The next chapter is getting fixed, I’ll drop it in the next hour. Xoxo. 💋
Chapter 59 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "Change of plans," she said calmly. "Bathroom. Now." She shoved me toward the en-suite bathroom as another blow hit the door, splintering the frame. "Lock yourself in and don't come out until I call for you." "Stacy—" "Go!" “I can’t! You’re pregnant and that guy looks dangerous!” “Sylvia,” she snapped, “get inside. Now.” “Lord, no,” I wailed. “I can’t let you die! You’ve got a whole baby in there! I’ve only got trauma and unresolved guilt!” She gripped my shoulder and yanked my chin up with surprising strength for someone in her third trimester. “Look at me, Sylvia.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Nope. If I don’t see the danger, it’s not real.” “Sylvia!” she barked. “We’re both going to die if you don’t quit acting like a Disney princess with a martyr complex, God damn it!” I whimpered. “Holy Mary Mother of—” “She’s not here,” She cut me off, “But you can help us both by letting me live long enough to become one.” “Stacy please,
Chapter 60 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Rage is a cold thing when you know how to harness it. I learned that lesson at twelve, when my father caught me crying after I'd been beaten by three older boys. He didn't comfort me, nor did he let my mother. Instead, he tied the boys down and forced me to brand their foreheads with a curling iron. "Anger is a luxury for fools and children," he'd said. "Power comes from control." Right now, I felt that familiar frost crystallizing in my veins. My feet tapped the floor repeatedly, the only outward sign of the amount of rage I actually felt inside, so much that it had developed a tune by now. "ETA three minutes," Manuel announced. He’d insisted on coming back with us and getting back to work now that Travo was buried. The earlier we found and took care of our enemies, the better. Vincenzo hadn't spoken since we'd received Kegan's call. His silence was more telling than any tirade. His pregnant wife had been shot. If I hadn't insisted on bringing Syl
Chapter 61 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ She was changing before my eyes, becoming bolder, less churchy, even more curious. I wasn’t sure if I should mourn that transformation or celebrate it. I needed a drink. I made my way to the bar, poured two fingers of whiskey, and downed it in one burning swallow. The liquor did nothing to thaw the ice in my veins. I poured another and stared at the amber liquid with a deep frown. My father’s words slowly came to mind. “Power comes from control.” Control was slipping through my fingers like water. I’d brought Sylvia here to keep her safe, to protect her from threats I didn’t fully understand. Now even more threats had followed us, had penetrated the very walls I thought were enough to keep her hidden. Another gulp and I dumped the glass with a thud. I had a lot of work. I headed for the boathouse, deciding it was time to have a conversation with the man who thought he could waltz in here, take or hurt something of mine and walk out with his hea
Chapter 62 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Two days had passed since the attack. Two days of hushed conversations between Nikolai, Vincenzo and Kegan, of men in dark suits coming and going at all hours. Two days of Nikolai being everywhere but with me. We'd moved to a different safehouse—a modernist glass and concrete structure perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. It was more remote than the last place, with security systems that made Fort Knox look like a child's piggy bank. It was beautiful in a cold, imposing way, much like the man who owned it. I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and watched seagulls dive and soar over the crashing waves below. Despite the breathtaking view, I felt hollow and empty. "Penny for your thoughts?" Stacy's voice came from behind me. I turned to find her approaching slowly, one arm in a sling. She looked better than she had two days ago. Color had returned to her face, and her movements were more fluid, less pained. "
Chapter 63 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I tried to mentally distract myself as the conversation resumed. "Yeah," Oren breathed, "Too many things are not adding up here." Vincenzo looked up from his plate suddenly, with a thoughtful pause. "Did you say Giancarlo?" he asked, glancing at Kegan. "Yeah," Kegan nodded. "Romano Giancarlo." Vincenzo clicked his tongue and let out a low whistle. "Haven't heard that name in a minute." "You know him?" Luigi asked, curious now. Vincenzo gave a slow nod. "Not directly at first. Was introduced through someone—fuck if I remember who. But yeah, I know him." Nikolai tilted his head and watched Vincenzo with mild suspicion. "How'd that happen?" Vincenzo shook his head like the memory annoyed him. "There was this one time, a few years back, I had a stash so big it could've turned to dust in my hands. Whole fucking shipment. Meth, grade-A cuts. We're talking about something that could've fed a city or burned a hole through my pocket if it went bad." "Meth
Chapter 64 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Inside the room, I tried to distract myself with a book, but the more I tried, the more the words blurred on the page. Eventually, I gave up and decided to take a shower, hoping the hot water might actually help me relax. I turned the water as hot as I could stand it and stepped inside, letting it wash over me. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind, but the whole conversation at the table just seemed to be on replay in my mind. First it was powers, then birthmarks. Did they think I was some psychic? The very idea was absurd. I was no saint, no prophet. I was just... me. Whoever that was. I don't know how long I stood there, lost in thought, before I heard the bathroom door open. I froze, my hand automatically reaching for the towel hanging just outside the shower. "It's just me," Nikolai's voice came through the steam. "Don't stop on my account." I pulled the towel around me anyway, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower. Niko
Chapter 65 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai's hand moved to the nape of my neck, his fingers tangling in my damp hair. "That's why you wanted to take your vows so badly, isn't it? To make the mask permanent." His insight caught me off guard. No one had ever understood that part of me before. "Yes," I admitted softly. "If I belonged to God, to the Church, then it wouldn't matter who I was before. I could just be Sister Sylvia for the rest of my life." "And now?" he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you still want that?" I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of his hand on my neck, the gentleness of his touch that belied the dangerous man I knew him to be. "I don't know anymore. Everything is different now." "Because of what's happening with the convent?" "Because of you," I corrected, opening my eyes to meet his gaze. "You make me want things I shouldn't. You make me question everything I thought I knew." He leaned closer, his breath warm against my lips. "Is that a
Chapter 66 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I must have fallen asleep eventually, because I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and the sound of activity in the house below. I sat up, disoriented for a moment before the events of the night before came rushing back. Nikolai. The interrupted 'therapy'. The conversation we had. The figure I thought I'd seen in the trees. The conversation at dinner. A knock at the door made me jump. "Miss Sylvia?" a woman's voice called. "Mr. Gianni asked me to bring you breakfast and some fresh clothes." I wrapped myself in the robe I was still wearing from last night and opened the door to find one of the household staff with a tray of food and a garment bag draped over her arm. "Thank you," I said, stepping aside to let her in. "Is Nikolai—Mr. Gianni—around?" "He had to step out early this morning," she explained, setting the tray on a small table by the window. "He asked me to tell you he'll be back by noon and that you're to stay in the
Chapter 84 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ The shrill ring of my phone yanked me from a dreamless sleep. Fuck. "What is it?" I hissed, voice rough with sleep as I fumbled for the device on the nightstand. Beside me, Sylvia stirred but didn't wake. "Thank God you’re up." Luigi's voice was tight with barely controlled panic, something I barely heard from the unflappable man. I was instantly alert, sliding from the bed and moving to the window, I kept my voice low. "I thought I told you not to disturb me until—" "It's the girl," he cut me off. "She's convulsing. The doctors can't stabilize her." Every trace of slumber fell off my eyes. "What the hell happened? Kade said she had no serious complications." "They missed something. Cerebral edema, they're saying now. Pressure building in her skull." "Where is she?" I demanded, already pulling on yesterday's pants. "Medical suite, east wing. Dr. Weiss says if we don't get her to a hospital—" "No hospitals," I snapped. "Too exposed. Kaine will
Chapter 83⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾Nikolai rewarded me by thrusting forward in one powerful stroke, filling me completely to the hilt. I cried out, both in blissful pain and pleasure, then braced myself against the tiles as he pulled out and thrusted in again. “Oh, God—it hurts so fucking…!”His response was to push my head down and jut my hip up to meet the next thrust, then he set a punishing rhythm, each thrust pushing me slightly up the wall before his grip on my hips pulled me back to meet the next one."You feel so good," he growled, one hand slid around to massage my breast, pinching the nipple just hard enough to make me gasp. "So fucking tight."That was accompanied by a single slap to my ass cheeks. Then he squeezed roughly. Three more slaps followed. Rest assured his palm would be marked there, but the vibration. Fuck—the sensation made me want to combust."You deserve this," he hissed. “You sound so good, so fucking good, Sister."His words, crude as they were, only heightened m
Chapter 82⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾“Oh—fuck!”My back arched off the bed as pleasure shot through me. My hands fisted in the sheets, then in his hair, unsure whether to pull him closer or push him away from the overwhelming sensation.Nikolai groaned against me, the vibration adding another layer to the pleasure building low in my abdomen. His hands gripped my thighs to hold them apart as he worked me with his mouth, alternating between broad strokes of his tongue and focused attention to the spot that made me see stars."Nikolai, please," I gasped, not even sure what I was begging for.He seemed to understand, though. He slipped one finger inside me, then another, curling them upward as his mouth continued its relentless attention. The dual sensation was too much—I shattered with a cry, my thighs closing involuntarily around his fingers as waves of pleasure exploded my senses.Before I could fully recover, Nikolai was moving up my body, shedding his underwear as he went. "I need to be inside
Chapter 81⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾I'd been sitting on the same plush sofa for over three hours, Fur's heavy head resting on my lap as I absently stroked behind his ears. The dog had been my only constant companion since we returned from the clinic.Luigi had barely spoken two words to me before disappearing into his makeshift workstation, hunched over his laptop with such intense focus that I hadn't dared interrupt. Whatever ‘a lot’ entailed had transformed the normally composed man into a bundle of tense energy.And Nikolai... he hadn't come home at all. "He said he'd be back yesterday," I whispered to Fur, who looked up at me with soulful eyes. "What do you think happened?"The dog whined softly, like he understood my concern.My arm still ached dully where the implant had been inserted, a small reality check to how thoroughly I'd committed to this new life. I'd chosen long-term contraception because I believed in a long-term future with Nikolai. The irony of that. Fur’s head suddenly l
Chapter 80⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Three seconds of freefall was all she had left. Three seconds between life and death.I lunged forward, firing twice more as I did. That was the only way to leave without taking a shot myself, taking down the biggest threat. One bullet caught the pockmarked bastard in the throat, the other missing Kaine as he scrambled for cover. The pockmarked man collapsed, gurgling blood onto the concrete floor.But I wasn't focused on him. I rushed to the window, my mind calculating possibilities in cold, rapid-fire succession. "Oren!" I roared into my comm. "South side! Deploy the net! NOW!"I'd planned for this. Not specifically this, but something like it. When you've been in this business as long as I have, you learn to anticipate the worst-case scenarios.Fifteen floors. Terminal velocity in approximately 3 seconds.From the roof of the building across the street, four of my men were already activating the pneumatic launchers. The high-tension net shot outward from
Chapter 79⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾For some reason, I was very nervous today. Luigi had driven me here in relative silence, his eyes occasionally flicking to mine in the rearview mirror with an expression I couldn't quite read. Concern? Fear? Whatever it was, he kept it to himself."I'll wait outside," Luigi said as we approached the entrance to the women's health clinic. "Nikolai instructed me to stay close, but..." he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the nature of my appointment."It's fine," I assured him. "I shouldn't be long."The waiting room was half-full, women of various ages flipping through outdated magazines or staring at their phones. I approached the reception desk and gave my name in a low voice."Ah, yes, Miss Sylvia," the receptionist said, typing something into her computer. "First time visit for contraceptive consultation, correct?"I nodded, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. This whole situation was weirdly embarrassing—discussing birth control options when I was supp
Trigger Warning⚠️ Chapter 78⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Inside the building was a ghost town of half-demolished office spaces. Exposed wiring hung from the ceiling like dead vines. The floor was littered with construction debris, and plastic sheeting waved gently in the air from the building's struggling ventilation system.I moved silently up the stairs, with the tactical gear Russel provided making me practically invisible. The signal jammer was active in my pocket, blocking any remote detonations within range. My earpiece remained silent. I'd instructed Oren and his team to maintain radio silence unless absolutely necessary.According to thermal imaging, there should have been twelve bodies on this floor. So far, I'd counted none.Of course, I wasn’t expecting them to be completely stupid and let everything go according to my plan, so I knew something was off. The silence was too complete, the emptiness too perfect.I rounded a corner into what had once been a conference room and froze.A
Chapter 77 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ The kid looked up, and her eyes widened at the sight of me. There was surprise there, certainly, but not the relief I would expect from a child who had called me in terror just hours before. "Mr. Gianni?" she said, her voice small but steady. I studied her carefully. No visible signs of distress or injury. Her hair was neatly braided, her clothes clean. She looked exactly like a child who had been sitting quietly, reading. "Hello, Maeve," I said gently. "How are you?" She glanced at Mother Beatrice, then back to me. "I'm fine. Just doing my readings." "She has quite a bit of scripture to review," Mother Beatrice interjected. "Part of her penance." I crouched down to Maeve's eye level. "I got a call from you this morning. You sounded frightened." The girl's brow furrowed in what appeared to be genuine confusion. "I didn't call you, Mr. Gianni." "You can talk to me, Kid. Alright?" She shook her head. "We're not allowed phones here." I reached in
Chapter 76 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ "Too late. Your dog is as demanding as you are.” Sylvia's text lit up my phone as I boarded the private jet. I stared at the message for a moment, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Every instinct told me to call her, to hear her voice. But if I did, she would hear something in mine—the fury, and I couldn't risk that. "She knows quality when she sees it." I typed back, keeping it brief and playful. “Like her master." She must have slept off after that. As the jet prepared for takeoff, I leaned my head back against the leather seat and closed my eyes. I replayed the last call with my latest enemy in my mind. His stupid cruel voice and the sound of Maeve in the background. The small, frightened whimper that told me she was alive. How the fuck could anyone be so cruel as to scare a kid that like that? I could have gone straight to Manhattan. That was what they expected. Me rushing blindly toward the coordinates they would inevitably send, walking r