All Chapters of The Wrong Vow: Bred by the Mafia Twins: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I stood before Roman’s heavy oak desk. I held a red-covered file containing the decrypted Baltimore shadow accounts.Roman sat back in his leather chair with his eyes closed. His gray tie hung loose around his neck. The top buttons of his white shirt were undone, revealing the edge of a dark tattoo."You decrypted the Russian accounts." Roman's voice was rough with fatigue."Every single one." I set the red folder on the desk. "The money trail is completely clear.""Show me." He opened his eyes."Viktor has been bleeding your Baltimore route for months." I opened the file. "He used three shell companies to launder the stolen cargo profits."Roman massaged his temples. The warm orange light from the desk lamp cast long shadows across his strong jaw."Moretti's execution last week was supposed to stabilize the territory.""It didn't." I kept my hands perfectly still. "It just emboldened the Russians to move faster while your internal factions are scattered."He reached for a crystal dec

I tucked the dark blue Canadian passport beneath the loose floorboards. I slid the heavy fur rug perfectly back into place. My hands shook so hard my bones rattled.I had a new name. I had a physical escape route out of Chicago.Two weeks remained until the New York Commission meeting. Fourteen days to play the obedient wife before I vanished from the syndicate forever.A deafening siren shattered the dead silence of the estate.I jumped back. Red emergency lights flashed across my bedroom walls. The Blackthorn compound was going into absolute lockdown."Mrs. Falcone!" Dante Ricci’s voice barked from the hallway.He kicked my heavy bedroom door open. A black, military-grade assault rifle was gripped tight in his hands."What is happening, Dante?" I backed away toward the vanity."Stay away from the glass." Dante swept the dark corners of the room with his rifle. "The eastern harbor was just hit by a massive Russian strike force."Rocco’s warning rang in my ears. He had known this bloo

I stood by the reinforced glass window of my master bedroom, staring at the security feed on my tablet.The red strobe lights of the main gates flashed against the afternoon gray. My father’s silver sedan idled aggressively across the entrance lane.Marco, the head of security, was talking to a frantic figure waving its arms. I clenched my jaw until my teeth ground together. They would never see me tremble again.Elena appeared behind me, her reflection pale in the bulletproof glass. "Dante opened the gates on purpose, Mrs. Falcone," Elena said, her breathing shallow. "He let them inside the perimeter to test you."I gripped the edges of the tablet, calculating the underboss's play. My father was financially ruined, and Dante wanted to see if I would protect the Belmont bloodline. If I showed a single ounce of pity, Dante would report me to Roman as a compromised asset."Mr. Falcone is still recovering in his private study," Elena pleaded, twisting her apron. "Please, just stay upstai

The sharp scent of cigar smoke and stale red wine filled the private dining room. I pressed my fingernails into my thighs, forcing my stomach to settle against the metallic smell of the blood-red steak. I scanned the long mahogany table, actively analyzing the visual blind spots of the eleven Capos.Silverware clinked sharply against porcelain plates. Capo Moretti raised his crystal wine glass, his upper lip curling into a sharp sneer as he locked eyes with me. The other Capos set their forks down, waiting to see if I would flinch."It's a real shame about your sister's flight to Paris, Mrs. Falcone," Moretti drawled loudly. "I hear she was downgraded to commercial before the ticket was canceled entirely." Arthur Belmont sat at the far end of the table, heavy sweat dripping from his chin onto his cheapened suit collar."We just need a little more time, Capo Moretti," Arthur stammered, his vocal cords straining. "I can negotiate a payment plan for the twenty million." "You don't negoti

I stood in the center of the dark, cedar-scented study, my muscles locking into place. The heavy, metallic click of the deadbolt locking behind me echoed like a gunshot. My pulse hammered aggressively against my ribs as I prepared for the fallout.Roman slowly turned away from the heavy oak door. He tossed his charcoal suit jacket casually over the arm of the leather sofa. "Do you understand what you did this afternoon, Cora?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft."I saved your men," I stated firmly, locking my knees to keep from trembling. "I saved a five-million-dollar cargo shipment from being hijacked." "You gave a direct tactical order to my head of security in plain sight," Roman countered.He slowly pulled his silk tie loose, his jaw clenched tight. "You did not just bypass my authority, Cora. You compromised it." "Marco didn't see the vulnerability on the patio guard rotation," I argued, crossing my arms."If I hadn't pointed out that blind spot, the Volkov Bratva would have f