In Bed with the Mafia

Anna's POV. “Yes!” That was the last word I said, before my door came crashing down. Three masked men burst into my house. They all held guns—glock 17 to be precise; light, too light it almost felt like you were holding air. Polymer frame, but the barrel and slide? Pure steel. Fifteen rounds of 9mm in the magazine—standard, reliable, efficient and favored by most gang members. Father made sure I recognized every gun from a young age. I sprung to my feet clenching my fist. Who the hell were these dudes? I just had that door fixed a few days earlier and they ruined it. I parted my lips to speak, but quickly shut it when I heard Aiden. “Pl—ease, take whatever you want. J—just don't hurt us. You can have my watch, and my ring—it costs a fortune.” No, not the diamond ring. Not the damn ring. Aiden was literally shivering, like the baby that he was—pleading to the intruders to spare our life. Sometimes, I wished he'd stand a little straighter, a little more confident and not cower at

Anna's POV“That's Gabriel Martinez, your fiance.”I burst out laughing uncontrollably, my shoulders vibrating violently. Liam however kept a straight face. My laugh was snuffed out like a candle on a windy night.“That wasn't a joke?” I asked.Liam tucked his hand into his pocket and brought out my engagement ring—Aiden. What did they do to him?“No, sister. I wasn't joking.” Liam lifted up the ring and pinned his gaze on it. “Pretty ring. But what were you thinking, sister? That you'd get away from all this? You can't run from the McClain name.”“That name is a curse.”Liam scoffed, threw the ring in the air and caught it, tucking it back in his pocket. I eyed his every movement. He leaned back in his chair. That was his subtle way of threatening me—of telling Aiden isn't safe if I refuse his proposal. “Hate it if you must, but that's our father's legacy and you will respect it,” he said firmly with every trace of warmth seeping out of his eyes.“I want no part of a legacy born fro

Anna's POV“Aiden, what the fuck are you doing here!?”The words rang in my mind, but never left my lips. Control, I told myself, Control. He froze in his steps as he laid eyes on me, but resumed his pace almost immediately—so fast you wouldn't notice the pause. Everything about him was different, his hair was different; not the tousled hair I was used to. The look in his eyes, his aura—every damn thing was totally unrecognizable. Could it be a Doppler? A Doppler wouldn’t freeze because of my presence. He knew me and I thought I knew him.My heart raced, thumping blood through my body with anger. Anger from the betrayal, from the lies. Was his name even Aiden? Or was everything a lie? Liam seemed to catch on, he had seen Aiden once. He immediately tensed up, with an expression that was pleading to me to remain calm. Calm was the last thing I felt. I wanted rage, to scream and burn this whole mansion down with my fury. But was it worth it? Maybe Liam was right—family was all I had.L

AnnaThe days that followed were painfully slow. It felt as if my mind was put in a constant loop, where all I could think about was Aiden. I looked at the ring on my bedside table. Liam has finally dropped the ring, asking me to return it when I got the chance. I silently hoped that I never did. I didn't want to face him anymore. I felt another tear slip down my face. Father would be so disappointed if he was here. I could imagine the look of disdain on his face. Love was a fickle feeling not made for those in our line of work. I had wanted out, I had gotten out and now I had regretted it. I tucked my lower lip on and bit on it.My heart was heavy and my mind clouded. I swung off my bed and walked to the curtains, drawing it. Golden sunlight filter in, illuminating the room further. We could no longer stay in certain places that were in Marcus territory, it would mean certain death, so we stayed in the Martinez' territory. Marcus would avoid us as long as we remain here, except he's

Aiden. I swallowed hard, but my throat remained constricted. My heart felt heavy and my chest tighter than it should be. As much as I wanted to go into denial and tell myself that I was okay, deep down, I knew I was far from okay. My mind kept racing back to Anna like an endless loop. It felt like there was a gaping hole in my chest, where my heart was supposed to be. I groaned, playing with the bottle in my hand. I released my grip from the bottle and placed it on my chest instead. I gently massaged my chest to ease the tension that was building inside me. I needed to breathe. I stood up and paced as the space began to seem airtight. “Boss. Are you good?” Viktor asked, his brow furrowing with worry. “You've seemed a little bit disturbed lately.” I shot him a glare and he averted his gaze. “Sorry, boss,” he muttered. At what point did I lose it? When did I become this weak and helpless over something as fickle as a broken heart? I wasn't even supposed to have a heart, growing o