All Chapters of His Salvation: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Upper East Side, New York Alessandra Why are you standing here, in the dark, with a man you barely know with your entire family in the other room? It was dangerous, exciting and a whole other host of emotions. I could not walk away, not when my hand still tingles from where he’d held me. I eyed his cigarette. It looked small, harmless in his hand. I had never imagined what it would look like in mine but I was curious. He must have noticed my expression for he pulled the cigarette out of his lips and handed it to me. Touching a man in certain ways had been a foreign notion to me. We were shielded, protected from the ‘claws of men who would tarnish not only our reputation but our precious virginity’ which was a sell point for our Papa. Hand holding and cigarette sharing was blasphemy in my world. I took the cigarette from him and he closely watched me as I brought it to my lips and inhaled. The coughing came instantaneously, chest and throat burning whilst my eyes watered. Dark

*** Long Island, New York Alessandra "Can't believe the day is finally here. You're going to be Mrs. Moreno in a few hours." Diego stated, excitement in his voice that made me chuckle. I swallowed the unease that rushed through me at his words, blaming it on nerves rather than any other option. I couldn't back out now. Not when I was so close to my goal. "Yeah. And our agreement is going to be in full effect. We are still on the same page on that front, right?" Nervousness flamed up from within me as I waited with bated breath for his answer. My gaze fixated on our transformed backyard and the wedding planner's team of helpers who moved up and down to ensure perfection. Anything less usually means literal death...or at least a life of misery... "Of course, Alessa. You and I have the same beliefs. We have worked hard to get to where we are now. Nothing has changed. I'm sorry I couldn't meet up with you yesterday, reassure you that we are okay and that everything will be just fin

*** Long Island, New York Draken "To what do I owe this visit? And if it is for business, then I must ask that we do this another time. As you must have observed, it is my daughter's wedding today and I plan to focus solely on that." Massimo Rinaldi stated once he walked into his grand office, gesturing past the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked a completely transformed backyard. The wedding planners were busy getting everything in place, last minute touches and all for what had been dubbed the 'wedding of the century'. I scoffed inwardly at that. "Well, we understand but our business here is related to the wedding and more." Ioann stated from beside me, his gaze shifting from Massimo who was now staring at me to Salvatore Rinaldi whose scowl was permanently etched on his face as he glared at my cousin. It was no secret that he was not a big fan of the peace brokered between our families. He hated not only Ioann's guts but seemed to be growing his dislike for me as well.

***Long Island, New YorkAlessandraThe sound of commotion had us pausing at the door, each of us sharing a look of knowing and worry. The women in my world were conditioned to their lives and what it meant to be part of the criminal underground. We were prepared for any and every eventuality, knew exactly what to do when danger lurked and our enemies reared their head.We are, after all, usually the first targets in such a situation. We were expendable, collateral damage in the grand scheme of things so that the Made men can battle it out, oblivious to our own suffering. It was one among many things I detested about this world.We aren't human beings to them. Simply weak women who can be used, abused and thrown out, all for the sake of the end game. I refuse to be a statistic in someone's mind games.My sisters and I shared a look, each of our instincts on high alert as we prepared for whatever was to come. I may have clashed a lot with my Papa and disagreed with him on many matters

***Long Island, New YorkAlessandraIt was not that I loved Diego with all of my heart. That would be a foolish endeavor, certainly not wise in our world. Love wasn't something that we knew about. It was not encouraged, mainly because we didn't know when or how we would lose it. Despair would come and wipe it all away, break us and shove us out of the fantasy we made for ourselves.It's an unnecessary emotion, especially when you need to be on the top of your game at all times. Any sign of weakness is usually considered to be a way in and no one will show you mercy once you give them a glimpse of your jugular.Diego's death was both painful because he was not only a close friend that I cherished so much but also the man who was meant to free me from the prison of my world. He understood me, wanted to fight the system beside me. How could it all be taken from me in one blow? When I was so close to the finish line?I glanced down at my wedding dress that was wrinkled, certainly not hol