Mag-log in~~Sofia~~The low strains of jazz playing from my phone lull me into a false sense of security. Nico runs around the kitchen beside me while I prepare him a meal. He's just returned from my father's with Francesca, who is rattling around somewhere upstairs.Rafael's chef could get him something to eat, but cooking the meal relaxes me even though it also tires me out. The aroma of pasta and meatballs hanging in the air makes my stomach queasy.Bad enough that I am almost considering inviting Hailey in to continue the meal when Nico skids to a stop beside me and hugs himself to my waist.I bend towards him to sink my nose into his hair. I inhale deeply, the smell of his shampoo calming me a bit. I nod at his chair. "Go sit."He gives me a long look before sliding into the chair. "Can I have pizza today, Mama? Please?"He always asks. I wonder if his brother or sister inside me will love the meal as much as he does.My stom
~~Rafael~~ Sofia looks as white as a sheet, her chest rising and falling as she sags back against the floor, her eyes lifting to mine finally as she coughs one last time. I let her hair go and watch almost with a certain level of fascination as it tumbles and falls around her face. There's fear in her eyes, in the way they widen slightly and then darken as though light has blinked from them. But it is the tears that come springing up in their depths that finally push me into action. I kneel beside her and slide my arms around her back to lift her off the floor. She sinks into me, and I tighten my arms around her. "Can you walk?" She nods her "yes" against my bare chest, and I drag in air, flush the bathroom, and then fetch some water from the sink to clean her face off. She doesn't say a word, and neither do I, but there's a look that keeps sliding between us that says more than a thousand words. I find a tow
~~Sofia~~I blink at the rapidly narrowing shape in front of my eyes. I sit up fast to find Rafael half-dressed or undressed, depending on how you want to see it."What are you doing?" I whisper, blowing a puff of air into the room to check if my mouth has any bad smell.Rafael clocks the movement and gives me a smile. "I don't know really, but for once in a long while, I've got a free day." He stops and peers at me uncertainly. "Thought I'd take Nico to the park. And maybe the gym later?"For once, I'm glad it's the weekend, glad my mouth doesn't stink, and glad he's half undressed, I guess. I enjoy a leisurely stroll down his body with my eyes, land on his cock, and then trail my eyes back up. "Am I invited? Or is it just for the boys?""Could we leave you behind if we wanted to?" He prowls towards me, and I crawl slowly towards him on the bed, one knee after the other, till I'm close enough that my eye is level with his already awakeni
~~Rafael~~"Jesus. Can you please sit down?" I grumble from across the room.Rafe rolls his eyes and clambers over my feet to stride over to Emil, who is standing by the windows, watching the men outside.It's a cloudy day, which is perfect, really. It matches my mood perfectly. Because enough has quite literally become enough. We're having a meeting with Santoro, and he's running late as usual."Let's bet he arrives an hour late." Dario holds out his hand, thumb facing me. I run a hand through my hair and glare at him.I glower at him. "Is this a fucking joke to you, Dario? You choose this one moment to fucking laugh?"It's not his fault I'm pissed. It's Santoro's, and today, I'll teach him a lesson. I've been waiting twenty minutes already."I'm interested in the bet." Emil turns towards us and walks to the table where he takes his seat and, as always, pours me a glass of whiskey along with his."Good. Five hu
~~Sofia~~Dinner with his father had been a stressful affair.The tension in the room is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. His brothers were worried about his father's health and how the news of escaping the family would make him fare.Donato, as usual, had been staunch, a frown on his face that only lifted when the food had arrived and he'd said the grace. Then he'd proceeded to take only a taste of it and asked to be taken to his study, where Rafael had soon joined him, and then his brothers after a few minutes.So it's just his mother and I, the two women of the family left together to pass the time."Are you happy?" She asks, a kind smile on her face.I smile back at Rafael's mom, the slight breeze in the air carrying the earthy smell of the frangipanis that border her garden. We're seated on the porch, the sun waning above us, the trees waving listlessly to and fro. "I think so. Are you?"She smiles back, tip
~~Rafael~~It's a fucking upheaval. Silvio has his hand fisted so hard I'm certain the nails are biting grooves into his palm.His guilt is clear, as is the fact that it's unnecessary. He's blaming himself for something that really isn't his fault.It's no one's but mine. The walls around us are the grotesque gray of an underground building, which we currently are. A man hangs upside down from a chain hitched to a pole, his face about as colorful as a bleached bone in a desert.Well. I guess it would be, considering how much blood has been taken from him. The floor is coated with it, a vicious dark pool that seems far too long."How much longer does he have?" I snap at Silvio."About an hour. Should be dead in less than that if his weak lungs don't hold up." Silvio walks over to the man and sinks a solid punch into his stomach, his shoulders snapping back under his leather jacket.The crunch of bones and the loud wail th







