Mag-log inI sat in the silence inside my SUV, the sound broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the cooling engine and the sound of my own breathing. I stared at the neon Elysium sign until the letters blurred into a shapeless, glowing smear.Why didn’t I break his hand?The question Dante had thrown at me was a poison circulating in my veins. I am a Giordano. I was raised in a pit of vipers where the only response to a strike was a lethal counter-strike. Yet, when that hand had connected with my face, I hadn't moved. I had just stood there, paralyzed by a pair of emerald eyes that looked at me with more courage than I’d ever felt in my entire life.It wasn't an obsession. It was a correction. That’s what I told myself. I was going to find that damned lady boy and drag him into the dirt, as I snapped the wrist that dared to touch me. Then he’d never hold those silks again. He’d be just another broken thing in a city full of wreckage.So I waited patiently as the club finally emptied. The high ro
The guards hauled me like a piece of malfunctioning machinery. My heels skidded over the plush carpet of the VIP corridor, and every profanity known to man poured out of my mouth in a jagged, breathless stream. I was vibrating, not just with rage, but with a terrifying, cold electricity that made my skin feel too tight for my bones."Let go of me, you spineless shits!" I roared, throwing my weight forward. "I’ll have your hands for this! You’re fired! All of you! I’ll make sure you never find work guarding a trash heap!"They didn't let go until we were well past the dressing room doors. When they finally released their grip, I stumbled, my chest heaving and my face burning. I spun around, ready to launch myself back into that hallway, when a sound stopped me cold.It was a wild, melodic, and utterly mocking cackle that cut through the muffled bass of the club like a sharp blade.I turned around to find Eve was leaning against the velvet wallpaper, her silk robe fluttering as her shou
The sound of his voice, that low, resonant masculine sound coming out from his throat shattered the last remaining pillar of my sanity.The confirmation that he was truly a man made me feel a surge of nausea so violent I thought I’d heave right there on the carpet. My skin crawled and I felt like a thousand ants were about to eat me from the inside out.Then I looked at his face…that beautiful, haunting face and all I could see was the alleyway and all I could hear was the gunshot that killed the only thing I’d ever found pretty as a child.The attraction I’d felt minutes ago curdled into a toxic, burning rage. It was a defense mechanism, a frantic attempt to bury the broken part of me under a mountain of hate."You’re a freak," I hissed, the words dripping from my mouth like acid. I didn't let go of his wrist as I shouted at his face, I squeezed until I heard the faint protest of his bones. "You’re a disgusting, unnatural piece of trash. You think you can put on some paint on your fa
The hallway behind the main stage of Elysium was like a museum of hanging costumes, flickering neon, and the frantic energy of people who lived for the night. My heart was hammering against my ribs, a rhythmic, violent thud that felt like a drumbeat of war. It was a sensation I didn't recognize…not the cold adrenaline of a hit, but a frantic, heat-filled pulse that made my vision blur at the edges.I was acting on pure impulse and I didn't think, I just moved with my heart and not my brain.The guards at the backstage entrance stepped aside as I approached. They knew better than to put a hand on a Giordano, especially when I looked like I was ready to bite someone’s throat out. I pushed through the throng of stagehands and backup dancers, my eyes scanning the corridor for a flash of red.“Where is she?” I grumbled impatiently. Then I saw Madam Rita trying to herd a group of girls in glittery feathers toward a side lounge. She stiffened when she saw me, her professional mask slipping f
I have spent my entire life building a cage made of scar tissue and broken bones, and I call it a personality.To the world, I am Rocco Giordano, the blunt instrument, the brother who doesn't negotiate, the one who enjoys the wet thud of a fist against ribs. I wear my brutality like a suit of armor because if I didn't, people might see the shivering boy still hiding in the shadows of my mind. I fear looking weak because in our world, the weak are harvested. But more than that, I fear the silence of a house where my brothers no longer breathe.That’s why seeing Dante lately makes my blood boil.Dante used to be made of stone and ice. Now? He’s grown soft. I’ve watched him hover over Liam, that little stray he picked up, like a man possessed. At first, I thought Liam was just a toy, a momentary distraction to dull the edge of the chronic pain in Dante's head. But then came the fallout with Antonio. And I find out that Liam wasn't just a stray, but a spy, a tiny cop with a badge and a mi
Father started handling business as we watched the performance. He sat at a velvet draped table in the center of the VIP section, his presence drawing every nervous eye in the room. I stood at his right, my legs aching, but my mind still stuck in that dark cell where Dante laid broken, wondering how I could help him.A man was brought forward, he was a regular who had gambled away money that didn't belong to him. He was shaking, his sweat mixing with the cheap cologne of the club."Please, Don Giordano," the man sobbed, his hands clasped as if in prayer. "Just one more week. My daughter, she’s sick and I just need a little more time to raise the money. I promise that…"My father didn't even look up from his drink as he flicked a speck of ash from his cigar. "You are bankrupt in every sense and I know for a fact that even if you sell your life, you can't raise what you owe."“Please Don…I …I will pay you back. I just need a little more…”The loud bang ended the conversation before the







