Zandra Valderrama POVI’m bedridden for what feels like an eternity.Aunt Natalya keeps telling me it’s frankly a miracle I survived. Very few can take a bullet through the chest and live to tell the tale. It’s nothing short of divine intervention. But even if I did have the energy to get out of bed, I wouldn’t. A heavy fog clouds my mind, and it has nothing to do with the pain meds I’m on.I can’t stop thinking about Thorton. I can barely even think of his name without pins and needles stinging my eyes. No matter what I do, no matter how much time has passed, I can’t bring myself to accept he’s dead. The lives we lead are dangerous ones. Death and injury is an accepted workplace hazard. I just didn’t think it would actually happen.“Come on, Zandy,” Alessandra whispers at my bedside. There’s a bowl of chicken noodle soup on her lap. It’s all I’ve been able to stomach lately. Everything else makes me feel barfy.“You should eat something,” Mom adds softly. She’s seated on the other si
Thorton Gallardo POVHalf of Italy belongs to the Gallardo Mafia.I should be over the moon.I’m anything but.“We’re seeing staggering profits,” Leo tells me from the other side of my desk. One of his detailed spreadsheets is pulled up on his tablet. “We’ve had next to no resistance from the remaining Valderrama in the area. They’ve all but fled to the north of the city. The raid left them scrambled, but I don’t think now is the time to keep pushing. There’s still a heavy police presence in the area.”“Sure,” I mumble. I’m only half listening, partially because I know Leo’s got everything under control, and partially because I can’t bring myself to care. It’s almost cruel how we have everything we want, yet I have nothing I need.“The taxi business practically runs itself at this point,” Leo goes on. “Since Detective Rossi, uh, passed, there’s been no reason for the police to keep sniffing around. He was the only one who could link us to our criminal interests, and it doesn’t look l
Zandra Valderrama POVI only have so much time. Before long, my baby bump will begin to show, and then the jig is up. I need to figure out how to break the news to Dad without sending him into full-on cardiac arrest. My decision is final, though, no matter what he or the rest of my family has to say. I’m keeping this baby, and I’m going to protect him or her with every fiber of my being.Do I think Dad might disown me when he learns the truth? Probably not. He’s always been a level-headed guy. I doubt he’d do anything so drastic… But that doesn’t stop me from coming up with a Plan B, C, and D—just in case.I’m just about to pull out my phone to look up some rudimentary information on what mothers should expect when I hear a strange sound coming from outside. The screech of car tires, angry shouting. My heart automatically leaps into my throat and lodges there. Oh, God. Are we under attack? All this excitement and paranoia can’t possibly be good for the baby.My little brother comes ho
Thorton Gallardo POVOne Month LaterSeparately, the Valderrama and Gallardo Mafias are capable of incredible things. They both rule with iron fists and awe-inspiring efficiency. Where the Valderrama commands the respect of their peers, my brothers and I are tenaciously ambitious. Combined—we’re a force to be reckoned with.We’re only a month into our merger, but all of Italy works like a well-oiled machine. With the Valderramas’ connections and my transportation network, we’re virtually unstoppable. I don’t think the criminal underworld has ever seen a more impressive organization. With Leo running the numbers, Samuel enforcing our laws, Roman negotiating our deals, and Damien keeping his ear to the ground for any whispers of dissent, we have the entire city under our thumbs. But right now, the last thing I want to think about is work. Zandra, unfortunately, has other plans.“Remind me to ask Samuel to pay the Southern Administrative District a visit. A couple of businesses haven’t
Cassandra Valderrama Gallardo POVI never wanted a big wedding. Growing up, I wasn’t the type of girl who dreamed about flowing white dresses, enough flowers to open a florist shop, or exorbitantly expensive multi-tier cakes. I’m perfectly content with what I have—my family in attendance and my man standing proudly at the altar.We’re in a small chapel, tucked away in one of the quieter, more peaceful corners of the city. I’m dressed in the same wedding dress Mom wore when she married Dad, the very same veil on my head. There are no words to describe how honored I am to wear it. I hope one day, I get to pass it on to my own daughter to wear at her wedding, and perhaps even my granddaughter after her. Little things like these, full of sentiment and love, are how traditions are born.Dad and I stand just in front of the main entrance to the chapel. Everyone’s taken their seats, and the music is beginning to swell. I know he had his reservations when I first agreed to marry Thorton, but
Manfred Valderrama POV “Thank you for coming with me today.” Tamara smiles warmly as we step out of the private hospital, and walk toward the car I had sent to pick her up this morning. “Here, you can keep this one.” She hands me one of the black and white photographs the sonographer printed out for us, and when I look down at the grainy image in my hand, I can’t help smiling at it. A Valderrama heir, a chance for me to do things so differently. This was not the way I planned on becoming a father, but fate had other plans, and who the fuck am I to argue with fate? “I’ll have my driver take you home.” I look into the pretty, hazel eyes of the woman, who will bring my child into the world, and wonder if I’ll ever be able to love her. Tamara is attractive and kind, she knows how to satisfy a man, which is exactly what got us into this situation. But will it be enough? It will have to be. I wasn’t raised among love, my mother never really paid me much attention as a child. I was broug
The girl glares at me maliciously as I release her mouth, sliding my hand down her throat so she can talk. “Amara!” She scowls at me. “And do you know why you are here, Amara?” I keep my voice low and try to ignore the tingle of thrill I’m feeling at my fingertips. She shakes her head and I swear I see a tear start to form before she bravely blinks it away. “You’re here because your daddy fucked with the wrong man.” My fingers slip lower, brushing between her pert, little tits. I regret having my guard strip her down to her underwear now, that pleasure should have been mine. Taking one of those tits in my palm, I crush it, making a gasp slip from her lips and her eyes close, almost like she finds a little pleasure in my touch. “You’re here because he is unable to protect you,” I remind her of the position she’s in, in case she’s forgotten. Lowering my touch to her tight, flat stomach, I spread my fingers wide and slip them under the waistline of her white, cotton panties. “And you'r
Manfred Valderrama POV I sit at the breakfast table waiting for the door to open and when it does, one of my guards drags Villafuerte’s feisty daughter into my dining room. She struggles against him and I get a strange satisfaction from the fact she immediately pauses when she sees me. I still haven’t permitted her any clothes, just clean, black lace underwear which I think compliments her golden skin tone. It also makes me decide I don’t like the way Ludo’s hands look on her. “Release her,” I order, watching as the girl studies the space around her, appearing overwhelmed. I’m not stupid enough to buy it though, The grandeur of my dining hall won’t be something Amara is unfamiliar with, her father is a very rich man, and she will be used to these kinds of luxuries. What I predict is that she’s getting her bearings, and looking for an escape route, one that she won’t find. I’ve got this place locked down like fucking Alcatraz. “Join me.” I gesture my hand to the space that's been la