LOGINMaxim and Ivan followed me out. We settled on the large sectional sofas overlooking the city skyline. The afternoon sun poured in, making the room feel bright and hopeful.Maxim looked at me with genuine warmth. “I’m glad you’re both fine.”Ivan rolled his eyes playfully. “Dad, you worry too much. He’s the one who chose this path.”Maxim’s expression softened. “You won’t understand until you have your own child.”I placed a hand unconsciously on my stomach, the small swell still hidden beneath the oversized hoodie. The thought of telling Dante about the baby once he was stronger made my heart race with both fear and longing.Ivan noticed my distraction and tapped my shoulder. “Alessia? I’m talking to you. You zoned out.”“Sorry,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’m just thinking about… a lot. Everything that’s happened and…”Ivan stood and extended his hand. “Let’s go get some fresh air outside.”I took it gratefully.He glanced at his father, who was already absorbed in his phone. “We’ll b
The penthouse was wrapped in a fragile kind of peace three days after the nightmare at Alexei’s compound. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting the marble floors in warm gold and making the city skyline below look almost gentle. I sat by Dante’s bedside in the master suite, legs tucked under me in the oversized armchair, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. The bruises on his face had begun to fade from angry purple to softer yellow-green, and the worst of the cuts had been stitched and bandaged by the private doctor who visited twice daily. He still looked battered, but he was alive and fine.I reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead, my fingers lingering on his warm skin. The quiet moments like this were the ones I clung to, the ones that reminded me why I had walked into hell with nothing but a blade and a prayer.A soft knock sounded on the bedroom door.I glanced at Dante, he was still deeply asleep, painkillers keeping
The night air was thick with smoke as our convoy pulled away slowly from the blazing inferno that had once been Alexei’s stronghold. Flames roared behind us, devouring wood and concrete in a hungry orange blaze that lit up the sky like a funeral pyre. I sat in the back seat of the lead SUV, Dante’s hand limp but warm in mine, his breathing shallow and ragged. Every bump in the driveway sent fresh pain flashing across his face, but he stayed silent, always the stoic Don, even half-dead.Liam turned to face us from the driver's seat, engine already rumbling. “We’re clear. Doctor’s waiting at the penthouse. Let’s get the hell out of here.”I nodded, squeezing Dante’s fingers. The convoy had barely started moving when two massive black trucks roared into the compound from the side gate, headlights cutting through the smoke like twin knives. They skidded to a stop, blocking the only exit road completely.My heart slammed into my throat. “Liam, is that one of ours?”Liam’s hands tightened
Tossed the phone onto the floor.Walked back to the bed where Alexei lay lifeless.I looked down at him, blood pooling around his head, mouth frozen in shock.“Killing you was so easy,” I said softly. “Like slaughtering a chicken. All that mouth… just for you to die like one.”I laughed low, bitter, and triumphant.“That’s how you always laughed at everybody, shitbag.”I turned.Opened the bedroom door.Stepped into the hallway.The hallway stretched ahead like a throat ready to swallow me whole, dim flickering lights casting long shadows on blood-splattered walls. Gunfire roared outside like thunder trapped in a bottle: sharp cracks, rapid bursts, the distant screams of men dying. My heart hammered so hard it felt like it would burst through my ribs, but I didn’t slow down. Dante was down here. Somewhere in this hell, he was waiting for me.I took the stairs two at a time, gun gripped tight in both hands, the push dagger on my waist. Liam’s men had arrived. They must be winning. And
The bedroom door opened with a soft, deliberate click that sent ice down my spine.Alexei stepped inside, crutches clicking against the hardwood, his grin stretched so wide it looked painful on his face. He looked at me like I was already his, naked, broken and willing. The same manic hunger that had burned in his eyes downstairs was still there, brighter now, wet with anticipation.I sat on the edge of the bed, feet flat on the floor, my hands resting lightly on my thighs. I didn’t move, didn’t flinch. I just watched him.He limped closer, crutches tapping out a slow, possessive rhythm.“I’m going to freshen up,” he said, voice low and thick with command. “When I come out, I want you naked. Lying in the center of the bed, your legs spread wide and ready for me.”I let my face twist into open irritation, let him see every ounce of disgust I felt.“Okay, Alexei.”His smile widened, satisfied. He closed the distance in two uneven steps and leaned down until his face was inches from min
The door slammed shut behind Alessia with a finality that punched straight through my chest.For one frozen second, the room felt smaller, colder, like the walls had closed in the moment she was gone. I was still on my knees, wrists zip-tied so tight the plastic had sliced skin and warm blood was sliding down my forearms. My ribs burned from where Alexei’s crutches had hammered them, but that pain was nothing. Nothing compared to the black, roaring fury that flooded every vein the instant they dragged her in here.This is my fault.All of it.I should have killed him that night. I had the shot, finger already on the trigger but I shot at only his knee. Alessia pleaded with me not to kill him, thinking he will turn to a new life after the second chance I offered him. But I’d wanted him to suffer first. I’d wanted him to feel the same helplessness he’d forced on me when he took her. That single moment of mercy, that one hesitation, had cost me everything.Now Alessia has walked back int
I woke up all at once.Not drifting. Not easing out of sleep.Awake in the sharp, undeniable way that comes with danger.The first thing I felt was restraint.My wrists were bound above my head, the material tight, cool, and unforgiving against my skin. Not rope, something more deliberate. Industria
Careful. Deliberate. Every inch he closed between us cost him something, pain flickered at the edges of his expression, but he didn’t stop. When our mouths finally met it wasn’t the fierce, claiming kind of kiss I’d grown used to. This was softer. Slower. A hesitant brush of lips, like he was relea
Alexei’s knuckles were white where he gripped the edge of the heavy oak desk. Marco, released. Not broken. Not silenced. Released. The report from his men, delivered in low, uneasy voices, still rang in his head. The city, that vast organism that usually throbbed with violence and rumor, was silent
The city streets blurred into a haze of neon and shadow as Dante's convoy tore through the night, leaving the smoldering ruins of Alexei's downtown apartment in their rearview mirrors. The building had been his last desperate lead, a sleek, high-rise fortress in the heart of the metropolis, where w







