ErosThe meeting happens on neutral ground. It took days of back and forth to get everyone on the same page, and I made sure only the most important people in my family heard anything about it. Lycus, trusted soldiers, and nobody else. Not even Cara.I keep thinking about my wife. My real wife.Gareth worked a miracle. Really, he took a lot of my money and gave it to the perfect person to make sure her divorce paperwork made it through the system without anyone noticing, which allowed for our marriage to follow in its wake.Now that she's finally mine for real, I keep thinking about her, keep thinking about what my life could be like if this wasn't some short-term deal.I'm tempted to skip this meeting. If all goes well—and there's no guarantee it will—I might walk away with a solution to our problems.Which means Cara won't have a reason to stay with me anymore.I won't force her to remain my wife. I'll sign the paperwork, as promised. I won't keep her, even if I want to.But there's
Eros"What bothers me more is law enforcement," I say, staring at him. "I'm still young and I'd like to spend my years a free man.""Fucking cops," he says with real disgust. "What do you think of the cops, Renzo?""Pigs," Renzo says. "I enjoy listening to them squeal as they die.""Lovely," Lycus mumbles.I wave a hand at them dismissively. "Regardless of how you feel, Chicago's murder rate skyrocketed lately, and the CPD is out for blood. They're not happy about all the bad press."Which is what I'm hearing directly from my police informants, the cops that take my envelopes of cash. So far, my bribes are keeping my soldiers out of prison, but that won't last much longer."Getting fucking expensive to stay out from behind bars, ain't it?" Bosco clucks his tongue. "All this killing, and for what? Over some hurt feelings and a girl?""All this killing because you've been encroaching on my territory for months and this is a convenient excuse for you."He spreads his hands. "You're paran
ErosI sit in the back of the car with Eros, the divider between us and the driver firmly in place. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask him as we glide through downtown."A very good idea," he says, his hand on my thigh. I'm in a dark blue dress with a slit up my thigh and a low-cut front, and he keeps peeking at my tits and my leg. It sends a thrill into my guts, the way he looks at me in this revealing dress, so totally not my style, but he seems to love it. Which is good enough for me."It's just, you keep talking about how dangerous it's been in the city and how I shouldn't go to the diner—""Trust me." His fingers dig into my thigh and there's a smile on his lips. "The Italians are too busy to bother with us tonight."He takes me to an upscale Asian fusion restaurant. We're seated right away by a pretty girl in all black at a good table right in the middle of the vast, open space. The music is loud, and every table is packed, but Eros looks at me like there's nobody else in
CaraHe spreads my legs roughly, on his knees in front of me in the back of the car. "Are you sure Alonzo can't hear us?" I hiss at him. My bodyguard's behind the wheel tonight."Soundproof," he confirms."And he won't stop? The windows are totally tinted?""Yes and yes." His lips work up my inner thigh as my fingers twist into his hair. "Stop talking.""It's hard to shut my mouth with you touching me like that, and we're in the freaking car, with like a hundred—oh, fuck." He pushes my panties aside and licks my clit in slow circles. "Ah, okay, I think, yeah, I can try to ignore all that other stuff.""Good girl." He slides his fingers slowly inside of me. "I want you to do nothing but feel me enjoying you, your taste, your moans, everything about your lovely little pussy.""Okay, I can do that." He spreads me wider, fingers moving in and out, curling devilishly, driving me insane. "That definitely helps." He licks my clit, sucking me, driving me insane. "You're really hell-bent on sp
CaraI wake up feeling refreshed and happy. There's a pleasant glow that hangs around for a while after a night of really good sex—and last night was really good. I'm guessing my post-orgasm floaty-feeling is going to last all day, and if I'm lucky, Eros might keep that going into tomorrow.Except he's not in bed with me. I touch his pillow—it's cold. Which means he must've left a while ago. That man works too damn much.I close my eyes, smiling slightly, unwilling to let this little wrinkle ruin my solid vibes.Last night was absolutely fantastic. He wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to treat me like this wife. That beast was absolutely insatiable in a way he hadn't been before. It was like one taste and he needed to devour me, toes to teeth. Orgasm after orgasm for both of us, and when I thought he was through, his cock somehow got hard again and he was fucking me into sweet oblivion.I yawn and stretch. Some men are freaks of nature. Eros might be a sex freak of nature. It shou
ErosI hear the scream as I come up the steps, a bag of breakfast sandwiches in one hand and a carrier with two coffees in the other. I'm humming to myself, floating on a cloud. I figured I'd treat Cara to breakfast from my favorite local spot not too far away and wanted to take the drive myself to clear my head.Last night's debauchery still lingers like a comforting blanket.But that scream has my body pounding with adrenaline.I know that sound. I know that tone. It's a scream of pure, utter horror, of an animal trapped in a life-or-death struggle.And it's coming from my room.I drop the coffee and sandwiches as I sprint down the hall. My heart's racing, my brain working. I released Alonzo early this morning, told the kid to get some rest—which means Cara is alone.Nobody else would go near my wing of the house, not this early in the morning.She's alone, all alone, with no weapons, no protection, nothing.Fuck, I shouldn't have left her, but I thought my enemies were busy fightin
ErosI stand behind my desk in the office of the Lord of the Khazan Family. To my left, Cara leans against the bookshelf, looking exhausted. Her eyes are bloodshot from the struggle of staying alive and there's an ugly yellow bruise forming on her cheek. Dr. Kalivas says she'll be okay—she doesn't seem to have any permanent damage, which was a relief beyond measure.To my right is my mother. She's in all black like always, her face cold and passive, showing no emotion. She stares straight ahead, unwilling to look at me.That's okay. I can't blame her. This won't be easy for my mother. She's lost so much already, but now there's more to lose.Straight ahead, Anissa and Sophia kneel on the floor, their hands tied behind their backs. Sophia doesn't look great—apparently, she tried to fight when Lycus caught her, screaming obscenities, halfway to the dock and the jet skis, and the guards might've gone a little overboard when they captured her. Aunt Anissa came peacefully though, and her h
ErosI sit alone in the steam room, no towel around my waist, my arms on the bench behind me, my head leaning back against the wall. My eyes are closed, and the heavy, damp air sits on my skin, pulling sweat from my pores.I'm exhausted. I'm more tired than I've been in a long, long time. The steam room helps relax me after an extremely trying day, but even this isn't bringing me back.It's like everything in my life is conspiring to break me, and if I don't find some hidden reserves of energy, I fear it'll work.But I'm so close. Bosco is dead along with his underboss, and word is the Pavone Famiglia quickly fell into chaos and infighting, just like I wanted. They're squabbling with each other over who will take command of the remains of their fractured organization, and I'm hoping that by the time a strong leader takes control, they'll be so diminished that I can either destroy them outright or demand absurd concessions in exchange for peace.Killing them with the Yakuzas' help will
ScarI sit at the bar in the Oak Club and sip a fine whiskey. It's peaty, warm, almost sweet. I hold it up to the light and watch the gold glow."You guys ever think we'd end up like this?" I ask, not looking at my brothers, but knowing they're beside me.Eros says, "Not once. But here we are.""I kind of figured I'd get hitched," Ford admits. "But I never thought I'd actually like her.""Same," Carmine says and laughs. "I figured I'd get stuck with some mafia princess brat.""Strange, how it goes," I say, grinning at them. "Here's to family.""Here's to that," Eros echoes.We toast each other. Four of the five men in the Atlas Organization. "I wish Lanzo were here," Ford says with a sigh."He'll be back," Eros says, then hesitates and shrugs. "Or maybe not. You never know with that guy.""He's going to be really surprised to hear that all four of his friends are married." I turn to look at the nearby table where are wives are sitting. Kat and Brice. Cara and Rita. All four of them be
ScarOrin Callahan does not sound happy.I'm back in my Dallas office. The new secretary is outside my door—a young man named Brian. Janine said he came highly recommended. We'll see about that."I'll be straight with you, Scarfoni," he says, and I note that I'm not Scar anymore. "I thought we had an understanding. You come to Boston, you work for my family, you get access to power you never dreamed about before. Do I really have to spell it out?""No, sir, you don't," I say, looking at the window. Thinking about my wife at her office right now. My real wife. "Unfortunately, Rita got a job here in Dallas, a job that I can't ask her to leave. I either stay here with her, or we do the long-distance thing, like I mentioned. I decided long distance won't work. I won't be leaving Dallas after all."Orin grunts, his annoyance obvious. "That's not acceptable.""It's the way things are. I wish it worked out differently.""You're making a mistake, Scarfoni. I'll give you another chance—""With
RitaI'm exhausted when I get back to the apartment.I was right, the first day wasn't too hard. A girl named Easter ("Mom was a hippie, Dad was a Catholic, they compromised.") showed me around, introduced me to the team, and started with my training once I filled out a ton of paperwork for HR. She's small and extremely sweet, but talked really fast, and I found myself struggling to keep up as she threw a ton of information at me all at once.Now I'm feeling like I ran a marathon. I toss my bag down near the door, kick my beautiful shoes off near the entryway, ignore the fact that they gave me blisters, and hurry into the main room.It smells incredible. "What is that?" I ask as Scar welcomes me from the kitchen."Dinner," he says, holding up a bottle. "And champagne." He pops off the cork.I laugh as he pours two glasses. "What's all this for?""A celebration. To your first day.""Oh, yeah? You cooked and cracked open a bottle of bubbly for me?""I didn't cook, I bought some good Ita
RitaMonday morning. I'm awake way earlier than I need to be—four on the dot—but I can't get back to sleep.It's the first day of a new job.I'm nervous. I'd be crazy if I weren't at least a little bit nervous. The first day should be the easiest though—they won't expect me to do anything serious, not until I'm acclimated with the office, with the basic stuff like email and logging into the computer and all that crap.I'll meet my coworkers, my bosses. I'll smile, make small talk, try to fit in.And for some reason, I'm terrified.I take a shower to calm my nerves. I get out and spend the next half hour second-guessing my outfit choice, parading one work-appropriate blouse around toward different work-appropriate slacks and skirts, trying to get just the right shoes. After a solid hour, I'm too tired to keep messing around and end up on a simple navy-and-gray ensemble. I'll get a feel for what the rest of the office wears and match a little bit better next time, but this should be fin
ScarGregory Callahan sits across from me in a barbecue restaurant he picked out. The place is almost garish, a gaudy mix of cowboy clichés: big hats, boots, spurs, ropes, steer, bison, more than one stuffed head, a bunch of bleached antlers, and a ton of rustic-looking wood completes the hideous decor."Never been here before," I say, glancing around, trying my best not to make a face."I hear the food's good," Gregory says without smiling. I genuinely can't tell if he's kidding or not. "But we're not here to eat.""We could order something," I say, craning my neck, looking for a waitress, suddenly curious."No, thank you." Gregory sits back in his booth. "This place is neutral ground. Somewhere you or your friends would never visit. It's also ugly enough that I want to spend as little time here as possible. So why don't we get to business?"I sit up straight, holding his gaze. "Whatever you want," I say, gesturing at him. "You called this meeting, Gregory. Why don't you tell me what
ScarI can't stay in that apartment.Not after trying to kiss her like a fucking idiot.I knew it was wrong—and I tried to do it anyway.I'm glad she pushed me away, even if I wanted to keep going.Even if I wouldn't have stopped.I fly out of Dallas the following morning, early. I leave her a note: Heading to Chicago on business. Sorry about yesterday. Scar. Hopefully she doesn't hold my stupid decisions against me, but then again, what does it matter?I'm leaving. She's staying. It's over—whatever it was."I didn't push her into the job to get rid of her," I say, sitting at a fancy bar. The soft murmur of conversation swirls around us. The lighting's muted, sultry, lots of reds and leather. The sort of place where I'm comfortable.Eros Khazan, another one of my best friends, leans back in his seat, studying me. The big Greek man narrows his eyes, considering. He's massive—easily the biggest guy in the place, maybe the biggest guy in the whole city—and he wears his size like a shield
RitaThat stupid asshole kisses me.We were having fun. A little harmless flirting, nothing more.But he takes it too far and kisses me.I can't believe it. He says the exact wrong thing, and he still has the nerve to kiss me. I put both hands on his chest and shove him back as hard as I can. I'm small, he's big, but I have the element of surprise—and a little leverage from the counter behind me.He takes a couple steps back, eyes wide."You idiot," I say, shaking my head. All the playfulness is gone now. "There's only right now? Are you insane?"His jaw works. "What do you want from me, Rita? I'm moving to Boston. You're staying here. What else can I do?""I don't know," I say, frustrating finally hitting its peak. I throw up my hands in disgust."You're the one flirting with me, you know.""I'm aware of that. It's frustrating, okay? I like flirting with you. It feels good."God, I'm so beyond confused.Because I want him to kiss me. I want him to want me. I love flirting with him, I
ScarI spend a few days in Boston getting a feel for the city. I meet with all the brothers except for Gregory—no shock there—and have dinner with Orin on the last night. He seems as stressed as he was back in the office, only drunker."Don't ever forget, they're out for blood," he says on the sidewalk outside of the expensive restaurant. He grabs my shoulder, stares into my eye. "They're all out for blood, Scar."I have no clue who he means, but I can imagine it's everyone. In his business, in his position, real paranoia must be the norm, and a shiver runs down my spine trying to picture myself working for this man.I can't stop thinking about the difference between Beach Orin and Office Orin on the flight back to Dallas. I keep seeing him standing there behind the desk surrounded by all the trappings of power—huge windows overlooking the city, oil paintings on the walls, expensive wooden furniture, priceless books and artifacts on the shelves—but looking absolutely diminished.Small
RitaI'm lonely without Scar.It's pathetic. I know it's pathetic. I drift around the apartment, killing time until I start work. He left me a credit card, said I could get myself an entire professional wardrobe, so obviously I take him up on it.Shopping only numbs my feelings for a little while.Then I'm back home with half a dozen bags filled to the brim with designer outfits, empty all over again. I pop a bottle of champagne, pour a glass, and start at the window.Somewhere, hundreds of miles away, Scar's visiting the city we were both supposed to move to. I hope he's having a good time with the Callahan boys. I hope he's keeping out of trouble.A stab of jealousy pierces through me, and I have to shove it away.This isn't me. Moping around, feeling sorry for myself. Well, okay, it's a little me, but still, I don't let myself get all soppy and sad over some guy.Scar made his choice. I made mine.So why am I still feeling this way?As I pour myself a second glass, the doorbell rin