Katarina POV At The Bookstore
I wiped down the counter for the third time, pretending the streaks mattered. Selena had already left, mumbling something about snacks. I didn’t hear a word. My head was spinning.
The shadows outside the window shifted. Again.
That black car was still parked across the street. Same position. Same tinted windows. No one had come in or out. It had been there for hours.
I stared at it for a moment longer than I meant to.
Maybe it was nothing.
Maybe it was him.I pulled my phone from my pocket.
Twelve missed calls.
Mateo.
My thumb hovered. I hadn’t told him I was staying over at Selena’s yet. I’d been too distracted. Too wrapped in… everything.
My finger shook as I hit redial.
Voicemail. Straight to it.
“What the hell, Mateo…” I muttered under my breath and fired off a text.
“Staying with Selena tonight. Everything okay?”A beat passed. No reply.
I should’ve told him sooner. I should’ve
Ding.
My heart jumped. The reply wasn’t from Mateo.
Unknown Number:
“Your father sold you cheap. I’ll pay double to keep you quiet.”
My blood went cold.
I dropped the phone. My breath locked in my throat.
No name. No trace.
Just those words.Sold.
I grabbed the counter like it could steady me, like I could hold on to something real while my world crumbled under my feet.
“No,” I whispered. “No. No. No”
The door burst open behind me.
I spun, heart hammering.
Selena.
Thank God.
She froze when she saw my face. “Kat? You okay?”
I nodded too fast. “Yeah. Fine. Just—fine.”
She stepped in slowly, eyes scanning the store. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
I didn’t respond. Because I hadn’t seen a ghost.
I’d seen a predator.
We locked up early. Selena insisted we take the long way back, and I didn’t argue.
My phone buzzed again as we walked.
Unknown Number:
“You’ll beg for my hands before this is over.”
I nearly dropped it.
“Kat?”
“I’m fine,” I lied. Again.We didn’t talk the rest of the walk.
That night, on Selena’s couch, I didn’t sleep.
The room was warm. Safe. Her cat snored at my feet.
But outside...
That was still there.
I could feel it parked beneath the flickering streetlamp. Watching.
I sat up, grabbed my phone, and scrolled.
Still nothing from Mateo.Just that last message from the unknown number.
I reread it five times before I finally whispered aloud:
“You’ll beg for my hands before this is over.”
A part of me hated how my thighs pressed together.
How my body reacted like it missed him. How I ached for the danger again.You’re disgusting, I told myself. You should be scared. You should run.
But I didn’t move.
Because deep down, I knew the truth:
There’s no way out.
Knock. Knock.
I stiffened.
Selena was asleep. I looked at the door.
Another knock. Louder.
I crept toward it, barefoot, holding my breath.
Then I heard it:
A low voice, smooth as sin.
“Open the door, piccola.
You ran last time.
Now I want you to crawl.” I didn’t Open
That night, I didn’t sleep.
I collapsed into Selena’s guest bed, but my body didn’t rest.It burned.
ASLEEP
I was naked in a marble hallway.
White floors. Endless mirrors. No exits. The air was warm and smelled like blood and roses.My reflection stared back at me — flushed cheeks, bruised lips, thighs slick with something shameful. I was trembling, but not from fear. From want.
Then he stepped from the darkness.
The Don.He didn’t speak at first.
His shirt was half open, revealing a chest carved from something wicked. His belt hung in his hand like a threat.
Those emerald eyes pinned me in place.“I told you,” he said, voice low, rough like broken stone. “Run, and I’ll break you.”
I didn’t run.
He was on me in two strides, pressing me hard against the mirrored wall. One hand fisted in my hair, the other wrapped around my throat—not enough to hurt, just enough to control.
“You liked kneeling for me, didn’t you?”
I wanted to lie. Wanted to say no.
But my body betrayed me. My lips parted. My legs shook.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He smiled then. A cruel, gorgeous thing.
He licked the side of my face, slow and possessive.Then he shoved me down to my knees.
“Show me how much.”
I opened my mouth without hesitation, tongue out like I was starved. His cock was already hard, heavy, flushed dark at the tip. I took him deep, swallowing around him, tears slipping from my eyes as he hit the back of my throat.
“That’s it,” he groaned. “My filthy girl. My obedient little mouth.”
I sucked harder, faster. His fingers curled in my hair, dragging me up before I could finish.
He spun me around and bent me over a glass table that hadn’t been there seconds ago. My reflection stared up at me — eyes wide, lips swollen, need dripping down my thighs.
“You’re wet for me,” he said, dragging two fingers through my folds. “Disgusting.”
I whimpered.
He didn’t give me time to breathe.
He thrust inside me in one brutal stroke — no warning, no mercy — and I shattered.
“This is mine now,” he growled, pounding into me. “Your body. Your mouth. Your screams. All mine.”
His hand clamped over my mouth as I came, crying against the glass, legs buckling beneath him.
“You love being used,” he snarled. “Say it.”
“I love it,” I gasped. “I love it. I love you.”
He didn’t stop.
He fucked me harder, dragging orgasm after orgasm from my trembling body until I couldn’t tell if I was begging for more or for mercy.
And then he kissed my shoulder. Soft.
“Next time, piccola... I’ll leave marks they can’t hide.
I came with a sob, knees shaking. I clawed the window like it could hold me up.
I jolted awake, drenched in sweat, my thighs sticky, my heart racing.
I clutched the blanket, burying my face in it as shame flooded me.
What is wrong with me?
I was wet, aching, and still felt his breath on my skin.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream.
But I couldn’t forget the way it felt.
I covered my mouth with both hands, as if the moan still echoing in my throat could betray me.
Selena left early. I told her I needed to stop home to grab clothes.
I thought I’d sneak in. Quiet. Avoid Mom.
But the second my key turned, I immediately sensed it.
Something was off.
The handle was busted. The lock, scraped.
Inside, the lights were off, but I could smell it. Cheap cologne. Stale whiskey.
Then I saw him.
On the couch.
My father.
Passed out, mouth hanging open, arms spread like he owned the place again.
No.
No, no, no.
“He’s back?” I whispered. “He came back?”
My stomach twisted.
Mateo didn’t say a word. He’d just... let me walk into this?
Or maybe he didn’t know.
I clutched my phone. My hand was shaking as I opened my messages.
Still nothing from Mateo.
I texted him again:
“He’s here. Why didn’t you warn me?”
I backed up toward the door, my eyes never leaving the disgusting shape of the man who’d given me nightmares for years.
And then —
his eyes opened.Bloodshot. Direct. He was already awake.
“Where the fuck do you think you been, girl?”
My throat dried up. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink.
“I asked you a question,” he slurred, rising slowly to his feet. “You think you can run off and come back when you like?”
His voice was quieter now. Scarier that way. The kind of calm that meant something awful was coming.
“I…I just needed clothes,” I said. “I wasn’t..I didn’t mean..”
He stepped toward me.
My back hit the door.
“You got no more say in anything,” he said darkly. “Not after what I did for this family.”
My voice shook. “What did you do?”
He smiled.
Pulled a folded paper from his jacket and tossed it on the table.
A contract. My name printed at the top. His signature at the bottom. A cartel seal burned into the corner.
“I sold you, Katarina. You’re leaving. Tonight.”
“Pack something nice.” he sneered. Giordano likes his girls pretty.”
And just like that, my world collapsed.
“He wanted me to crawl. But I’d rather die choking on his cock than letting him own me. He’ll learn that soon.”
What’s worse? being betrayed by a stranger or by your family
Katarina’s POV At Vittorio Elite VillaI woke up aching. Not just sore—burning.My thighs were damp. My skin buzzed. My heartbeat thudded like I’d been running. Or dreaming. The kind of dream that left you panting and reaching for something that wasn’t there.Him.Vittorio.I’d dreamt of his mouth, of his hands, of the way he looked when he claimed me back in that hospital—violence in his eyes, hunger in his kiss. I dreamt of being tucked under his arms, trembling, with blood on his shirt and me moaning like I was the one being hunted.And now I was flushed. Horny. Fucked up.There was a dull throb between my legs. My body remembered even when my brain couldn’t.I sat up slowly, dragging the silk robe tighter around me. It clung to my skin, and only then did I realize—nothing underneath. Just me. Bare. I glanced down. A thin IV port still taped to my hand, half pulled, barely hanging. No pain, just a ghost of what they’d done.This wasn’t the hospital anymore.This was Vittorio’s roo
Giordano’s POV“Move the damn veil to the left—do I look like I want my mother thinking I’m marrying a damn scarecrow?”The villa smelled like sweat, roses, and too much fucking money.Dressmakers swarmed the east wing like bees. Steam hissed from irons, scissors clicked, lace floated through the air like spider silk. White everywhere—veils, candles, petals on the goddamn marble. Even the fountain had been drained and filled with lilies.“Watch the hem!” I barked at the tailor, nearly spilling my espresso. “I said floor-length, not funeral.”Servants jumped. One dropped a tray.“Pick it up. And if it happens again, I’ll have your fingers sent to the cake designer.”My voice echoed through the hall like a blade. My wedding was tomorrow. The Virgin Bride. The Holy Union. The Rebirth of the Giordano name.And not one fucking thing was going right.I was adjusting my cufflinks when I heard tires screech outside. Not the slow roll of an expected guest. A whip-sharp, dirt-kicking stop.I tu
Katarina’s POVThe world was soft and spinning.I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or dying, but the arms carrying me felt like home. Strong. Solid. Warm. My head was tucked against a bare chest that smelled like sandalwood and something darker—like danger and blood.I blinked slowly. The lights above me blurred. A hallway? Was I still in that nightmare lab?No. The ceiling wasn’t buzzing. No needles. No voices whispering commands.Just him.A man.Vittorio?My eyes slipped shut again.When I opened them next, we were outside. The air was colder, cleaner. Trees above us. Car doors slamming. Someone cursing softly.Another man?I blinked harder and caught sight of him through the haze—he looked like Vittorio but leaner. Same sharp cheekbones. Same mouth. Same hands. But he moved differently. Looser. More like smoke than fire.Two Vittorios.What the actual hell?I tried to speak, but my mouth was full of sand. My tongue didn’t move right. Everything hurt.“I think I saw her... Selena. In
Vittorio POV Operation: Save KatarinaThe first man begged. The second didn’t have time.The safehouse basement smelled like sweat and rubber gloves. Metal trays clinked softly. The twin assistants—one blond and shaky, the other cocky and silent—were tied to metal chairs, wrists duct-taped, mouths gagged.“They’re not killers,” Valentino said, rolling his sleeves. “Just smart enough to work for one.”I didn’t answer. I just nodded at Toma, the underground surgeon.“You got the faces?” I asked.He held up two silicone masks, perfect copies. Every line. Every wrinkle. Down to the pores. “Fresh and ready. You sure you want to do this? These two don’t look like much.”“I don’t need them to be much,” I said. “I need them dead.”Val shoved a rag into the blond one’s mouth.“I’ll make it quick,” he whispered.It wasn’t. The metal table was cold beneath the dead assistant’s body. Blood soaked through his lab coat. His ID badge dangled from my hand. Valentino stood behind me, arms crossed,
Selena POVThe first time Ryder showed me Katarina’s father, I couldn’t handle it.I’d walked into that dark room thinking I was tough, thinking I could stomach whatever truth he had waiting. But I hadn’t expected to see that man tied to a chair, mouth duct-taped, bruises blooming across his face like rot. I didn’t expect the guilt. The disgust. The raw hatred that burned in my gut like acid.I ran.I left without looking back.Went home. Locked my doors. Sat in the shower for an hour until the water went cold. Tried to make sense of what I’d seen, but none of it made sense. None of it felt real.But the next day, when Lucas told me to sit tight again, to wait until he “got clearance,” I cracked.Kat was still missing. Lucas was spinning in circles. And I—I had seen a key chained to a damn chair, and I left him there.So, I made a decision.I was going to finish what I started.It took me three days to bring Ryder back. Three days since I’d triggered Liam again. Three days since I fo
Vittorio POV I couldn’t sleep.The room was quiet—too quiet. The kind of silence that felt like someone pressing a pillow over your face. Every time I closed my eyes, she was there.Katarina. Bloody. Screaming. Chained to a cold steel bed, whispering my name like a dying prayer.“Vittorio…” My eyes snapped open again.My cane leaned against the bedside table, untouched. The bottle of scotch sat next to it, half-drunk and useless. I wasn’t drunk. I was wired. Pacing. My legs were fully healed.I’d ripped the sheets off the bed three times tonight. Pillows were torn. My chest felt too tight. Like grief was chewing its way out of my ribs.She was somewhere out there. Hurting. Alone. And I was here. Breathing.Valentino walked in without knocking—shirtless, tired, holding a steaming cup of black coffee. “You look like shit”.“No shit,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “She’s in my head. Every time I close my eyes, she’s there. I think… I think she’s screaming.”Val leaned on the wall,