Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Cost of Saving Him: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

-Mina- The days dragged by as they pressed me, relentless, demanding answers about why I wouldn’t choose. I hid my anxiety beneath a practiced smile, but deep down, I sensed they already understood that my struggle was entertainment to them. After four weeks of anxious waiting to finalize things at the bar for reopening, I finally went home, and relief and exhaustion washed over me. On the last night, we clung to one another at Frankies with a small, bittersweet dinner, quietly grateful for a rare, peaceful month. Corey arrived, holding a basket in both hands, and set it on the table in front of me. He explained it was from him and Luca’s crew at the bar. I peered into the basket and, recognizing the contents, broke into a smile. “Did you just throw a bunch of liquor in here?” I laughed, picking up a bottle. “Wait, are these?” Before I could finish, Corey interrupted, pride lighting up his face. “Yes, some of the ones Larry used to have, but you couldn’t find. One guy spotted them,

-Mina- “Are you fucking serious, Mina?” I lowered my head as Frankie yelled. Luca pulled me close to him, as if he were protecting me from Frankie. “How the fuck, more like why the fuck didn’t you stop her. You’re the fucking boss, you seriously let Joey make that choice for her?” I stood there listening to them argue. Luca never once raised his voice to Frankie. Luca did say he was going to be pissed. “Frankie,” I finally spoke, trying to get his attention. He slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a big hole. “Fuck. Why would you do that shit?” I started to walk towards him, and Luca grabbed my arm, shaking his head. “Trust me,” I whispered. Frankie stood there, and I watched as he dropped his head in defeat. “The whole point of us keeping shit from you was to keep you safe.” I stopped just a few feet away from him, hesitant to touch him. He turned around, almost knocking me over, “Shit.” Frankie’s breath came hard, his shoulders rising and falling like he was fighting the u

-Mina- Frankie gradually moved away, causing me to moan. I felt a flush of embarrassment spread across my face, so I quickly hid behind my hands. I wasn’t embarrassed about being naked in front of Luca. This was nothing new. But it was different when his brother was inside me, right in front of him. Luca’s laugh was soft, and then I heard his footsteps getting closer. “I’m starting to think you don’t want to make a decision.” He grabbed my wrists, pulling my hands from my face. “You don’t get to hide from it anymore.”I didn’t move. The couch felt too small beneath me, every breath heavy in the air between us. His grip on my wrists was firm, commanding, but it wasn’t pain that made me shiver. It was the way he looked at me, like every inch of me belonged to the choice he was demanding.“I’m not hiding,” I whispered. The words trembled but held. My pulse raced under his fingers. He could feel it, and I knew he liked knowing he could. His stare dragged over me with the same weight as h

-Mina-The room stank of sweat and storm and silence thick enough to choke on. The lamp threw yellow over the sheets, over Luca’s fists flexing like he wanted to hit God. Frankie stood by the dresser, phone glowing in his hand, jaw locked. Tony’s text burned between us: Moretti + Drovarez. Hit at the reopening.I pulled the blanket up, then let it drop. I could still taste both men, and hated that part of me wanted to keep it. Luca watched the floor. Frankie’s stare clung to me like a bruise.“Get dressed,” Luca said, pulling me to my feet and walking me to Frankie’s room. I stood and peeled off his shirt, slowly. If I were going to be their sin, they could see it. Frankie’s eyes dropped, then shut. Luca didn’t blink. I dressed in black underwear, jeans, and a t-shirt, each motion a punishment.“We move now,” Luca said. Frankie pocketed the phone. “Tony and Corey are setting the feeds.”The hallway reeked of gun oil. Frankie’s office glowed with monitors, every inch of my bar alive o

-Mina- I stood there, looking at all the damage, angry because of all the work Corey and all of their guys had put into it. And all this on opening night at that. I could handle bloodbath level, but this. I knew at this moment, I was officially done with the bar. At least I was for now. Frankie grabbed my wrist gently, pulling the gun from my hand, “They are gone now, you can put this up.” I heard the car before I saw it, looking through what once was a wall. The tires squealing against the wet roads broke the weird silence that lingered over the interrupted conversations. The car came to a dramatic stop in front of the bar, and Luca stepped out. He walked straight to the bar, scanning faces. His coat was wet at the hem from the rain. His hair hung in sharp lines on his forehead. For a moment, he stopped and looked at me, and the look in his eyes punched the air out of my lungs. It was worse than the men’s threats. It was a combination of disappointment and betrayal.Don Rinaldi w