All Chapters of Through Smoke and Steel: A Mafia Romance: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

❦ Rosalind ❦I opened my eyes just in time to see a large form slam Orlov against the wall. My vision was blurry, my pulse wild and uneven.The drawer behind me rattled as Orlov swung back, his fist catching his attacker in the jaw. The sound made my stomach twist.My hands were shaking as I tore through the drawers looking for bullets. Every pull came up empty. Just paper, pens, nothing that could save me.A lamp shattered somewhere behind me. Glass sprayed across the floor, some shards nicking my arm. I quickly grabbed a large piece and I stumbled to my feet.When I turned toward the living room, I froze.It was Viktor.His face was smeared with blood, a deep cut splitting his forehead, but Orlov looked worse. Much worse. Viktor’s fists came down over and over on Orlov's face, wet, heavy sounds echoing through the house. Orlov tried to kick and hit back, but Viktor didn’t budge.Then I saw it.A gun. Just a few feet away from them, lying on the floor.❦ ❄︎ ❦ ❄︎ ❦ ❄︎

❦ Rosalind ❦The sounds coming from my throat were raw, pulled out of me by the way Viktor’s mouth moved down my neck. Every kiss seemed to know exactly where to land, where to ruin me. I tangled my fingers in his hair, tracing down his arms, needing more of the touch… needing him.“Mi rendi così felice,” (You make me so happy), he murmured roughly.Before I could answer, his mouth found mine again. The kiss was deep and greedy with absolutely nothing gentle about it. I could feel his heat everywhere, his hands kneading as if memorizing every curve of my flesh.My pulse thudded in my ears.My breath caught as he lifted me onto the counter. “Viktor…” I whispered. He looked up with dark, half-lidded eyes.That look alone could undo me.When he sank to his knee, my heart stuttered. The motion was reverent and sinful all at once, like worship and damnation. My hands trembled where they rested in his hair.He pulled me toward him, lifted my legs over his shoulders, and buried his face b

❄︎ Viktor ❄︎ Adrian’s text still burned behind my eyes. I set the phone back on the table, flexing my fists until the tightness in my knuckles loosened. Fuck. One quiet morning. One. That’s all I wanted. I’d been enjoying the calm and Rosa’s laughter. Her messy little bites, the sound of her fork against the plate, and now it was gone. Just like that. Duty just had a way of dragging me back. When I looked up, she was watching me with big eyes full of worry. I forced the muscles in my jaw to unclench, stood up, rounded the table, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I have to go handle something,” I said. Her expression fell instantly, and damn if that didn’t make my heart twist. I liked that she didn’t want me to leave. It meant she was feeling this same pull that I felt, the want, the peace that came with having her close. “What happened?” she asked softly, her lips in a pout. I sighed, dragging a hand over my face. “I’ve been keeping tabs on Giancarlo and

❦ Rosalind ❦I sank into the yellow sofa face first, the fabric cool and soft against my cheek. God, I was so tired. Both mentally and physically. That bone-deep kind of tired that crawls into you and settles there. There was no denying it now. I’d been too busy trying not to die, chasing ghosts, and uncovering family secrets — and in all that chaos, I hadn’t even noticed my lack of a period, for weeks. Maybe months.A low groan slipped out of me, muffled into the fabric.And then a dark thought hit me. Viktor hadn’t exactly been careful. He always finished inside me, always held me there after like he was staking a claim. My face warmed, not from embarrassment, but disbelief and irritation.Could that have been his plan all along? Back when we were still squabbling over the hotel? A power play wrapped up in pleasure? The thought made my chest twist.I turned over and stared up at the ceiling, my hand resting flat over my stomach. The space suddenly felt heavy and lonely.I neede

❦ Rosalind ❦“Please,” I said, crossing my arms and leaning one hip against the banister. “Do explain.”She fidgeted, her cheeks flooded with color.Out of the corner of my eye, Viktor’s mouth curved into a smile. His eyes glinted with a wicked, self-satisfied glimmer… oh, he’d absolutely planned this.My heart did that stupid thing where it melted and burned at the same time. Of course he had known. Of course he’d set it up this way. The man probably knew before I even suspected. I bit back a smile and made a mental note to deal with him later… thoroughly.Adrian, of all people, looked like a teenager caught sneaking in past curfew. His hands were in his pockets, his eyes darting between me and the woman at his side. Juliana. My cousin.She took a slow step forward, like I might pounce if she moved too fast.She drew a shaky breath and said, “Rosa, I’m really sorry for keeping it from you. I just… I wanted to be sure before saying anything.”My brows rose higher. I could feel Viktor