로그인Romeo opened the door to the ballroom, and I lifted my chin. I was going to make a statement and show that I was not afraid of him. All the noise in the room stopped as heads turned towards me, and my eyes locked on those hard, ocean blue ones. Forcing myself not to react, I walked slowly and confidently toward him, deliberately ignoring everyone else, even though I knew every eye was on me. My snarky comment made him angry, and when he hissed that I had not obeyed his orders, my heart sank for the two women who had helped me dress. I was about to argue further when my eyes met the gentle brown ones of Matteo, and heat flooded my body. He looked gorgeous in his black designer suit and white dress shirt, and I gave him a wide smile, instinctively turning towards his warmth nd asking where he had been. Before he could reply, Santino grabbed my wrist so tightly I thought he would break it, pulling me against his hard chest, and he hissed into my ear that where Matteo had been was none of
I had to get another message to Killian O'Hara. The President of the Oasis Blues Motorcycle Club had arrived on the mainland yesterday, and I knew he had contacted Biker clubs from all over Europe to help him get Tavisha back. Two Italian, a Spanish and a French MC club had answered his call for help. Santino did not know it, but the American could raise an army if he so desired; his men now easily outmanned the Mafia bosses by three to one. I was about to betray everything I believed in for her.'Was she worth it?'I thought now, as I dressed for the party tonight. I was going to put my life on the line for a woman I had kissed twice. The woman I wanted with every fibre of my being. The woman I knew I could never have.
I looked up as the two women entered my tiny cell. I had been kept in isolation for a full week, no contact with anyone, my meals, only bread and water, were pushed through a slot at the bottom of the door. I was so hungry my stomach growled whenever I lay down on the small bed they had left in the room. It was a hard slot bed with a thin mattress and one thin blanket, so my body ached from trying to sleep on it. The only thing that had kept me going this week was my exercise routine. It was something I had devised on that first day alone, and I knew I had to do something to keep my mind occupied and my body supple, or I would have lain on that bed and cried all the time. So I don't react when the two women bustle into my cell carrying bags and sighing,'No, no, questo non va affatto bene. Sergi, non possiamo lavorare in questa stanza. Ci serve un posto più grande.'
She's a lot stronger than I had thought.I smile as I watch the CCTV feed. I had seriously underestimated this little Russian tigress. When I had her thrown into the cell room, I thought she would cave after a couple of days of solitary confinement and only bread and water. That was a week ago, and she is still defiant, still refusing to kneel at my feet and submit totally. My eyes go dark. I will break her; she belongs to me, and she needs to understand my word is law. Turning to my personal guards, Sergi and Tonali, I say.'Dove sono le donne?' [Where are the women?]My men recently discovered a cell of drug runners trying to move in on the outskirts of my territory. This is forbidden under Mafia law, and the men were rounded up last night. We were surprised to discover two women as part of the group; this is very rare, and because they fought as hard as their men, they will face my sadistic pleasure tonight.'La punizione è pronta?' [Is the punishment ready?]'Le donne sono detenut
I know I'm pushing luck. deliberately antagonising a very powerful, sadistic man, but I can't seem to stop myself. Pushing open the double doors to the reception rooms, I stride inside, coming to a stop when I see it is full of people dressed in designer suits and cocktail dresses. I am definitely inappropriately dressed in my jeans and shirt, and I hear my guards snicker as all eyes turn to me, but I do not back down. Lifting my head, I stare at Santino defiantly, fully expecting to be sent back to the room and locked down for openly disobeying him. Instead, a slow smile spreads across his face, and he signals to his guards to bring me to him.'Signore e signori, vorrei presentarvi la mia ultima acquisizione, la Principessa Russa, Tavisha Khusnova. Una giovane donna che, evidentemente, non comprende le usanze della nostra mafia italiana. Una cosa a cui sto per porre rimedio immediatamente.' [Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my latest acquisition, the Russian Pri
She's been gone for weeks, and I'm no nearer finding her than the day she was taken. All I know is the Italian Mafia have her, but I don't know if she is still in the States or if she has been spirited back to their homeland. Only, I do know, deep in my gut, I know. They have somehow managed to get her out of the country and take her across to Italy. 'My poor little Russian tigress is being held in a country she knows nothing about by the most ruthless men who could have taken her.'I think, gazing out of my office window at the teeming rain. It seems to have rained a lot since the Mafia stole my woman, at least it feels like that to me. My whole world is grey and dark without my feisty little wife. I miss her so much. It is like everything good in my life has gone; she was such a shining light, making my whole life brighter.'Pres?'Rory asks tentatively,'My temper is volatile these days, and the members of my MC club tend to tiptoe around me to avoid getting their heads b







