**He was her dream. Now he’s her nightmare.** Madeleine never forgot the man from the gardens. Five years ago, Dom was her fleeting escape. A quiet, thoughtful soul who saw her as more than just a girl in a convent. They whispered dreams under the moonlight, shared stolen moments that meant nothing and everything. Then he vanished, leaving her questioning everything. Now, trapped in the world she swore she’d never belong to, she comes face-to-face with the man who once made her believe in something pure. But Dom doesn’t exist. In his place stands Rafael Andoletti. A ruthless mafia don who rules with fear. A man whispered about in the darkest corners of the city. The man who just forced her to drink poison in a room full of criminals. At first, she’s just another threat to him. A would-be assassin. Then he remembers her, and he spares her life. Rafael never wanted this life. He was forced into this world of darkness, but seeing Madeleine ignites one undeniable truth. He’ll never let her go. She’s horrified by the monster he became. He’s consumed by the woman who gives him a glimpse of the man he could have been. She wants to run. He won’t allow it. Because she was always meant to be his… and Rafael is ready to burn the world down to keep her.
Lihat lebih banyakMadeleine
“Mommy, are you a hooker?” Betsy suddenly asks.
The brush falls from my hand and lands on the cluttered vanity with a loud thump. The question stops me cold.
Her voice is soft, so innocent, but she’s red in the face, and her little lips are pressed firmly together when she crosses her arms over her chest.
“Whu- uh- where did you hear that nonsense? Of course not!”
“School. Riana says hookers go to hell, and will burn in the magical fires.”
Betsy jumps up with her toy dog in her arms, and starts to bounce on the bed. “Hell, hell, hell, hell-hell-hell,” she sings. “Mommy’s going to burn in the fire.”
A wave of rage crashes over me. Blood roars through my veins, making me dizzy and short of breath. “Stop it!” I scream, much louder than I want to.
“No!” She throws her dog at my head and jumps off the bed. She plants her fist in her hips and stomps her foot to the tune of, “I hate you! I hate you! No one likes me because of you. Riana says that’s why I don’t have a daddy. ”
I let out a heavy sigh, and glance at the cheap little golden watch around my hips - a gift from a past long since forgotten.
It’s getting late, and if I don’t leave right now, I won’t make it to work in time. “I have to go. Miss Clarissa will check in with you later tonight. I’ll bring you some chocolate muffins for breakfast, all right?”
“No!” Betsy lashes out. “Don’t go!”
She pulls at my hand, trying to hold me back
I can’t afford to lose my job. It might not be glamorous but it pays the bills, my debts, and Betsy’s medical expenses.
“I have to… I’m sorry, baby.”
“No!. I… I… I will run away. I’ll find a new mommy. A better one.”
It breaks my heart, but I extract myself from her grip, and gently kiss Betsy’s forehead then hurry to leave before she sees my tears.
An alarm warbles in the distance. It happens all the time here. It’s a constant reminder that our lives are a mess.
The tears start flowing when I close the door. I can’t stop them anymore. I have to stay strong for Betsy so I can give her a better life. I have to.
But it’s too much.
There was a time when my life was simpler, when I still dared to dream, dared to enjoy the little pleasures of life.
There was even a man once. We knew each other for just a fleeting moment in time, but I fell head over heels for him.
Dom.
He was as sweet and gentle as any person could be. It was forbidden to get that close to any man, living in a convent ant all, but how could I turn away from his bright hazel eyes, soft touseled hair, and the way he looked at me as if I’m the only thing that matters in the world.
Then, one day, he gave me the little wristwatch, and announced. “I have to leave. I won’t be back.”
I was heartbroken, but grateful that I never confessed my feelings for him. I knew then that I wasn’t good enough for him. That’s why he left.
And soon after, the accident happened. My world was turned upside down. I had to leave the sheltered convent, and entered this dangerous frightening world.
I'm no longer the girl I once was. And part of me is glad the he left before he saw how that innocent girl turned out to be. But somehow he means much more to me now than he did then.
I carved his name into the back of my watch so I could see it when life threatens to knock me down.
And I need his comfort more now than ever before.
**
The casino smells like cheap cologne, and booze. It’s the kind of smell that sticks to your skin no matter how many showers you take.
The escorts are flitting around, their heels clicking as they shout to each other. The air hums with tension - the girls are busier and more agitated than usual.
“What’s going on?” I ask Bridgette as I walk into the locker room to stash my coat and purse.
She glances toward the casino floor, lowering her voice. “Rafael Andoletti is here,” she whispers.
The force of his name lands like a grenade between us.
The Andoletti family runs this city. From the docks to the casinos, they control everything and everyone – the politicians, the police, even the press.
Rafael is the kind of man whose name is spoken in hushed tones.
The last time he was here, I heard three people died by his direct order. One of them was forced to eat sixteen bullets simply because the gun accidentally pointed at Rafael when the man put it on the table. And that happened when he was so young - less than a month after he had taken over as Don from his father.
His fearful reputation only grew in the aftermath. A small offense can easily cost several lives.
I look toward the VIP section. The glass doors are shut, velvet ropes in place. Inside, men in tailored suits sweep the room with detectors. The excited whispers among the staff grow louder.
Bridgette stops me and leans over, her voice low and conspiratorial. “Stay out of their way,” she warns, “they are dangerous, and the men can’t keep their hands to themselves. Just ignore them. You’ll be fine.”
I nod, my eyes flicking back to the closed doors. There’s nothing to see now - the heavy velvet drapes have been drawn - but the tension lingers, seeping into every corner of the casino.
“Maddie!” Lola’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. She grabs my arm, yanking me out of sight of Bruce, the manager.
“What are you doing?” I hiss, glancing toward Bruce whose hawk-like eyes are locked on a player at one of the tables. “The boss will kill me if I’m not at my table before the next round begins.”
“Please,” Lola whispers, desperation in her tone. “I need a favour.” I notice her hand dropping to her stomach, and she winces a little as she goes pale..
“Girl!” a player snaps from my table. “Are we playing or what?”
“Just a second!” I call back, irritation rising in my chest. The commotion is drawing Bruce’s attention. I turn to Lola. “What do you want? Make it quick.”
“I need you to cover for me in the VIP lounge tonight,” she rattles of her request.
“What?” I hiss. “No. What about my table?”
“I’ll deal for you tonight. Where do you think I started?”
“I don’t know, Lola. Bruce won’t like it.”
“Please, Maddie,” she begs, clutching my arm tighter. Her voice lowers, trembling. “I’m pregnant.”
The words hit me like a bucket of ice water. I blink at her. “What?”
“It's Bruce’s baby,” she says bitterly. “He wants me to get rid of it. I can’t… I don’t feel good, Maddie. I need you to do this for me.”
I stare at her, my mind reeling. My gut reaction is to say no, to shove her away and go to my table before Bruce notices I’m gone.
But then she looks at me, really looks at me, and her next words cut me to the bone. “You have a daughter, don’t you? Aren’t mothers like us supposed to help each other?”
Damn her. She knows exactly how to hit me where it hurts. I hesitate, torn between fury and guilt, but I know I’ve already made up my mind.
“I’ll speak to Bruce,” she pleads. “But if I… what if I throw up all over Rafael Andoletti? Best case scenario, I’ll lose a limb.”
“Fine,” I snap. “But you owe me.”
“Thank you, thank you,” she breathes, clutching my hands before running off.
He’s just a man, I tell myself. Just another temptation in a world full of traps.
I open the door to the employee lounge, my heels clicking against the polished floor as I head in the direction of the other girls.
Everyone has heard stories about Rafael, but he’s never in the news, never makes the papers. No one even knows what the man looks like.
But we know him. The people of Ashbourne. Every day, we see the havoc his mere presence causes.
I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t even be in the same sphere of existence as Rafael Andoletti. He is dangerous, everyone warned me, the kind of man who’ll hurt you.
If only I knew how accuate those words would turn out to be.
MadeleineThe bright sunlight stabs at my eyes, and I have to blink a few times to adjust. The air is different here. Fresher somehow. More open.“Now what?” I ask.“We go home.”“It’s over?”“Yes.”I look over my shoulder into the diner, at Sforza who is still sitting in the booth, finishing his pie. “What about him? What if he survives and comes for us again?”“He won’t, Madeleine. There is no way he can survive.”“Can’t we at least take him to a hospital so he won’t… suffer.”A smile flickers across Rafael’s face. “Good. After what happened with Rossi, I was worried.”I turn my attention back to him and look up at his handsome face. I never get tired of watching him. “Why?”He shrugs. “That kind of thing… it changes a person. On a fundamental level. It makes me happy to see that you still have compassion.”We start to wander back to the house. We didn’t touch our food, and I didn’t take one sip of my tea. I’m thirsty and I’m hungry, but mostly I’m in a state of utter disbelief. It
MadeleineThe man in the corner suddenly looks sinister and grotesque. When we entered, I thought he looked like someone’s dad, maybe passing through on his way somewhere else. He didn’t appear to be a threat. He looked so… normal.What are we going to do? If he’s like Rafael, he didn’t come here alone. And Frankie is at home, all alone and with no idea what’s going on.My legs are wobbly, and my palms are extra sweaty. I regret leaving my gun at home, but Rafael always carries his - even when we’re just sitting in the living room talking, he has his gun with him.My husband slides in next to Sforza and takes the seat opposite him. I have no idea what Rafael has planned, but every nerve is on fire. I can barely breathe, let alone think.No one says a word while we wait for the waitress to place our menus in front of us. The food all looks like it originates from the sixties, and so do the menus with their faded pictures and sticky plastic coverings.“What would you like to drink?”I
RafaelI sit at the faded table in the quaint little kitchen and sip on a glass of wine as I listen to Betsy’s babbling.We are far away from the city, in a village so small that it doesn’t even show on the GPS. Nestled at the foot of the mountains, this place would be a fantastic tourist destination, but the villagers are mostly farmers, and they like their peace. Any attempts by developers to turn this place into the next big, must see internet hit, are quickly shut down by the locals.There isn’t much to do here. They are so far off the grid, that I’m surprised they have electricity. There’s one diner that’s open twenty-four-seven and even serves Christmas dinner, a co-op that sells everything from jeans to fertiliser, and a general store covers everything else.I love it here. It’s quiet. Calm. Peaceful. After a good three hours of catching up, Betsy starts to wind down and gives us a big yawn. “Her days are busy,” Ethel says with a smile. “We go hiking, and we look for rabbits i
RafaelI get up from the stool and walk over to my suitcase. Ignoring the dull, gwaning pain in my hands, I pull something that looks like a credit card out, and grinning, I hold it up for the others to see. “I’ve been checking in with the guys every so often.”“How?” Madeleine asks.“Is that a phone card?” Frankie asks, clearly surprised.“Yes-" I gets to his feet. “I’ve been checking in with Paulie and Vinnie every night.”At first, Frankie goes white with shock, and then his face explodes with red fury. “You’d do that? Put our lives at risk? Tip off the cops?”“Relax. The calls never last longer than two minutes, and I always send the call through to a different phone.”“It’s not a guarantee… they can still trace us!”“You are right, but it was a calculated risk I needed take.”And also the reason we have to get out of here asap. The longer we hang around, the more calls I make from that lonely payphone, the more suspicious it will become.“Do they even still make payphones?” Madel
MadeleineAs Frankie ties off the last stitch, I let go of Rafael. I tried not to make a sound while the needles punctured me over and over again, but after the fourth or maybe fifth time, I couldn’t hold on anymore.Rafael stepped in as close as he could, and I screamed into him, my mouth wide open against his rock hard belly. I wish passed out like Rafael did that time when I stitched him up, but his wound was worse and a lot deeper.“That’s it, sweetheart,” Frankie announces, and I heard the soft, metallic snip of the scissors. “All done. You did real good.”Breath raises past my lips, sweat drips down my body, my mouth is dry and my heart hammers in my chest like a piston. I didn’t think I’d make it.It still hurts, but it’s bearable now. I let go of Rafael, the muscles of my fingers so tight that I can’t open them. “You don’t have to-” he starts.“I do,” I say in a hoarse voice. “You are hurt too.”Frankie smooths a plaster over my wound, and I get up from the chair. The world s
Rafael“Turn right up ahead,” I say to Frankie.Madeleine is not asleep, nor is she awake. She’s in a kind of catatonic state that scares the bejesus out of me. I’ve never seen her like this. Not even after she came out of the cells. I’ve seen her angry and upset, but never like this.Killing a person for the first time can be jarring - especially for someone who’s not inclined to murder.Frankie glances at me in the rearview. I know what’s on his mind. That crime scene. We left evidence behind, there’s no way we didn’t. I pounded that man’s skull into hamburger. The skin on my hands is cracked and bleeding. If they decide to check for DNA evidence, I’ll be cooked.But there’s nothing I can do about it. Not until a detective shows up at my door and asks me why both my hands are broken, and gets a warrant for a cheek swab.“Are we going to the girl?”“No,” I answer curtly.Madeleine stirs against me, her hand resting on my leg twitches. “Betsy?”“We can’t show up like this,” I say gent
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