All Chapters of Through Smoke and Steel: A Mafia Romance: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

❄︎ Viktor ❄︎My lids cracked open, my field of vision no larger than a horizontal slit.Adrian sat in a hospital chair, angled to look out of the window in just the right way to avoid flying objects. Objects such as bullets.I felt a solid weight crushing my left arm, and without turning I knew it was the dark-haired woman. My wife.She was devoted, I’d give her that. I wondered how we’d met and why she’d agreed to be tied to a troubled man such as myself.I needed answers. Now.Hidden in the shadows, Adrian’s eyes glinted, adding to his dangerous aura.If I hadn’t known he was on my side, I would have dreaded waking up to his sulking form seated across from me.When he leaned forward, hands clasped somberly, he looked almost forty. Worn. Grave.“What year is it?” I croaked, low, so the woman on my arm would not stir.“2025,” Adrian replied, his voice equally low. “What is your birthday?” he returned.I licked my lips, not remembering when I signed up for a bastard test. I was meant t

❄︎ Viktor ❄︎A series of events wrenched me from a dreamless sleep.My fingers twitched around a phantom trigger at the sound of her scream.My eyes snapped open just as a heavy jasmine-scented weight slammed onto me.Then a muffled pop.A door banged open.Another pop.A thud on the ground.The smell of charred fabric hit my nose, and I turned, horrified to see a bullet hole on the pillow right beside my head. Scratch that. Right between our heads.The weight had been Rosa draped over me, shielding me with her body.She lay unmoving, her eyes clenched shut, her body vibrating on mine.“What the fuck was that?” I barked at Adrian, who had burst into the room.The bodyguard named Jacques was still frozen with his gun pointed at the IV stand beside the bed.“Rosa, tesoro,” I called, my heart pounding at the back of my throat. I wrapped both arms around her, ignoring the pain.When she finally opened her eyes with a groan, I released a relieved sigh.“What was that? What did you do?” I h

❄︎ Viktor ❄︎The leather creaked as I leaned back in the chair, my eyes fixed on nothing, a dull pounding in my skull spreading like fire.The office had the sort of scent that clung to walls after too many years of deals and wars conducted inside them. Adrian sat across from me, his shoulders hunched over his laptop, fingers tapping with quick movements. My fingers drifted up, brushing the edge of my bottom lip as a dangerous distraction clawed at me. Rosa. Her warmth from last night was still stamped into my skin, the feel of her soft body molding against mine, the way she’d opened beneath me like she was meant for me. I could almost taste her if I closed my eyes. Christ. Every nerve screamed for me to leave Adrian here, forget the business, and find her.But the migraine pulsed harder, reminding me I couldn’t afford to be careless. Not with a target painted on my back and half the city watching to see if I’d fall.“You’re somewhere else.” Adrian’s voice cut through my haze. He d

❦ Rosalind ❦ I forced the thought away before it could take root, turning back to him just as he tilted a glass of amber liquid down his throat. My gaze lingered on the strength of his fingers wrapped around the crystal. I knew what those fingers were capable of, the memory heating my cheeks until I had to glance away.He turned his head, his eyes catching mine with a look that pinned me in place.And in that moment, the music, the crowd, and even my own worries dissolved.There was only him.Viktor leaned in. “Stai bene, amore? Ti stai divertendo?” His voice rolled through me, and I almost forgot how to breathe.I laughed. “Maybe I’d have more fun if you let go of my hand and actually let me dance.”The corners of his lips curved into a smile that was more of promise than amusement. My heart stuttered. He lifted my hand, never breaking eye contact, and tugged me up from the seat.My gaze stayed locked on his as I took a slow step back, letting my hips sway with the music. I let

❦ Rosalind ❦ I tried the handle but it wouldn’t turn. It was locked.My knuckles pounded against the door, panic seizing me. “Viktor!” My voice echoed in the silence. “Open the door… please!”The lock clicked. Before I could brace myself, the door swung wide and I stumbled straight into his arms. He caught me, his voice low against my ear. “Careful, tesoro. The ground… there’s glass everywhere.”My gaze darted past him. The mirror above the sink was shattered, a jagged hole punched through its middle, glittering shards scattered like ice across the floor. My breath hitched.And then I saw his hand. Blood streaked down his knuckles, dripping steadily.“Viktor!” I gasped and seized his wrist, my eyes flying to his face. “What did you do?”But there was no answer from him. His expression was blank as he stared at the blood with a strange detachment, as if it didn’t belong to him at all.I tugged him, guiding him carefully out of the bathroom, my bare feet avoiding the shards. He fo