***10 YEARS LATER.Gabrielle pulled on a white shirt, watching her reflection in the mirror. Faded scars littered her back, a bullet wound at the side of her hip. A deeper scar from a butcher knife graced her stomach like an eerie reminder of how close she had gotten to death at the hands of her own family. She smiled as she remembered the scream of her eldest uncle as she chopped off his toes and fingers. She had wanted to end him, but he was family and Genovese hadn't given her permission.She grimaced at the memory. Even if she was the Capomandamento, her grandfather was still- what the weaklings that thought knew their family- referred to as Capo dei Capri, the boss of all bosses. A grin tugged on her lips. It was a suitable name when she thought about it. He wielded all control, choosing only to give pieces of the crumbs to those he felt were worthy. He was a snake. He'd lied to her and he was still lying. Gabrielle tugged on her three-piece suit, ruffled her short silver hair

GABRIELLE POVMy captive's gaze snapped up, noticing me for the first time and his rage was indescribable. Luciano should have had him gagged."You stupid bitch! How dare you fucking do this to me... You're digging your early grave. Genovese won't take too kindly to you killing an associate. You better let me go before you regret all this stupid..." he was saying before I backhanded him across the face, his head snapped to the side. He took his time, letting the shock of the hit register before he turned to face me. His gaze was venomous and filled with so much hate that I'd probably be dead if looks could kill. Too bad it couldn't. I wanted to carve out those eyes of his and feed them to my hounds. I stepped closer and gripped his jaw. He tried to shake my hold but I was unyielding. "I didn't plan to kill you at the start Edward, but you've just pissed me off with your trash mouth. A word of advice...learn from this, so you don't make the same mistake in the afterlife OK" I said, p

BLAKE MORENO POV.FIVE MONTHS LATER.I wanted to quit! I badly needed everything to be over already because I didn't think that I'd be able to tolerate a day more of her suffering attitude. Gabrielle was making me into a slave and it was fucking infuriating. I could bet on my life that she didn't know the difference between a personal assistant and a personal maid because she had me doing nearly everything for her... Getting her coffee, and her meals, holding her coat, following her everywhere like a lost puppy, shopping for her clothes, acting as her bodyguard while still doing my darn best to draft up files, accompany her to board meetings, and help point out holes in some of the business deals that her associates proposed, not that she couldn't see them herself. Gabrielle had me going on her behalf to meetings or on ridiculous errands that made absolutely no sense.She also made me study a lot of business books because she felt I wasn't good enough at my job. And when I mastered t

GABRIELLE POV.Breathe deeply... think about death and gore. Imagine yourself as the conqueror. You've won this war already.Grunts registered from a faraway place, my opponent's heavy breathing sounding faint in my ears. It was drowned out by the thumping of his pulse, I imagined the beatings of his heart. Was it steady? With the way he was breathing so loud, I doubt it was. He was afraid, and that would be his undoing.Grandfather's hand tapped against his metal chair, the ring he wore making a clang as it connected. I broke out of my trance, blinking to adjust my gaze, at the same time pushing all the thoughts that plagued my day out of my head.My opponent studied me, his beady eyes raking over my form before a taunting snare touched his lips. I looked around the fighting arena. Everything was just as I remembered. I hated this place.Focusing back on my opponent, I readied myself, while my eyes scanned his physique carefully. He was a bulk of a man but still managed to look grac

***He tasted like passion... a feral beast just waiting to sink its claws into its prey. Gabrielle felt it, savored it in the heat of his mouth, and pressed closer in search of more. She found it hard to stop once she started exploring, learning his flavor as she kissed him harder. She had done it all on an impulse- a crazy jealous-induced impulse. She had seen Angelo and the girl acting so cozy- his hand had been on her hair and just that image alone had poisoned her blood, so much that she'd almost pulled out her revolver and put a bullet in the girl's head. She still contemplated it, but the sensations that flooded her veins drowned the murderous thoughts out. Her finger dug into his skin, the presence of the girl still making her fury bubble in her chest. Why was she still standing there? Should she shoot her after all? It was startling, but Angelo brought out the worst in her. She wanted to stake a claim, let the girl know that she owned him and that only she had the right to