MasukAlexisI stirred the porridge slowly, the thick mixture bubbling as Sierra leaned on the counter, munching an apple and watching me with a smile.“You seem so happy. Looks like Pierce’s pheromones must’ve done wonders,”she said.I chuckled, shaking my head. “It’s not that. I’m just happy he smiled. Last night, he ate like he hadn’t touched food in days.” I paused, feeling a soft warmth bloom in my chest. “He’s grieving, but to see him slowly coming back to himself it’s special. He’s learning to love himself again.”“You’re an amazing person, Lexi. You know that, right?”She quipped. I added a squeeze of lemon juice into the pot, letting the tart scent lift as the porridge simmered. Stepping back, I wiped my hands and turned to her. “How did it go with Cassie?”I asked. Sierra bit into her apple. “Oh, she freaked. She totally lost it when someone sent her Wayne’s head and his little dick taped on his
Pierce.I stared at the fresh graves. I didn’t care about them. I walked past my mother’s and uncle’s resting places without a glance.Instead, I made my way to my father’s and grandfather’s graves.I didn’t want my men near me. I just wanted to sit here and feel nothing.The marble was cold beneath me as I traced the golden letters. Sir Daniel Carter.The man my uncle murdered by crashing his plane. The same way I took his life by shooting his plane down without blinking. An eye for an eye.I warned him when I told him I wasn’t my father who, was way too forgiving. He thought I was bluffing. The clouds groaned overhead before the rain fell, pounding and drenching me to the bone. But I didn’t feel it.I spoke to the man beneath me or maybe to myself.“I’m the only Carter left, Dad. I did it. I got rid of them. Both of them.” I flicked my eyes toward my mother’s grave.“I don’t know if I shoul
Alexis I wanted to restart my life.Not because I wasn’t grateful for what I’d been given. But I needed something that was mine. Like my own business.Practice law, no thanks. After what happened with my last relationship. I couldn’t stand the thought of stepping back into that world.Maybe something simple that would make me happy.A café with Sierra sounded perfect.We’d been scouting locations all week. A cozy little spot facing a calm, busy neighborhood. The kind of place where people lingered over coffee and gossip.“What about this place? It looks so cozy,” Sierra grinned as we sat at dinner, scrolling through listings.I glanced at the screen. It had big windows, decent foot traffic, and a cute little patio.“I like it. Find out what the rent is. We’ll take it.”I said. “Yay,” she squealed excitedly. While she went to shower, I did the dishes, humming to myself.The doorbell rang, my heart skipped. Every time it went off, I hoped it was him.The house was massive, maybe too b
Alexis.The funeral was too formal.Media cameras clicked everywhere, flashing like this was some goddamn red carpet. Strangers hovered around, whispering and sobbing. Some woman I didn’t recognize bawled harder than anyone.I didn’t care because I wasn’t here to mourn that b!tch. I was here to look fashionably happy she's dead. My black Alexander McQueen dress fit perfectly. It had a high neck and long sleeves. The Christian Louboutins clicked softly as I walked. Sierra went with a simple pencil skirt, fitting dark top and Ray-Bans that gave her that, don’t mess with me edge.Paparazzi lenses flicked toward us. They better get my angles right. Flashes came in one after the other, you'd think it's the MET with Sierra and I as the guests.Inside the chapel, people already settled. At the front, two caskets rested side by side. One black and the other brown, both closed. Photos of Marissa and Luciano framed them. T
Alexis.When I came to, everything was blurry.My nose and mouth is covered with an oxygen mask. The ambulance rocks beneath me, sirens wailing somewhere in the distance. A nun leans over me, gently buckling the straps across my aching body. Her touch is gentle but every nerve screams in protest.I blink hard, trying to clear my vision.Outside the open ambulance doors I see Pierce .He’s standing a few feet away, lifting something small and round almost like a soccer ball by its hair. There's Maxwell, wait a damn minute is that a samurai sword?! I squint my open eye, but can't make out much. My eye flutters, and the pull of exhaustion drags me back under.Nero’s face comes into focus as he leans over me.“Hey, you’re awake. How’re you holding up?”His voice is soft. “Like I got hit by a bus. Twice,” I rasp. My throat feels like sandpaper.I shift, pain jolting through every inch of me.
Pierce. We split the second we storm into the compound. Nero, Zane, and I take the east side. Juarez, Max, and Leo sweep the west. The place has massive rooms, halls, and more doors than I can count. But I don’t care. I’m not here to clear rooms but to kill. Anyone in my way breathing that doesn’t belong to us gets a bullet. I don’t aim to wound. I aim to end them, painfully slow. Nero kicks one door after another. Zane covering his back. My blood’s boiling, my vision is pulsing. Nero slams his foot into the last door harder than the others. It flies open. The sight inside freezes me to the fucking ground. Luna is standing on a chair, her tiny arms holding up Alexis’s limp body. Her head tilted, skin pale, face so swollen and bruised I barely recognize her. Sierra lies on the floor unconscious. Fuck No! “Help us…” Luna sobs, tears s
Alexis.The door clicked open, right on cue. I casually opened the fridge, trying to look as natural as possible, pretending to search for something. My heart raced as I imagined Pierce’s eyes behind me, undressing me in his mind. Except... my carefully rehearsed plan unraveled quickly.An apple
Alexis. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be sitting at a dinner table with mafia kings in a see-through lace dress, no less. I would’ve laughed, poured another glass of wine, and called them stupid. Yet here I was. The long mahogany dining table stretched out like something out of a c
Alexis.The clink of our wine glasses echoed through the room, followed by our laughter. Sierra clapped her hands, cheeks flushed from the wine. “I still can’t believe you actually flipped him off,” she said, smiling widely.“He deserved it,” I replied with a shrug, feeling the warmth of both the
Alexis.I leaned back in the oversized tub as warm water hugged my skin and rippled gently. Outside the window, pine trees swayed in the wind.The bath salts made everything soft. But there was a sensation curling beneath my tummy. Must be the salts and essential oils kicking in.I closed my eyes a







