THE DEVIL YOU KNOW "Sometimes salvation comes with bruised knuckles and Spanish curses." ~ LAUREN'S POV ~ The world had exploded into chaos, and I couldn't tell up from down. Gunshots echoed through the restaurant like thunder, mixing with shouting in multiple languages and the crash of overturned furniture. Emergency lighting cast everything in hellish red shadows, making the scene look like something from a nightmare. Through the mayhem, a strong hand clamped over my mouth from behind, cutting off my scream before it could escape. Panic shot through me like electricity as whoever had grabbed me began dragging me backward, away from the gunfight. I thrashed against my captor, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst. My zip-tied hands were useless, but I kicked and twisted with everything I had, trying to break free. Through the smoke and chaos, I caught a glimpse of Mario diving behind an overturned table, his weapon drawn and returning fire. Vikt
THE HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED"Sometimes the prey grows teeth."~ LAUREN'S POV ~The storage room Julian had locked me in reeked of bleach and something metallic that I didn't want to identify. My wrists were raw from struggling against the zip ties binding them behind my back, and my pencil skirt had torn during my attempts to find any weakness in my makeshift prison.But I had found something better than an escape route.I had found a way to turn the tables.For the past hour, I had been forced to listen to voices filtering through the thin walls….Julian's smooth charm taking turns with Viktor's Russian-accented commands. They thought they were allies, but their conversation revealed the truth.They were using each other.Julian wanted Viktor to destroy Alexandro so he could seize Castello Enterprises without competition. Viktor wanted Julian's resources to destroy the Castello name, then planned to get rid of Julian and reclaim his son.Neither man planned to honor their partners
THE DEVIL'S FEAST"Some family dinners end in bloodshed."~ ALEXANDRO'S POV ~The private dining room at The Devil's Table looked like something from a nightmare.Viktor Kuznetsov sat at the head of an elegant mahogany table, casually cutting into a perfectly cooked steak as if the corpse spread out beside his chair was merely a problematic piece of furniture. Blood had pooled beneath the dead man's shattered skull, bleeding into the expensive Persian rug with creative accuracy.Five armed men stood positioned behind Viktor's chair like deadly guardians, their hands resting on hidden weapons, eyes tracking my every movement with hunting focus.But what made my stomach turn was not the everyday violence or the threatening display of force…it was the young brunette sitting frozen beside Viktor, her shirt torn open to expose her breasts, tears streaming down her terrified face as she tried to make herself invisible.She couldn't have been older than twenty-two."Alexandro, my son," Vikt
BLOOD AND VENGEANCE"Some men hunt prey. Others hunt predators."~ ALEXANDRO'S POV ~The fluorescent lights of the federal interrogation room had given me a headache that felt like someone was driving railroad spikes through my skull. Three hours of the same questions, the same accusations, the same pathetic attempts to connect me to crimes I hadn't committed.Agent Hendrick had tried every trick in his playbook—good cop, bad cop, silent treatment, aggressive confrontation. None of it worked because I had been playing this game since before he knew how to properly hold a gun."Your warehouse explosion killed three men," he had said for the hundredth time, leaning across the metal table like closeness would somehow make me confess. "We have evidence suggesting this wasn't an accident.""Then arrest me or let me go," I had replied each time, my voice never changing tone or inflection. "Your evidence is circumstantial at best, and we both know it."The leaked video they had received wa
FEDERAL GAMES AND BROKEN RULES "It's a fine day to kill somebody." ~ ALEXANDRO'S POV ~ {One Hour Earlier} The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly as Mario and I approached the hospital entrance, my mind focused entirely on getting to Lauren. Viktor's threatening phone call still echoed in my head, and every second away from her felt like a lifetime. Then I saw them. Federal agents appeared from unmarked vehicles like predators circling wounded prey, their movements blended and deliberate. The media vultures weren't far behind….news vans screeching to a halt, reporters spilling out with cameras and microphones ready to feast on whatever drama was about to unfold. "M****a," I muttered under my breath, instinctively raising my hand to shield my face from the camera flashes that had already started popping like fireworks. Mario immediately stepped in front of me, his charging frame blocking the worst of the photographers' assault. "Back the fuck up!" he barked, his voice carryi
THE DEVIL'S DINNER TABLE"Your boyfriend can't save you now, princess."~ LAUREN'S POV ~My heart thrashed against my ribcage as I stared at the threatening text from the unknown number, my hands trembling so violently that I nearly dropped my phone."Your boyfriend can't protect you from everyone, princess. Some monsters wear familiar faces. Sweet dreams. - A friend"I was about to text Alexandro when one of my colleagues burst out of Rosette's hospital room, his phone pressed urgently against his ear."….reporters everywhere," he was saying, his voice carrying down the sterile hallway. "News vans are parked outside and Alexandro Castello is here. The feds are with him."My heart stopped.Alexandro was here? And why were there federal agents involved?I whipped around to face Antonio and Luca, desperate for answers, but they looked just as confused as I felt. Their usual stoic expressions had cracked, revealing genuine concern."I'll call the boss," Luca muttered, already reaching fo