LOGINEMILIA POV
"Em, we should plan," Axel said, his voice gravel-rough in the dim motel room. "Figure out how to get you and Mia out before Victoria's people roll up tomorrow.""We will." I stepped into him, chest to chest, feeling the frantic thud of his heart through his shirt. "Later. Right now I need you inside me. I need to feel something other than terror. I need to remember we're still alive."I didn't wait for permission. I crashed my mouth against his hard and messy, teethEMILIA POVI heard voices drifting from the living room, the low, jagged rumble of Axel’s voice and a softer, melodic tone that felt like a ghost from my past. Getting out of bed at twenty-two weeks was no longer a simple movement; it was a feat of engineering. I rolled to my side, pushed off the mattress, and felt the familiar, heavy pressure in my lower back. My skin felt tight, stretched to its limit by the life growing inside me.I waddled toward the living room, my hand instinctively supporting the weight of my bump. When I turned the corner, I stopped dead.Isabella.She looked thinner, her face etched with a new exhaustion, and a jagged scar traced a path across her neck. But her eyes were the same."Isabella?" My voice cracked.She turned, and for a second, her stoic mask shattered. A weak, tearful smile broke through. "Hello, Emilia."I moved as fast as my swollen ankles allowed and pulled her into a hug. She gasped, wincing as her s
Axel POV"The terms are simple," I said into the phone, leaning back in the leather chair. "You use our trucks, and your cargo is guaranteed to reach the border. My men handle the checkpoints. In return, you pay the ten percent loyalty tax. Do we have a deal?"The business partner on the other end hesitated, the silence stretching across the line before he finally agreed. I hung up, feeling the heavy weight of the mahogany desk in front of me. Three months as Don felt like three years. I was surrounded by blood money and the constant, suffocating pressure of maintaining the Moretti empire. Every decision felt like a step further away from the man I used to be.Captain Ricci sat across from me, his face a mask of stone. Two other captains, Moretti and Gallo, stood by his side like shadows, their presence making the room feel smaller.
Emilia's POVThe meeting was set for noon at a restaurant in Little Italy, deep in Moretti territory. Angelo drove us there, offering last-minute advice to Axel."Remember," Angelo warned. "You’re Carlo’s son. Act like it. Be confident and strong. These men only respect power.""I’m nothing like my father," Axel snapped."For today, you have to be. At least on the surface."We arrived to find the restaurant closed for a private event. The street was crawling with guards and men in suits, all watching us as we walked inside. Twenty men sat at a long table, the captains and underbosses of the Moretti hierarchy. They stood when Axel entered, though I couldn't tell if it was out of genuine respect or just to size him up."Gentlemen," Angelo announced. "Dante Moretti. Carlo’s son. Your new Don."Silence gripped the room until an older man spoke. It was Captain Ricci, the former second-in-command to Vincent. He had gray hair, sharp eyes, and a dangerous aura."Dante," Ricci said. "We heard
AXEL POVThree weeks of playing Vincent's obedient heir.Three weeks of hell.But Angelo's plan was ready.Marcus and Rafe had arrived in New York two days ago.Vincent's men caught them.Threw them in the basement cells.They thought I killed Marco.Hated me.I couldn't risk telling them the truth.Not with Vincent's surveillance everywhere.Tonight, everything changed.Angelo called at 10 PM."It's happening. FBI moves at midnight. Be ready.""Ready for what?""Chaos. When they raid, get Em and run. East exit. My car will be waiting.""What about Marcus and Rafe?""My inside man releases them during the confusion. They'll find their own way out.""And Vincent?""Isabella's evidence is solid. Financial crimes. RICO charges. Murder conspiracy. He's going away for life.""You're sure?""Positive. Just be ready."He hung up.I found Em in our suite."It's happening.
EMILIA POVAxel talked for an hour.In the bathroom.Shower running.Masking his voice.I couldn't hear everything.Just fragments.", killed your men on Vincent's orders, "", want him dead as much as you, "", need your help, "Finally, he emerged."Well?""He's meeting us. Tomorrow night. Neutral ground.""How do we get out of the mansion?""Isabella's helping. She'll arrange it.""Can we trust her?""No. But we don't have a choice.""What about the guards? The cameras?""She says she can disable them. For thirty minutes. That's our window.""And if it's a trap?""Then we die trying to escape instead of waiting for Vincent to kill us."He had a point.The next day crawled.We played along.Breakfast with Vincent.Smiling. Compliant.He bought it."You seem better today, Dante. More accepting.""I'm trying.""Good. Family is everything. Y
AXEL POVSeven PM.Guards escorted us to the dining room.The entire family waited.Vincent at the head.Isabella beside him.Nikolai. Jax.Captains and underbosses.Twenty people.All watching us."Dante, Emilia. Sit."Two chairs. Center of the table.On display.We sat.Food was served immediately.Elaborate. Expensive.I couldn't eat.Marco was dead.Because of me."Eat, Dante," Vincent said. "You need your strength.""I'm not hungry.""That wasn't a request."I picked up my fork.Forced food down.Tasted like ash."I'd like to make an announcement," Vincent said.Everyone quieted."Dante and Emilia are expecting. A Moretti heir. My great-nephew or niece."Applause.Congratulations.Fake smiles.I wanted to kill them all."This calls for celebration," Vincent continued. "To family. To legacy. To the future.""To famil







