LOGIN“ A BURNT CHILD LOVES THE FIRE.”(FLASH BACK–SEVEN YEARS AGO)DANTE"Fuck you." I spit at his feet. "I'll kill you for this. Both of you. I swear to God, I'll make you suffer for—"My father pulls something from his jacket.A photograph.Of Sofia.Walking to class. Laughing with a friend. Completely unaware she's being watched.My blood turns to ice."Six men," my father says calmly. "Posted in her neighborhood. Watching her. Waiting for my signal.""No." The word comes out broken."If you leave this place before you're ready—before you've become what we need you to be—I make one phone call. And she dies." He tucks the photo back in his jacket. "It'll be quick. Painless. She won't even know it's coming. And it'll be all because of your disobedience."I'm going to kill him. I'm going to rip his throat out with my bare hands."What do you even see in her?" My mother's voice is disgusted.My father opens his gutter of a mouth and supports her "She's common. Unsuitable. Once you're ready,
“I WOULD TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU JUST TO PROVE MY LOVE”(FLASH BACK SEVEN YEARS AGO– CONTINUATION)DANTE.When I wake up, everything hurts.My head is pounding. My body feels like it's been hit by a truck. And I'm lying on something hard and uncomfortable.I force my eyes open.Stone walls. A small barred window high up. A metal bunk bed with a thin mattress that smells like mold and blood.And chains. Heavy chains on my wrists, bolted to the wall.This isn't a hospital.This is one of my father's properties. One I've only heard about in whispers. The one in Colombia where he sends people who disappoint him.El Infierno del Diablo. The Devil's Hell.A training compound, they call it. But everyone knows the truth. It's where people go to break. Where 99% of them don't make it back.And my father sent me here."Ah, you're awake."I look up.He's standing in the doorway. My father. Giuseppe Valentino. Looking perfectly composed in his expensive suit, like he didn't just kidnap his own son.
“WHAT IS LONGING IF NOT MADNESS, WITH A RIBBON AROUND IT’S THROAT?”(FLASH BACK 7 YRS AGO)Dante's POV - Age 21She's sleeping in my arms.Sofia. My Sofia. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen.Her dark hair is spread across my chest, her breathing slow and even. One of her hands is resting over my heart, like even in sleep she needs to feel it beating.I can't stop looking at her. Can't stop running my fingers through her hair. Can't stop marveling at the fact that this incredible woman chose me.Tonight was... perfect. More than perfect. She gave herself to me completely, and I gave her everything I had in return.I love her.God, I love her so much it terrifies me.I've never felt this way about anyone. Never wanted anyone the way I want her. Never imagined a future with anyone until her.She's it for me. The one. The only one.I'm thinking about how to tell my parents. They won't like it—Sofia isn't from one of the old families, doesn't have the right connections, isn't "suitab
“I WILL WAIT.”DANTEI look up.Isabella is standing in the doorway, clutching a book to her chest. She's in her pajamas—pink with little unicorns on them. Her dark hair is braided. Her eyes are wide and hopeful."Where's your mama?" I set down my papers."Sleeping. She's not feeling too well." Isabella takes a step into the room. "And Papa doesn't really like to be disturbed at this hour. He gets cranky."Yeah, that sounds like Marco.I should tell her to go back to bed. Should suggest she read the book herself.But she's looking at me with those big dark eyes and I've never been good at saying no to people who actually need help.And she's such a sweet kid. Bright and funny and sharp as hell. It's not her fault her father is an emotionally distant dumbass and her mother is sick. "Alright." I stand up. "Let's get you to bed."Her face lights up. "Really?""Really. Come on."She runs over and takes my hand without hesitation. Her small hand in mine feels strange. Foreign. I'm not use
“WHEN YOU GET TIRED OF THIS WORD COME AND FALL IN MY ARMS.”Dante's POVThe call from Nico comes through just as I'm finishing up a conference call with the Benedetti family in Milan."Boss, it's done."I step out onto the balcony, closing the study door behind me. "All of it?""All of it." Nico's voice is satisfied. "Sixteen Russian vessels. Bombed. Sunk. The Bratva is scrambling to figure out what happened."A cold smile crosses my face. "And the connection to us?""Nonexistent. I used third-party contractors who used third-party explosives from a fourth-party supplier. The trail is so convoluted even I have trouble following it, and I'm the one who set it up." He pauses. "Dmitriev says the Bratva suspects it might be retaliation from the Colombians. They're looking in completely the wrong direction."Good. That's exactly what I need. The Russians made their move, stealing from me, killing my men. Now they know there are consequences. But I can't be linked to it—not with the Pakhan
“I WAS BORN WITH AN ENORMOUS NEED FOR ATTENTION AND AN UNQUENCHABLE DESIRE TO GIVE IT.”SOFIA.The moment his tongue touches mine, it's like being struck by lightning. Seven years of deprivation, of longing, of missing this exact sensation.I make a sound—need and surrender mixed together—and his grip on my waist tightens.His tongue is sliding against mine, exploring, remembering, claiming. It's too much and not enough all at once."I've dreamed about kissing you like this." His words are punctuated by kisses. "About tasting you again. Feeling you respond to me. Hearing those little sounds you make when you forget to be careful."I'm making those sounds now. Can't help it. Seven years of touch starvation making me desperate for this. For him."You're so beautiful when you let go." One of his hands slides up my back, the other staying firm on my waist. "When you stop thinking and just feel."Our tongues are tangling now, desperate and hungry. The kiss is deepening with every passing s







