LOGINFive years. Five years since Marco walked into my life with that ridiculous smile and those loud opinions and the way he made everything feel lighter. Five years since he told me he wouldn’t be anyone’s “dirty little secret.” Five years since he made me brave enough to stop hiding.And today… we were getting married. Sara planned everything, of course she did, and she somehow managed to make it look effortless. A small spring wedding in her backyard, flowers everywhere, soft colors, candles tucked into corners. It looked like something out of a dream. Marco had been a complete groomzilla for months. Not even in a bad way, just in a Marco way.“This ribbon is the wrong shade.” “The cake needs more height.” “Roc, your suit needs to be steamed again.” “Why is the seating chart not alphabetized?”I didn’t mind. It was his day too. And honestly… seeing him so excited made me love him even more. My grandparents flew in from Russia two days ago. My grandmother cried the moment she saw me in
I thought I knew what it would feel like. I thought I was prepared. But the moment I heard their cries, first Maria, loud and furious, then Rosa, softer and curious, something inside me cracked open in a way I didn’t expect. A part of me I didn’t even know was locked finally let go. Two daughters. Two perfect little girls. Named after the two women who shaped our family. Maria, after Abuela. Rosa, after Nonna. Legacies in tiny blankets. Sara reached for my hand, her voice soft. “Mi cielo… breathe.”I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until she said it. I let it out slowly, staring at the two little faces, their fists curled, their eyes blinking up at the world like they already owned it. The nurse handed Maria to me. She grabbed my finger immediately, strong grip for someone so small. Rosa rested against Sara’s chest, calm, watching everything with wide dark eyes. My girls. My daughters. My future.The room filled fast. Nonna cried the moment she saw Rosa. Abuela cried the mom
Gabe’s birthday was always loud, but this year it felt bigger, brighter, like the whole world was celebrating with him. And maybe it was. The Fourth of July always brought fireworks, music, and half the neighborhood outside, but today it was all for him too. The backyard was packed. Kids splashing in the pool. Adults gathered around the grill. Music drifting through the warm summer air. Fireworks waiting in neat boxes for later tonight. It felt good. It felt peaceful. It felt like life finally settled into something soft again.The family had flown back from Italy a few days ago, just in time for the party. They’d been gone for weeks, giving us space to breathe, to settle, to heal. Now they were back, loud, loving, and exactly what Gabe needed. He ran across the yard with Koda chasing him, both of them dripping water everywhere. Even though Koda was four years younger, they talked every afternoon. FaceTime, voice messages, silly videos. Gabe said it helped him &ld
The compound was quiet in the mornings. Too quiet. Matteo and I walked side‑by‑side down the long concrete hallway toward the cells, the hum of the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. I’d gotten used to the sound over the last week, the same way you get used to pain when it’s constant.Juan had been dragging things out. Talking in circles. Playing games. Trying to stay alive one more day. But today felt different. I could feel it in my bones. Matteo must’ve felt it too, because he didn’t say a word until we reached the metal door leading into the holding wing. He stopped, hand on the handle, waiting. I looked at him. “It’s time,” I said. He didn’t ask what I meant. He already knew. “We can deal with Kansas City now,” I continued. “We don’t need anything else from him. Not anymore.”Matteo exhaled slowly, nodding. “Ciara told me the same thing last night.”I raised an eyebrow. “She did?”He smirked. “She said, and I quote, ‘End it. I want to go home for a few weeks before we come back
It didn’t feel real until about a week later. The first few days home were a blur, unpacking, cleaning, catching up on sleep, trying to remember what normal felt like. But now… now the house felt lived in again. Warm. Safe. Ours. Kat, Wolf, and their three kids had left earlier in the week to head back to Jasper. The boys needed to get back to school, and Wolf had club business waiting for him. Kat texted me every day, checking in, sending pictures of the boys, asking how I was feeling.And even though Koda was four years younger, he and Gabe talked every afternoon. FaceTime, voice messages, little videos of whatever Koda was doing. Gabe didn’t mind the age difference, if anything, it made him feel older. Responsible. Ready to be a big brother. He told me that yesterday, actually. “I think talking to Koda helps,” he said. “So I know how to help the baby.”My heart melted. Now, I stood in the hallway with GreenLee, Ciara, Nonna, and Abuela, all of them helping me clean out the room I w
The house felt different the moment we walked in. Not tense. Not on alert. Just… ours again. Sara unpacked slowly, touching things like she was reminding herself they were real. Gabe ran straight to his room, yelling about how he missed his bed. Even the air felt familiar, the quiet hum of the AC, the faint smell of lemon cleaner, the creak in the hallway floorboards. Home.Abuela was settled back at her place with her nurse and guards posted around the property. Matteo and I had checked everything twice before leaving her. She hated the extra security, but she didn’t argue. Not after everything Juan pulled. Wolf, Kat, and their 3 kids were staying the night, but they’d be gone in the morning. The boys needed to get back to school, and Wolf had to check on the club. Prez duties didn’t wait, even for family emergencies.I stood in my office, staring at the map spread across the table, Juan’s network, his routes, his contacts, the mess he’d built here in the States. Matteo leaned agains
The second Salvatore recognized Sara in that picture, the room detonated. Men shouting. Chairs scraping. Ghost cursing as he pulled up maps. Matteo pacing like a caged wolf. And Salvatore? He was gone. Not physically, he was right there, but mentally? He was already tearing through every farm in Mi
The house was buzzing like a kicked beehive. Ricci men filled every corner. pacing, whispering, checking weapons, checking phones. I’d lived through enough of these nights to know when something was truly wrong.And tonight… something was very wrong.Salvatore looked like he was barely holding hims
Ghost’s fingers flew across the keyboard, screens reflecting off his glasses in rapid flashes of blue and white. Every camera feed in the city was up. Every traffic cam. Every toll booth. Every intersection. And none of it was enough. “She’s in a black sedan,” Ghost muttered. “Tinted windows. No pl
The call ended with Juan’s furious breathing still ringing in my ear. “You lose, Juan.” I said it quietly, but the words felt like steel in my mouth. Letta sobbed harder, her cuffed wrists trembling against the metal table. Katrina stood behind her, arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes full of a pain only







