First thing this morning I made a call to Athena. After what Marios said at the restaurant last night, I tossed and turned most of the night, worrying about what she must be thinking. Thankfully, Dimitris had informed her that I was busy on assignment, so she knew I hadn’t abandoned her. Instead, the sweet thing was worried about me. Hearing the relief in her voice touched me deeply, but at the same time had me itching to inflict pain on someone. Athena may have grown up in the mafia, surrounded by killers, but she is one of the purest souls among us. Her parents did all they could to protect her innocence, and in a way, she hasn't lost it, to which I'm glad. She still refuses to leave her room, but she’s been more open to small talks with her parents, so I’m happy to hear she’s making some progress. Any step forward, no matter how small, is a success in my book. I’ve promised to see her when this Sathariel business is dealt with and while she was sad, she understood. Silas and I sti
I walk out, shutting the door behind me as he continues to scream like an escaped mental patient. I make my way to the car, get in and start driving, my fists clutching the steering wheel so hard I feel like it’s about to snap under my palms. For the first time in my life I feel sick to my stomach and as angry as I am, there’s a sadness underneath for something lost. I don’t trust many people, but I trusted Castor. I trusted him with my life, as do my father and mother. We were never romantic, but that didn’t mean I didn’t see him as a friend. For twenty-three years he was a confidant and in my early years he was my protector, and now it feels like a lie. To see him turn so quickly, all because he saw me having a meal with another man is… it’s fucking insane. I will wear the blame for crossing the line from platonic friends to something sexual. I took that step, and I have no one to blame but myself for that, but I’m ashamed I never saw this coming. I’m observant in every other aspec
As I help Silas put the groceries in the trunk of my car, a sudden look of realisation comes over his face. “Everything alright?” I ask. “Yeah. I just realised I’ve never done something so domestic before,” he says in mild astonishment. I chuckle. “You’ve never gone grocery shopping? Don’t tell me you’re a criminal who still needs mummy to take care of him,” I taunt. “Keep that up and I’ll find better uses for that mouth of yours,” he warns, squeezing my ass firmly. I take hold of his shirt and yank him towards me, looking into his emerald eyes as I lean in until my lips are a breath away from his. “You can fuck my mouth till it’s swollen shut, but that won’t stop me from teasing you.” My voice is a sultry whisper as I tease the seam of his lips with my tongue. He takes a firm grip of my hips and presses me against the trunk of my car, his lips descending on mine and his tongue invading my mouth, licking and teasing every crevice as if to give me a sample of things to come. I sit
Lamps are knocked over, sofa cushions are strewn about and torn-up clothes are scattered about like the debris left behind after a tornado. Silas steps in front of me, his expression now looking like an attack dog seeking a target. He places the groceries down, walks over and picks up a few tattered pieces of clothing to examine them. “These are all mine,” he remarks. I look at him in surprise. I begin to wander around, checking every place in my apartment where I keep a weapon stashed, to find them all untouched. Silas follows the trail of tattered clothes to his room while I make my way to mine, a sinking feeling settling in my stomach. As I walk to my bedroom, I notice the whiteboard where I had organised all our research on Sathariel, has been knocked over with the papers tossed around without a care. I enter my room and immediately feel bile travelling up my throat. My bedroom looks even worse than the rest of my apartment. My bedsheets have been torn to shreds, my clothes thro
“Hold your fire!” I order them, each one glancing between me and the fight behind me, confused as to how to proceed. My father rises to his feet, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. The shame I’m now feeling won’t allow me to. “ENOUGH!” my father bellows. “Tell them!” Silas snarls as I hear the sound of a fist meeting flesh. “Tell them what you did, you sick perverted fuck!” I glance up just as my father signals for his men to intervene. They put their guns away, pull Silas off Castor and help Castor to his feet, but he's quick to shake them off. He glares daggers at Silas, spitting a wad of blood at Silas’s feet. The amount of contempt and disgust in the action has me now wanting to go and throw in a few punches myself. “Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on right this minute,” my father orders, his posture tall and imposing, his voice full of authority and his eyes burning with anger and curiosity. “This is the son of a bitch who shot Dasha in Russia,” Castor sp
“How did this happen, Dasha? I’m not a fool to see you as some innocent angel who could do no wrong. You are mine and your mother’s daughter after all, but this, I can’t wrap my head around,” he says, sombrely shaking his head. I walk over and pull out the chair beside him, taking my seat as I take his hand in mine. “Father I’m so, so sorry to have disappointed you. It was wrong and I was selfish, I never should have pursued him. I wish to God I could take it back. I’ve caused such a mess and I have no one to blame but myself,” I say, looking down shamefully. Gently he squeezes my hand and reaches out to lift my chin, his eyes looking at me with calm fatherly warmth, offering me a safe harbour from the emotions causing turmoil inside me. “When did this start?” he asks. I take in a calm breath and centre myself. “Two years ago. It was after one of the big mafia gatherings. There was drinking and flirting, and…I made my move,” I admit with unease. “And there was never anything befor
A few days have passed since Castor’s excommunication. Silas continues to give me my space, which is for the best. The few times we have spoken, my responses have been curt and laced with hostility. I can’t help it. I’m not upset that Silas wanted to harm someone he viewed as a threat to me – even if I didn’t know it myself – it’s just the way he went about it that I can’t get over. Castor violated my trust and my home, but Silas violated my confidence and my privacy. He told my fucking father about a guy I’d been fucking for two years. How would he like it if I dropped by his parents house to talk about his sexual past? Based on what he’s told me about his mother, she sounds like a lovely woman, so I imagine it’s not something she’d enjoy hearing. Can’t be sure about his father. What really grinds my gears is that I’m left processing a lot of information, and if the circumstances were different, I’d want to turn to Silas. I don’t want to turn to my parents because I can’t handle th
The moment is interrupted when we both hear a firm knock at the door. Silas is on his feet in an instant, his body rigid and alert leading me to roll my eyes at his attack dog stance. “If someone came all this way to kill me or us, I doubt they’d bother knocking on the door.” I walk over, look through the peephole and sigh when I see the calm face of my mother waiting patiently on the other side. This is likely to go about as well as a seal sunbathing on a block of ice with a hungry orca approaching. I unlock the door, brace myself and open it, gracing my mother with a warm smile. “Ciao, Mamma,” I greet her. "Ciao, Stellina,” she replies, stepping into the apartment and kissing my cheek. I close the door behind her as I observe her assessing the state of my place, her brows furrowing in consternation. While it may be cleaned up, it still looks like the aftermath of a hurricane. As she scans the room, her eyes fall on Silas, creasing at the corners in that familiar way they do whe