Mag-log inCALISTA'S P.O.VNighttime came by slowly. I watched as the sky slowly shifted from one hue into another, until all that was left was deep, dark blue skyRoman still wasn’t home yet and I was beginning to panicThe two men, Vincent and Otto, told me he'd be back today; they said there was ‘unfinished business’ he had to handle, and honestly, I was having a migraine.I was also starting to think everyone deliberately kept things from me.The children however, were fine. They were taken to the guest wing to be cleaned, fed, and checked on by a doctor. Little Aria was fast asleep, so she didn't cry for me. Alberto was nursing a bottle of bourbon in the hallway; his eyes were rimmed red for reasons I didn't let myself ponder. Luca had disappeared with his boom box and injury, and Lilian claimed that she was tired and needed to go to sleep.And me?I was pacing the length of my bedroom like a caged animal, waiting for its beloved owner to come open its cage.I waited. Bit on my nails, call
CALISTA'S P.O.VThe unnatural silence in the living room pulsed like a heartbeat. Everyone— Me, Lucas, Alberto, Lilian by my side, her the other children, everyone stared at the little hazel-eyed girlShe sniffed, her lips curving into a small, pain-filled smile. One moment she was standing at the far end of the grand living room, the next, she sprinted as fast as her thin legs could carry her and rushed over to my side, hugging my legs tight “Mom,” her hazel eyes were filled with tears, and they dropped down to her chin. I opened my mouth, fumbling for words, but none came outEveryone else was as stunned as I was. The little girl cried harder, hugging my legs tighter. “Mom, it's.. it's been…been…so…so…l…long. I…I thought I would never, ever see you again”One of the children, a girl who appeared to be in her early teen's stepped forward from the group. “Aria” she called tenderly. “I don't think that's your mom”The little girl— Aria, shook her head vehemently. “No, Stacy. She's my
CALISTA'S P.O.VI planned to leave the villa today, but I couldn't, not after Roman made me promise him I'd stay.And those thoughts of going out sizzled away when Lilian and Lucas came back from wherever it was they usually went to. I was in the living room, going through some old history of the Chicago and Irish mafia that Alberto had given me when Lilian brought an injured Lucas home“Oh my God," I exclaimed at the injury to Lucas's arms. He looked up to me and even though he was injured, Lucas grinned broadly—his usual, carefree smile“Hello, darling," he winked, while slowly settling himself into one of the couches. Lilian's chin wobbled like she was about to cry, but she said nothing.For a moment, Lilian and Lucas shared a silent conversation between themselves. I glanced at Alberto who hadn't left my side since morning, to see if he was as confused as me but he remained stoic where he stood, his brown eyes burning into Lilian She didn't look at him and I felt the tension in t
ROMAN'S P.O.V“The brother,” Aria whispered again, her words were filled with so much dread and fear.I took the lead, Aria behind me being protected by Niko and Ricardo. Every muscle in my body was locked tight; my heart trailed in front of me. “The Brother" I echoed, stomach churning with disgust.The air thickened the further we went into the tunnel-like thing. The air was filled with dust, damp concrete, fear, and tears Lots of tears I turned slightly so I could look Aria square in the eyes. I didn't like the fact that she wasn't outside, safe with Vincent and Otto, but we needed her to find ‘The brother’ in this maze of a place. Her hazel eyes were trusting when she looked up at me. “Stay behind me. Understand?”Aria nodded, her small jaw trembling even though she tried to hide it— the fear. She was a brave little girl. Too brave for someone who still had their milk teeth.No child should ever go through such. A sound echoed in the darkness, and Niko tried to move ahead, but I
TRIGGER WARNINGThis chapter contains scenes and references involving abuse of children, including emotional and physical harm. Reader discretion is advised. Thank you.ROMAN'S POVFor a moment, none of us breathed. We couldn't fùcking breathe.The hidden door gave way, and it wasn't even the stench of human waste that made us speechless; it was the children who shrank into each other's bodies.Wide, young eyes filled with tears and fear as they clustered themselves together, scooting backwards away from us They were scared of us— of men. Jesus Whatever had those bastards done to these children?Black spots of rage filled my vision, and my fingers tightened around my gunIt was Vincent, the big, scary guy who enjoyed peeling the skin from our enemies' bones, who spoke in a soft tone. Even Niko couldn't stop blinking in absolute shock. Otto was still as a statue and Ricardoo looked like he was seconds away from passing out.“Hey," He managed a smile at the six small kids, “We won't h
ROMAN'S P.O.VThe brotherhood, in fact, had not entered my Villa that day.Justin, after much investigation found out that the picture of Calista sent to me was taken with a drone shot. So, no, they did not get into my Villa.That gave me a small sense of relief for Calista's and my family's safety. However, I was still teetering on the edge of a cliff, knowing that some group of soon-to-be-dead people was not just threatening Callie's life, but also audacious enough to challenge me.“Cazzo," I cursed under my breath, looking out the highway as one of my men, Niko, sped us off.There was so much sitting on my shoulders right now. The most bothersome of them all begins with the identity of the man who ran the X Bròtherhood and his death threats to Callie.Then there was her insistence on why I was keeping her ‘Locked up' at home. I knew she wanted to go out freely more often, but that was a risk I couldn't take. Not at all, with the mysterious brotherhood prowling her and the Irish Maf







