All Chapters of Bound by blood and lies: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Pain.It wasn't the kind that faded with time.It was a deep, raw and utterly ripping kind. The type that seeped so deep into your skin then settled in your bones. The kind that alters your brain chemistry and makes you question your own sanity.That was how I felt right now, shackled in the cold, hard dimly lit basement. I had expected this, planned for this.But nothing had prepared me for them.The door creaked open and the thick scent of colony and gunpowder that could only belong to one man filtered into the room. Slow deliberate footsteps echoed against the stone floor. I didn't lift my head, I didn't need to because I already knew who it was..Luca Rossi.The man I had been sent to destroy.The man who now owned me.“Still breathing?” His voice was as smooth as silk yet as sharp as steel as it carried authority.The metal cuffs dug into my wrists, it kept digging further into my already raw wrist, blood dripping lazily down my arm. My shirt was gone as well— it had been ripped

I knew a test when I saw one.And right now? I was being tested.The underground auction was successful but Luca and Matteo weren't fools. They might have bought me but they sure as hell didn't trust me.Not yet.Matteo leaves against the wall of the indoor gym, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing his toned, tattooed muscular arm and a silver bracelet that gleamed under the light.“Like what you see?” He asked, teasing.I ignored him, my eyes sliding over to Luca who sat on a sleek leather chair at the aft end of the room, watching us like a king on his throne. A glass of whiskey held in his hand as he swirled it lazily, he acted like he wasn't interested in what we were doing but I wasn't stupid.He was studying me.They both were."Fight me," Matteo said simply, cracking his knuckles.I didn’t rise to the bait. I knew what this was. A way to gauge my strength, to see if I was as dangerous as my fake backstory claimed.They thought I was a former soldier—a man who had been

One thing I have come to learn in my story time at the Rossi mansion is that the hallways had ears. If your loyalty is doubted even for a second, you will join the blood of the people used to build the empire.The first step of my mission was to get in, the second was to gain their trust dn from the look of things, I was on the right track.So here I was, standing in front of the dinning table, my body still sore from my training session with Matteo. Bruises had become a part of me now, he always made sure to leave a mark like the masochist that he was. He left marks that wouldn't fade for days and always made sure to add new ones. I caught him staring at them with a sick, twisted smile on his face on several occasions.Luca and Matteo were like fire and ice. One made calculated cold moves while the other ripped things apart.And now, they were both watching me keenly.“You’ve proven yourself,” Luca finally said, his deep, soft voice echoing in the dining room. “You’re an excellent fi

The gun felt like it weighed a ton. I could see the impatience beginning to crawl into Luca's eyes. Matteo on the other hand was happy about the position I had been put in, he found it entertaining.The man was pushed to his knees before me. He shook violently, his breathing becoming panicked and frantic. He knew that he was going to die either way but the question was whether or not I was going to be the one to pull the trigger.I had killed before but not like this. Not in cold blood.Not to prove loyalty to men that I had vowed to destroy.My mission. That's what I had to focus on.My grip on the gun tightened, time was ticking. My heart raced in my chest so fast that I thought it would burst out. My instincts screamed at me to do something — to move, to run.But I didn't move. I couldn't.Matteo let out a slow airy laugh then walked behind me. He was way too close for comfort as he pressed his chest against my back, letting his heat seep into my bones. His fingers trailed from m