LILY’s POV
The kiss….our kiss is neither earth-shattering nor is it one filled with throes of passion and moans. It is none of that. Instead, it is like the waking up of one’s soul on a fine spring morning, allowing me to taste and feel every colour of the rainbow in their own sensual way. It is like tasting cotton candy as it melts in your mouth, coating every one of your senses with its softness and sweetness.
Everything around me fades to nothingness, it is as if nothing else exists except the two of us. It is my first kiss and it is one I will remember for the rest of my life.
“You should rest,” I whisper when our lips finally part.
He massages my earlobe and offers a smile. “You should change.”
We both look down at my bloodied dress and laugh a little. Or at least I do. Kane grimaces right after a laugh escapes his lips, his wound must hurt him more than he lets on. I run my hand through his hair and give him a lit
ROSE’s POV Lily and Kane. Kane and Lily. I should be happy for them, I should give them my blessings, I should wish them nothing but happiness. I know what she went through. She never said anything to me and mother has kept mum about it but I am no fool. I know she was raped because of me. I should be grateful she volunteered to take my place. I should, but I am not. I am a monster. I want Kane, I want him more than anything else in the world. He consumes my every waking moment and I thrive just by drinking in the sight of his beautiful face. I know it’s strange, how can I fall for a man I barely know? He hasn’t even spoken more than a few sentences to me but there’s just something about him that draws me, that makes me yearn for him. Is it his power? His devilish charm or the fact that he is unattainable? I do not know, all I know is if I can’t have him then no one can, not even Lily. I step out of the kitchen and make my way up to K
ROSE’s POV Tore frowns. “Rose, you know what will happen if you tempt me like this.” He is being too much of a gentleman. I thought the mafia was savage. I pull his hands and place them on me, allowing him to feel the moulds of my breasts as my chest rises and falls. Tore is but a pawn in my game but he does not need to know that. And to win this game, I will sacrifice my body. The thought sends a shudder through me. His touch repulses me as does everyone else’s but if I am to make Kane mine, then what is a little bit of sacrifice? “I know,” I whisper, staring at him straight in the eye. His reaction is very interesting, they blaze with need, hunger and lust. He leans forward to kiss me and I squeeze my eyes shut feeling the pain as he bites down on my lips. His hands trail down to my arse, lifting me from my seat and over to his so I straddle him. The feeling….it is both revolting and intoxicating at the same time. “Yo
LILY’s POV “Loving someone is giving them the power to break your heart, but trusting them not to.”― Julianne Moore I palm the mug of hot tea with both my hands, trying to keep warm against the chilly draft that breezes across the night sky. Breathing in the steam from my tea, I look up at the moon and wonder what mother, Rose and Thomas are doing. Are they sleeping already? I miss them. “A penny for your thoughts?” Kane’s voice breaks my train of thoughts and my head rears back from the kitchen window to face him. He has a glass of red wine in his hand and is dressed in a dark blue robe clinched at the waist by a satin sheath. The corners of my lips lift at the sight of him. It is good to see him moving about after all the slashing he endured during the fight. Placing my mug down on the kitchen countertop, I walk over to him and place both hands on his robe, pulling them tighter to
LILY’s POV “The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.” ―Lao Tzu I should have known. The signs were glaringly obvious, hidden in plain sight. It was just that no one in the family ever talked about Rose’s OCD, no one in the family ever brought it to light. The frequent handwashing, the need for symmetry in her laundry, the endless combing of her hair, the refusal to touch anything ‘dirty’….now that I think back, Ian is right. But Rose never hurt anyone. “Luke and I saw Rose and little Thomas at your father’s grave one evening when we were still back at Tussano. They didn’t see us but she kept shifting the stake’s position in the soil, muttering over and over that it was this or that was the best position. And when she was done, she had your brother wipe the stake repeatedly, saying that it was unclean. Your brother was crying, it seemed like he wanted to go home and sleep but she had
KANE’s POV “Each betrayal beings with a trust.” – Martin Luther I twist my body to take a better look at my back. It is gruesome, marred by scars from yesteryears’ battles and most recently from the fire in the warehouse and the wound courtesy of Iroshi. I clench my jaw as I slip into a plain shirt, trying to ignore the phantom pains that gnaw at my back. A gentle knock comes at my door and for a moment, my heart soars and all pain is forgotten. Has Lily come to bid me goodbye again? That girl must miss me already. I chuckle and stretch my arms, wincing slightly as I walk towards the door. Doctor Antonio was right, had the blade gone an inch deeper, it would have been ‘sayonara’ for me. But upon opening my bedroom door, I am greeted not by the sight of a chestnut-haired beauty. Rather the woman who stands before me is a blonde in a body fitting blue dress and the smile fades from my face. It is Rose. “Kane!” She smiles.
LILY’s POV “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War The warehouse is dark as it is cold with only a few swinging overhead lamps to give light to the place. I stand next to Russo as one of our men yanks open one of the many wooden crates around to reveal stacked firearms and weaponry ranging from the lightweight Smith and Wesson, Colt M1911 and sawed-off shotguns to heavyweights like the military Browning automatic rifles. Russo whistles and rubs his hands together like a little boy awaiting his birthday present. “Time to check these babies out.” He takes one of the guns out, cocks it and aims it at a practice target far off at the end of the warehouse. The gunshot rings out loud and proud, echoing around and he nods, placing the gun back in the crate. Russo is happy with what he sees. Our supplier flashes us his not so pearly whites and leers at me. “S
LILY’s POV “Mafia is a process, not a thing. Mafia is a form of clan cooperation to which its individual members pledge a lifelong commitment to. Friendship, connections, family ties, trust, loyalty, obedience… this was the glue that held us together.” –Joe Bonanno I am faced with the most beautiful view before me. A sunset by the beach with gentle waves cradling the shore before they retreat and come back once more. Propping my elbows on the sand I lean my head back and look up at the evening sky where a flock of birds fly in unison heading home. The ocean is everything I want to be, powerful, wild and free. I wish Kane were here. I wonder if he thinks of me as often as I think of him? “Beer?” Russo breaks my train of thoughts and plops down on the sand beside me, tossing over a bottle of beer my way without even waiting for my reply. I catch it with two hands. Russo sits cross-legged on the sandy
KANE’s POVI throw my glass against the wall, shattering it into pieces. It splinters to the ground and I turn around with a growl, facing the woman before me. It is Rose and she is naked. On my bed. In my room.She holds my blanket to her body and trembles as she cries.“Kane…” she calls out with mascara running down her eyes. “I surrendered myself to you, I gave you my all…you touched me, you wanted me –"“Get out,” I hiss, pointing towards the door. She shakes her head in defiance. My fingers curl into fists. It takes all my willpower not to storm towards her and wring my hands around her filthy neck. How dare she?“GET OUT!!!!!” I bellow and this time, she drops the blanket like a hot coal and scrambles out of the room, stopping only to pick up her garments strewn all over the floor.Fuck.I head over to my side table and grab the bottle of Dr Antonio&rsq