hand as I look at Antonio, who is sitting there all smug. With a look on his face of I told you so. I’m freaking out. Can I do this again? The twins were hard enough. Now another one?“How is this ok? I was so convinced it wasn’t. Oh my god, it’s not the right time Antonio. It’s not the right time.” I sob into my hands. I should be happy, but I’m too stressed still fighting the demons of what I did. How can we have another baby? We can’t.“Hey, shh. We will face this together. You’re not alone, Teagan. Don’t you see that this baby. Our baby is a blessing. It is a gift. We will do this together. I promise you.” he pulls me to him as I sob. I don’t know how to feel about this. I should be over the moon, but I’m not.“You are going to speak to
Teagan POV.It has been three months since what happened in Mexico. I have taken over the remaining cartel and the title of the heir to the DeNucci family. That was all finalised in the weeks after the takedown in Mexico.It was hard to do, especially when the kids had refused to leave my side in the beginning, and that was fine with me. I needed them close to me. Antonio was great and understood that we needed time to digest what happened. After it was all finalised, I spiralled, and I spiralled fast and hard.He understood I needed time to process that I killed my father. No, not my father, but the monster he became. Even though I knew it was either me or him, I knew that it is still a burden, as my mind refuses to acknowledge any of his wrongdoings. It’s like my brain is stuck in a loop of all the good he did and how he was in the beginning.Antonio has been there to pull me out of the downward spiral I was heading in. The denial of what happened. He has not left my side and for th
Teagan POV.I watch as Antonio and Marco leave the room with my kids. I turn and see my father crawling along the floor. I walk closer to him. The gun is out of reach. So I move to it and pick it up and place it in my holster that is strapped to my thigh.“So, what now? You going to kill me?” he sneers with a groan of pain. I just watch him as he attempts to get up. I move to him and grab him by his hair and pull him up. I wince with the movement. He tried to hurt my kids, he hurt me, he has hurt so many fucking people and it ends now.“It is what you deserve for what you have done and allowed to happen. You are not my father. That man died when my mom did.” A small part of me feels sadness as I look into those eyes, the eyes that always sparkled when I was younger. I was always safe with him until I wasn’t.I remember the good times we had. The family vacations, the celebrations at my early achievements. How he would build blanket forts when it stormed outside and we would all lay un
Antonio POV.“Teagan, wake up, tiger.” I cradle her in my arms as I reach for her face. I shake her gently, her eyes slowly open and she reaches for my face even though she is covered in that cunt’s blood.“You came. The kids, we need to get to them. Alejandro told them I’m dead, and you did it. I’m sorry, I couldn’t keep them safe. I’m … so … sorry.” She sobs and I shake my head.“You kept them safe, you went with them to keep them safe. You are amazing, tiger, you are strong.” I tell her as the tears leave my eyes as I look from her face to her naked form in my arms. She has cuts and bruises to be beautiful skin.“The women, get them out. Help them Antonio. I need … I need …”“What do you need tiger, tell me?”“To find the kids and to find him.” She says as she struggles to keep her eyes open. The sound of metal opening as the women are freed. One comes over, but I give her a look as Rosena stops her.“Here, put this on her.” She hands a long T-shirt to Rosena and we pull it over he
Antonio POV.We have planned for extraction. We followed the signal of all three trackers. Do they know they have them? Is Alejandro luring us all into a false sense of security?Either way, it doesn’t matter he has taken my children and wife. Even if we aren’t really married, she is still mine and that won’t change anytime soon.In six years, he has changed his guards regularly. The only ones who haven’t changed are José and my father. The others are expendable. So this will be a cakewalk. We are disguised as guards and that is how we will infiltrate his compound.“From the tutor, he gave us detailed information on the daily operations of the guards around and inside the compound. He was even kind enough to give us the location of the holding cells, the interrogation room, and the bedrooms which is where the children will be.” Gianni says as we all sit in a hotel room just on the outskirts of the town where Alejandro is held up.“Yeah, but you forget we have been there before.”“Yes,
Teagan POV.I wake up, my head is pounding. I hear a whimper and my eyes fly open and I look around. My eyes adjust to the darkness. My wrists are bound as I dangle inches from the floor. I pull on the restraints, but they don’t budge.“Stay still, otherwise they will come in and hurt you.” I turn my head to the voice and see a woman holding onto the bars of the cage she is in.“That’s the point. I need to speak to him.” I say to her and she shakes her head frantically.“No, you do that they will only cause you pain. Trust me, we have all tried that and failed. It’s best to give them what they want. Don’t fight them, it only turns them on more when you fight.” I feel bile rise up my throat, but I gulp it back down.“He won’t touch me. I know he won’t.”“Yeah, right, what makes you so special? You are here with us. You will be used, tested and then sold at auction. Do you think any of us came here willingly? Look around you,” she scoffs, but I won’t let her scare me.“How long have you
Antonio POV.Sitting down around the table, my eyes focused on the two fuckers opposite me. Alejandro Rodriguez and José Fernando.Gianni is next to me as well as my men. Alejandro looks relaxed and confident and all I want to do is put a bullet between his eyes the same way I did to his twin, Hector.“I know why you are in my city and why you have requested this sit down. So stop wasting my time and get on with it.” I say, sounding bored. I could be at home with my family. This is just stupid, but it is an advantage. They know that by entering my city, they won’t make it out alive.“Always so diplomatic, Antonio. I’m here to simply see my daughter. You see, we parted on not so good terms and I want to make amends.” He says as he looks at me with an air of arrogance about him. I scoff at his words.“You handed her to your men while she was pregnant with my children. You told her you would cut them from her dead body and feed them to your dogs. So why would I allow you anywhere near he
Teagan POV.The kids loved their bangles that they got from their father weeks ago. Angel cried because it was her first real gift from her daddy and Nathaniel was overjoyed as well. I want them to be kids for as long as they can be without worry or fear. They are coming up to the age I was when my mom passed away and I will do everything in my power, so they never have to experience that. Dare I say, everything has been going great so far.“Hey, you ok?” I look behind me with my cup of cold coffee in my hand to see Marco standing there. I smile, but I know it doesn’t reach my eyes as I turn back to what I was looking at.“Yeah, I’m ok. Just had a morbid thought, is all.” I tell him the truth and he sits next to me as I take a sip of the now cold coffee and I make a face at it before placing it on the table.“Want to talk about it?” he asks, and I shake my head with a sigh. Before leaning back in the chair and looking at the ceiling. Don’t get me wrong, being here is nice, but it is d