LOGINRicardo’s POVThere’s silence in the room. A silence I don’t often get in this house. No kids crying, no footsteps, no mother barking orders. Just stillness, and the sound of her breathing.Antonella lies beside me. Her body is curled into the sheets and her face is softened by sleep. For a moment, I study her as she sleeps.She looks fragile like this, and breakable. But I know she isn’t. She’s stronger than she looks, stronger than I ever give her credit for. That’s why I keep her close. That’s why I can’t let her go.But tonight, as sleep creeps up on me, I’m not thinking of her. I let sleep take me. And as it does, I see Lana in my dreams.The dream forms so vividly I almost believe it’s real. She’s standing in front of me with loose hair, falling over her shoulders. Her eyes, fuck, those eyes, they look like they’re begging me to fuck her.No woman has ever looked at me like she does. She looks at me like she sees right through my armor, right through the monster I’ve become. And
Ricardo’s POVThe house is silent when I return. My kids are gone. My mother is gone. It’s just me and Antonella now, and my employees, of course. But they don’t count.I head upstairs to my bedroom. I reach there to find the door wide open. I step inside and the sight stops me.Antonella. She’s packing her things into a box. Her hands are flying, her jaw looks clenched from where I’m standing and her movement is violent and furious.I stand there for a beat. “What the fuck are you doing, Nella?”She doesn’t turn back. She doesn’t stop packing. She just keeps throwing clothes into a suitcase. “No, no, don’t call me that.”I take a step closer. “Stop it.” I say calmly, despite everything I’ve been through today.She only moves faster, throwing things into her bag like she’s trying to erase me with every fabric she touches.Alright, that’s enough defiance from females for one day. I close the distance in a stride and my arms circle her from behind.My grip is firm, caging hers against h
Ricardo’s POVShe thinks she hides it well: the defiance, the fire in her eyes, the little tightness of her jaw. She wears it like a sleeve, like a shield she can wrap around her trembling body. But I see through it.She’s breaking inside, like a fragile thing cracking under the weight of her own foolish choices. I can see it especially when I told her I was going to kill her. That was when the sleeve slipped, even if it was only for a moment. I soak it all in.I think I’m done with her until I remember what Angelo told me; the plan we just hatched. I need to get moving.I lean down to her level, watching her skin prickle under my gaze. “You walked in here with your phone. Where is it?”She blinks at me, startled. Then she tries to steady her voice, but I hear the tremor anyway. “Your men took it. They put it in a paper bag. Over there.” She jerks her chin towards the window.I stroll over, enjoying the way her eyes follow me. Just before I reach the bag, she asks, “What do you need i
Alma’s POVMy head hangs forward with my chin pressed against my chest. Sleep must have stolen me for a while, but it isn’t restful. When I blink awake, it’s early morning.The warehouse reeks of oil and rust. My wrists ache from the ropes bound to them, my ankles are also bound to the chair. The air is so cold and it bites through my skin.I lift my head slowly and painfully. Three of Ricardo’s men sit at a distance from me, but none are looking in my direction. They laugh among themselves, maybe at some private joke, or maybe at me.My gaze drops to my legs. They are still throbbing with pain from the gunshot. It was just a graze, but it hurts like a bitch. Every little shift sends pain through me.And my throat, my throat is dry as sandpaper. My tongue feels swollen, stuck to the roof of my mouth. I need water. The thing is, I don’t know if these men are kind enough to help me. I have to try.“Hey,” I rasp. “Please. I need water.”They don’t move. They don’t even acknowledge me.I
Charles’ POVAlma still hasn’t come back.I check the clock again even though I’ve already checked it like a hundred times. I am filled with dread with every passing minute. She should’ve been back hours ago. What was supposed to take an hour, maybe two has taken forever.I’ve already left her five missed calls with no answers. I grip my phone, staring at the screen like maybe it’ll buzz, maybe her name will flash across it, maybe I’ll finally hear her voice telling me she’s fine. But nothing comes.Fuck!Did it all go wrong? Was it an ambush? My mind races with possibilities I don’t want to consider. I don’t have Heather’s number. I don’t even have the address where Alma was supposed to pick up the recording. Every detail was kept on her end, and now she’s vanished.What if Ricardo has her?The thought makes my blood boil. If Borrelli got his hands on Alma, he’d make an example of her. She’d be screaming somewhere in a warehouse while I’m here pacing like a useless idiot.I rake my h
Lana’s POVThe clock ticks past seven when I see headlights through the window. My heart skips, races, then stumbles like it always does whenever Ricardo returns.I peek through the curtains. There he is, climbing out of the car. He looks dark, commanding and dangerous. Just the sight of him makes my nipples harden against the fabric of my blouse.I hate how much I missed him today. Not the fear, not the chaos, not even the whiplash of never knowing which Ricardo will walk through the door, but him. Just him.The man who calls me his holy grail. The man who also breaks me, piece by piece.When he walks in, I force a smile. I try to catch him softly. “Just in time,” I say lightly. “I made dinner. Are you staying the night?”He doesn’t even glance at the table. His eyes are colds and hard as stone, and his voice is blunt.“No. I just came to fuck and leave. It’s been a stressful day. I need release.”I am taken aback by his bluntness, but I try to compose myself and swallow the hurt. Th







