We only have fifteen more chapters to go. Hahaha. 🤫😌
RENATO MARINOThe key trembled in my hand when I turned the ignition. The engine roared, but it was nothing compared to the thunder that struck in my chest. My heart slammed hard against my ribs, every beat a hammer blow, every breath a ragged scrape. It felt like my chest had been cut open and left bleeding. My head pounded, veins burning with panic.I gripped the wheel so tight my knuckles went white. The tires shrieked as I shot down the street. My body moved like it wasn’t mine anymore. I drove like a rabid animal, possessed, blind to the cars around me, blind to the honks and curses. My hands shook. Sweat slicked my skin. My vision tunneled.All I could see was them. Curtis. Chocolate. That small fragile boy. The girl who had been through enough in her life already. If Sasha touched them, if he dared take them from me, I would rip his world apart brick by brick.I yanked my phone free and called, my fingers trembling as I pulled out her contact. The line rang. And rang. And fuck
RENATO MARINOThe grenade spun across the floor and rolled to a stop.I moved before thought. My hand fisted in Mikhail’s shirt and I drove him down, taking myself with him, pulling us both to the opposite side of the room. The blast wasn’t strong enough to collapse a building like this, but it would have shredded flesh if it had gone off too close.We hit the concrete hard. My shoulder ached from the impact, my breath leaving me in a sharp growl.The explosion came a second later. A sharp crack ripped through the warehouse, throwing a wall of sound into the rafters. Sparks and smoke burst out in the far corner, splinters and shards tearing through old crates stacked there. The concussion rattled my chest, the air stung of gunpowder, and my ears rang. Smoke curled into the open space, dust floating down like ash.Mikhail laughed. Even bleeding from his mouth, even with dust and blood in his hair, he laughed.“You should have let it take me,” he said, his voice rough. “Would have spa
RENATO MARINOThis is for the best.This is for a good cause.I remained still in the rented limo, hidden behind its tinted glass, arms crossed tightly over my chest as I stared out the window. The new lawyer I’d hired for Mikhail stepped out of the facility, followed by Mikhail himself, his smug smile a dagger in my gut.My teeth clenched as I watched him walk like he owned the fucking world. If it weren’t for the fact that ruining my carefully laid plans could backfire spectacularly, I would have loved nothing more than to wipe that arrogant expression off his fucking face.He wasn’t invincible. He wasn’t relevant. Not to me, at least. I only did this to earn Sasha’s trust, to make the old fool let his guard down around me so he wouldn't notice a thing until I struck first.The limo door swung open, and the bastard slid in, his grin widening the moment his eyes locked on me. I could already picture the filth running through his head... we hadn’t exactly shared the same space since t
JAYCE BECKETT The smell of bleach clung faintly to the bathroom even though I had cracked the window open. A towel was spread over Chocolate's shoulders, clips holding messy sections of her dark hair in place while streaks of dye worked their way through. My hands were stained with little smudges of chestnut brown, proof I had no damn clue what I was doing but was determined to at least pretend I did. I meant, this was my first time dealing with hair bleach. Even when Emily was young and still around, she never asked for a hair dye, so I had no idea what the fuck I was doing to Chocolate's hair. “Hold still, or you’re gonna look like a zebra,” I muttered, brushing a section of hair down, my frown deepened as I had my eyes glued to her hair. Chocolate wrinkled her nose at me through the mirror. “You’re the worst hairdresser alive.” “And yet, here you are begging me to help you,” I shot back, smirking. “You want me to call a professional? Or, perhaps, you'll prefer Curti
RENATO MARINO The gates opened slow, deliberate, like the jaws of some iron beast. Rifles gleamed in the hands of Sasha’s men, every muzzle tilted just enough to remind us of what it would cost to trespass here.Our convoy rolled forward, three black cars moving as one. The lead vehicle cleared the path, men inside scanning every shadow with the paranoia drilled into them by years in this life. My car came second, a black Mercedes sedan, its windows tinted darker than midnight. Only Giovanni sat inside with me. He was silent, his hand resting close to his gun, though we both knew firing here would mean death before the magazine emptied.Giovanni remained stiff and silent. He didn’t need to say anything—we both knew what this was.Last night, we almost got buried in Sasha’s fire. The bastard tried to kill us. And now, he wanted me at his table. Like nothing happened. Like the blood and fire were just business.Behind us, Nicola’s car followed tight. From the corner of my eye, I caugh
JAYCE BECKETT"So..." Sage trailed off, and I could hear the sounds of boots in the background. "I'm calling you now to let you know we have him."My heart skipped a beat just hearing that. Somehow, there was still a tiny side of me that liked Judd. That still wanted to believe it was all lie.Fuck! What the fuck is wrong with me?Judd... no, Mikhail, he wasn't what I thought he was. The sooner I understand that, the better."Did he resist arrest?" I asked, swallowing down nothing as I stared at Renato from the corner of my eyes, getting ready for whatever business he said he had with Sasha.Sage hummed something low, probably to someone, and then his voice came up again. "Not quite. I think he already has knowledge of what's going on, and he seemed to have a plan of his own.""Did he?" I groaned, frowning as my eyes shifted back to Renato, and I caught his side wrapped in a huge plaster before he slid his shirt on.When did he get injured that I didn't know?"When are we taking the v