Frankie sighs. “Well, now that the biggest issue is out of the way, we need to talk about the women arriving this fucking weekend.”I want to laugh out loud because my little brother makes it seem like getting married is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to him. Then again, he’s a womanizer, so maybe it is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to him. “Why the fuck does the prospect of getting married freak you out so much? Nikki Baranova is gorgeous-”“Gorgeous, yes. My type, fuck no,” he says, pouring himself another glass. “You know what I like and to be fucking honest, Julia would have been a better option.”I roll my eyes. “You and Julia would have killed each other on your wedding night, the woman is a lioness-”“I would have tamed her,” he interjects with a cocky grin, and I almost punch the fucker. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with a woman who doesn’t even speak half the time?!”Pinching the bridge of my nose so as not to lose my temper, because
My hand goes to my chest and I look at Giovanni, trying to find amusement in his eyes but all I see is sincerity. There’s no way he… After everything that happened to me, knowing what they did to me while I was unconscious, knowing what happened, he still— “You love me?” I ask, my breath catching in my throat. “Are you sure? You’re not just saying that because we just had sex, or because you have to?” He chuckles and kisses me hard. “I think I know the difference between love and lust, Amoruccio; and yes, I do love you. The second I laid my eyes on you, I knew I’d be falling hard; you had my heart the moment you stepped out of that church.” I shake my head, focusing extremely hard on his chest tattoo. “I just didn’t… I didn’t think you’d feel the same as me—” “So say it,” he challenges, placing his finger under my chin and tilting my head so I’m looking right at him. “Say the words.” I swallow hard, looking into those blue eyes that pulled me in the first time I saw him…and then I
I’m watching Giovanni pace the floor as we’re waiting for the two women to arrive. I’m extremely nervous about meeting them, to be honest. There was a delay with their flight and Giovanni suspected something might be up, so now he’s calling in guards to make sure the women get here safely. They come from powerful families, so he needs to be careful. “They just touched down? Fuck, okay. Eyes on them, don’t let them out of your sight for even one second,” he says before killing the call, pinching the bridge of his nose and breathing out a long sigh. “Women will be the end of me.” I chuckle when he says the last bit. “Oh, is that so? All women?” He sits down next to me and raises his eyebrow while shooting me an amused look. “Women in this family, yes; even the new ones. I swear we’re having a girl, I’ll be gray before I reach forty.” Just thinking about Giovanni with flecks of silver in his hair brings a smile to my face. This man will continue to be handsome even in his old age.
I strap the two Berettas in my holster, slip in four KA Bar knives and check my ammo before getting out of my armored SUV. Frankie called a few minutes ago to say gunfire broke out as soon as the women stepped off the private jet.No one should know these women are arriving here today, in fact, the only people who know the location of the airstrip are me and my brothers, Kaz and Dev. When we bring soldiers with us, they’re fucking blindfolded, for God’s sake.“You better fucking say you’re close, man,” Frankie’s voice comes through my earpiece. “They got me in the shoulder, Julia was hit before I could get her inside, and I can’t fucking leave her here.”Fuck! “I’m five minutes out, hang tight. Where are you?”“We went back inside the jet the second the guards went down. They’re trying to shoot their way in here and I’m a fucking sitting duck, Gio,” Frankie answers. He’s pissed off because he can’t do a damn thing, and I understand.“Is Nikki okay?”“She’s busy getting this bullet ou
“...No! She’s…. You didn’t…!” I can hear someone shouting in Italian, but it feels like my head is being held underwater. My mouth feels dry and my head hurts and as I try to open my eyes, the sunshine blinds me. Groaning, I brace myself up on my elbows and wait for my vision to adjust to everything. Did I fall asleep on the sofa again? But who would be shouting in my home, though? Wait, didn’t it sound like Nonna Lola? God, I am feeling so awful… “Nonna…?” I grumble and hear footsteps approaching me just as my vision clears. Nonna Lola is looking down at me with wide, worried eyes and I allow my eyes to wander at the room I am in…then I frown. I don’t recognize the surroundings at all. The decor reminds me of a cabin in the woods, and from the pine smell, I realize I must be somewhere in the wilderness. My heart leaps into my chest and I sit up too quickly, earning me a throbbing head “Where am I? What’s—” “Shh, it’s okay, Tesoro. You’re okay,” Nonna Lola tries to assure me whil
“Explain it to me as if I’m stupid,” I say, shaking my head. “How the fuck is Catalina alive?” Kaz sits back and sighs. “I think you should go speak to them first so they can explain it better,” he says before standing up. “I’m going to see Nikki before leaving, and I believe Dev is arriving soon.” “Christ, Kaz, how long have you known about this?” I ask as I get to my feet. Kazimir, like his grandfather before him, is amazing at finding anyone and anything. Don’t ask me how he does it, it’s scary as shit the intel he has. “As soon as you called me and told me what happened, I had all airports and harbors kept under strict surveillance. I expected to find the old woman, but Catalina herself was a shock to me,” he says, shaking his head. “The funniest thing about this entire thing, though, is the fact that they were both heading to you, anyway.” “What?” I ask, blinking. “Why would they come here and risk death after what they’ve done?” Kaz sighs and shoots me a look. “Ask them th
My father hasn’t been back to see me since he left. Well, I’m not even sure because he locked the bedroom door after he left and the only people I see are the ones who bring me food. All I’ve done for the last two days is lay on this bed and think. Think about what my father said, about Giovanni and how he potentially killed my mother and lied to me about loving me. Then again, this man has been missing and had no qualms about striking me when I asked a question. He’s completely different from the man I saw in the pictures, smitten with my mother; so what happened?I know there are collaterals when it comes to this life, I’m sure my father knew this too, but keeping this grudge and then using me as bait? He seems, and looks, like a man hellbent on revenge and yet he couldn’t even muster an ounce of sympathy for me.Sighing, I lay back on the bed and place a hand on my belly. I don’t know what Nonna Lola gave me, but I remember her freaking out when I mentioned the baby. Could it hav
Giovanni My eyes fall on Kaz crouching down next to a body and rifling through their pockets. He sees me and shakes his head. “They’re Romanians,” he says. “What?” I ask, looking at the two men who don’t look familiar. Then Kaz moves the lapel of one of their shirts to show me the B tattoo below his collarbone. “Fucking Brigăzi. Either Andrei’s men or-” “No, Kaius wouldn’t betray me; not with Emilia with him,” I say as I pull out my cell phone and dial the Romanian Mob Boss’ number. There’s no way he would’ve helped Moretti after what we spoke about; this must be Andrei’s work. Kaius answers on the fourth ring, but as he does so, I hear a loud crash in the background. “Fucking hell, calm your ass down or I’ll calm it down for you.” He growls to someone in the back, and when I hear my sister’s voice telling him to try her, I can’t help but chuckle. “Things are going well, I see,” I say, amused, and listen to him breathing out a sigh on the other side. “Your sister is having some