Blood & Vows - Bella J(ang

Table of Contents AUTHOR’S NOTE: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 Epilogue OTHER NOVELS BY BELLA J ABOUT THE AUTHOR RESPLENDENT RUIN (Resplendence #1) RESPLENDENT RUSH (Resplendence #2) STILETTO SECRETS

Contents AUTHOR’S NOTE: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 Epilogue OTHER NOVELS BY BELLA J ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BLOOD & VOWS An Unapologetically Twisted Romance Novel By Bella J

BLOOD & VOWS Copyright © 2017 by Bella J All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This novel is a work of fiction. While reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imaginations. Any resemblance to people either living or deceased, business establishments, events or locales is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Edited by Ansley Blackstock Cover Design by Q DESIGN

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Blood & Vows is the second and final book in my Twisted Duet series. I’m sad to let Castello and Tatum go, but I loved every minute I spent with these characters. Telling their story has been the best part of my writing career so far. Please be aware that this novel contains scenes of violence, and sexual situations that may be triggers, and make some readers uncomfortable. For some readers there may be scenes that are just downright disturbing. But you’ve been warned. To all the readers who have fallen in love with the dark and twisted romance between Castello and Tatum, thank you for loving these characters as much I do.

Prologue

CASTELLO

This all started with a well thought out plan for revenge. For months I plotted against the Linscotts, and I vowed to avenge my twin brother and father’s death. I had Tatum Linscott kidnapped, and held her prisoner in a room with nothing but an old bed, and a cold cement floor to piss on. The plan was simple—kidnap the golden girl of the Linscott family, then lure her father straight down to the hell I had specially prepared for both of them. And once I had my fun, extracted every last drop of revenge I craved from them, they would pay the ultimate price with their lives. I wanted to watch them bleed on the tiled floor

of my dining hall, witness the life drain out of their bodies. I wanted to slice the blade of my knife through Tatum’s skin, to see her body weep tears of crimson. But little did I know that her blood would feed the monster inside me. That her innocence marred with desires for the darkness would make me want her in ways that were completely forbidden. She was the daughter of my enemy, and the blood my family demanded flowed through her veins. Yet, I couldn’t stop myself from being captivated by the blue eyes that seemed to plead with me to set her free from the prison society had put her in. Her body called out to me. The scars on her skin seduced me. And ultimately…Tatum Linscott ruined me. TATUM A few weeks ago I was kidnapped by an enemy I didn’t even know I had. I was beaten. I was starved. I was humiliated. My life held no value to my enemy, and death was promised with venomous threats of hate. Every minute that went by was a minute spared. I knew it

was only a matter of time before a knife got driven through my heart. But then something happened, and it changed everything. Somehow the line between captor and prisoner had been crossed, and I found myself in a world I never knew existed. A world where family and loyalty were everything, yet lies and deception were used as weapons against blood. The Fattores built their hate, and their war against me and my family based on lies told by a man that I trusted once. A man I welcomed into my life, and into my bed. In the end it almost cost me my life. While I was held captive I never could have predicted the outcome. What I never expected to find within the walls of lies that surrounded me was freedom. That was why I had to run…because Castello Fattore freed me.

1

TATUM The second he opened that bedroom door telling me that I had a choice, I knew he was wrong. I didn’t have a choice. I never had a choice. I had to run. It was my only option, and that was why I rushed out the door before I could convince myself not to. If my time with Castello taught me anything, it was to always expect the unexpected. And every decision had consequences, good and bad. It was up to me to make sure I made the right ones. I’ve learned not to underestimate him, and to not allow myself to think that I knew him. I was no longer the naïve, weak woman he had kidnapped with the intent to kill. I was stronger, wiser, and hopefully, I was learning how to play this game

between us…a game of cat and mouse. We’ve been living in his uncle Gino’s home since the day we fled from the Fattore mansion, but I hardly ever left the room. I couldn’t. No matter what happened that fateful day, I was still Castello’s prisoner. The matter of my freedom had not yet been discussed. He owned me, and for that reason I obeyed and accepted my place. Even though the bedroom door had never been locked, I chose not to open it, not to set foot out of the room I shared with my captor. Call it cowardly. Call it stupidity. Call it what you want. But I had learned that the only thing to fear was the unknown. Outside that bedroom door lay the unknown, and I was too afraid to open it…until Castello opened it for me. Now, while I ran through the unfamiliar halls with no damn clue where I was going, a part of me wished I was brave enough to have stepped outside those four walls sooner. Then maybe I might have stood a chance to not get caught. But now, deep down, I knew there was no getting away from him. My heart was racing at a million miles an hour, the adrenaline swooshing through my veins like angry waves. The thoughts inside my head were too loud, making it impossible for me to think and focus. The halls were dimly lit by a few antique lamps hanging from the walls. The smell of freshly

polished furniture hung in the air, the oak floors guiding me from one hall to another. If Castello caught me, there was no telling what he would do. He might have given me a choice, to decide whether I wanted to run or not, but I knew him. I could see it in the darkness of his eyes as he stared at me, the way his jaw ticked while he waited for me to decide. Castello wanted me to make my decision based on what would please him. Everything was always about pleasing him. But tonight, I made the decision based on what would please me. Based on what I wanted…and I wanted to run. I needed to feel the adrenaline in my veins as Castello prowled the halls searching for me. Hunting me. It was thrilling to know his determination to find me was fueled by his desire to possess me, to dominate and devour me. Predator versus prey. With a quick turn to the right I stumbled and caught myself against the wall. I had no idea how long I’ve been running through the maze of halls, but my legs started to feel weak, and my stomach clenched tighter with each passing second. But the fast beating of my heart, the anticipation and excitement that rushed through my veins incited me to move faster, further, to see how this all would end. “You can’t hide from me much longer, little mouse.”

The sound of his voice caused me to gasp, and with my hands against the dark walls I started to move, my chest rapidly rising and falling as I struggled to breathe. “Do you really think you can run from me? That I would let you get away?” I heard it in his voice as it echoed through the halls. The threat…the promise. “The longer you make me search for you, the harder your punishment will be, little mouse.” Stumbling around yet another corner I knew that I would never find my way out of this maze of expensive architecture and Italian furnishings. So I opened the first door on my left, ran inside, and closed the door behind me. It was dark, but I didn’t dare switch on the light. Darkness became my friend the moment I realized it no longer held the power to hurt me, but rather the ability to liberate me. There was nothing to fear in the dark. Castello showed me that for people like us, darkness turned into our playground. A place where we could acknowledge our deepest, most sordid desires, and embrace the shadows that cling to our souls. I’ve learned to love the dark. Footsteps came down the hall. It was him. My predator. With a racing heart and heaving chest I searched the room for a place to hide. There were two

couches with a huge desk on the other side of the room. Long, thick curtains draped the big window behind it, and there was a large cabinet to the left, a few feet away from the wall. I rushed across the room, and hid behind the cabinet. I was still trying to catch my breath when I heard the soft, slow creek of the door. “Are you in here, little mouse?” His voice was low, dark, and I could feel how its sound reached for my soul like a demonic whisper, pulling me, willing me to give in. To give up. “If you’re in here, it would be in your best interest to come out willingly.” The door clicked closed, and my heart skipped a beat. He didn’t leave. I knew that. I could still feel him, his presence, the way the atmosphere pulsed whenever we were in the same room together. It felt like there was no air, only us, and the suffocating pressure of the knowledge that he owned me completely, undeniably. “I know you’re in here, little mouse. I can feel you.” The same way I feel you. The sound of his slow footsteps filled the darkness. Knowing he was so close made my pulse race, my insides coiled tight with the most thrilling kind of anticipation. “There is no escaping me. I own you, and the sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be.”

I tried my best to not even breathe. Sweat trickled down my spine, and my heart hammered against my ribs. I was almost certain he would be able to hear it. More footsteps. “Your body is calling out to me, Tatum. I can hear the hum of your desire, the way it flows through your veins. It wants me, my touch.” Desire flared, and I closed my eyes as I sucked in a breath. “Your body needs me. It craves the ecstasy only I can give it. The release.” Dear God. Every word he spoke made my body ache in ways only his touch could soothe. Just his voice, and the promise of bittersweet pleasures hidden behind it, had the power to lure me out, to throw myself freely at the mercy of my predator. My body was already willing me to give up, to give in, to let him do what he did best—possess me. “Are you thinking about it?” More soft yet confident footsteps. “Are you thinking about what I’ll do to you once I find you? How I’ll punish you.” I swallowed hard. “The pain. The pleasure. The absolute fuckedup-ness of it all. It turns you on. It makes you feel alive…doesn’t it?” I heard the soft sound of fabric, and imagined it being his jacket he just took off. With my eyes closed, and my heart racing, I pictured him

unbuttoning his white shirt, exposing his smooth, firm, muscular chest one button at a time. Deep inside something was urging me to walk out, to let him find me, to let Castello do to me as he wished. It was, after all, what I really wanted. To have him bend and break me, to use me for his own pleasure…and mine. The sharp sound of his belt being ripped from around his waist, leather snapping against leather, made me jolt, a soft gasp escaping my lips. “Ah, that’s my girl.” By the sound of his voice, I knew he was smiling. “Tell me if I’m wrong, Tatum. Now that you know what it can be like, you know you won’t be satisfied with anything less ever again. You’re addicted to it. To the power of walking on that thin line between pain and pleasure. It thrills you, doesn’t it, playing in the dark?” Stop! I couldn’t take it anymore. Every word that came out of his mouth was laden with threats of punishment and promises of pleasure. The need kept on growing stronger. My very essence yearned for him, my soul pleaded for him to give relief against the sordid desires that plagued my body. With my eyes closed, I allowed a hand to travel down, over my breast until I reached below my nightdress. A soft whimper escaped me when I touched

myself while imagining Castello holding his belt in his hand, wanting to feel the leather around my throat. I moved my legs further apart, the throbbing, the ache consuming me more and more with each passing second. But a strong hand grabbed my arm and ripped my hand away, the lack of touch causing me to moan. “I told you I’d find you.” I opened my eyes and stared up into the dark irises of the man that had ultimately possessed every aspect of my life. “I had to try,” was all I managed to say. He brought my hand up to his face, smelling the fingers that were playing between my legs mere seconds ago. “You tried, but you failed, little mouse.” He sucked a finger into his mouth before letting it go with a pop. I bit my bottom lip. “You wanted me to fail.” “Of course I did. Did you really think for one second that I would have opened that door for you if I thought there was even half a chance of you actually getting away?” His lips pulled up at the corners, and the scar around his left eye seemed to move, too. “I don’t know half the time what you’re thinking, Castello.” His hand came up to my throat and he squeezed lightly while brushing my skin with his thumb.

“When will you learn that the correct way to address me is sir?” I swallowed hard, desperately trying to calm the hurricane of emotions creating havoc inside me. This man had the power to scare and enthrall me at the same time. Like he could set fire to this burning flame of desire deep within my core while stirring an ice cold current of equal parts fear and doubt inside my head. Castello Fattore was the ultimate mind-fuck. He leaned closer, and my stomach clenched tighter when I smelled his intoxicating scent of amber and peppermint. It was the same scent that lingered in the bedroom we shared, whether he was there or not. “You need to start playing the game correctly, little mouse.” “By calling you sir? Master? Enslaver?” His grip around my throat tightened abruptly, and he pushed my chin up toward his face. I was too busy trying to get air into my lungs to notice that his other hand was no longer pushing my shoulder against the wall. Instead, I felt his fingertips softly trace against my inner thigh, just below the hem of my nightgown. “You know, Tatum, running half naked through a house filled with mobsters was probably not such a good idea,” he mocked with a wicked grin. “Probably not,” I choked out, and his grip

loosened just a little. “But hesitating after you opened that door wouldn’t have been a very good idea either.” “Oh, how fast you’ve learned, little mouse.” He leaned closer even more, brushing his cheek against mine. “And just for that I’m willing to reward you.” His fingers travelled upward, and my breath hitched. His touch was like a toxin and a cure all rolled into one dose of pure ecstasy. No matter how hard I tried, I just wasn’t strong enough to fight the darkness that lurked inside me, and Castello fed that darkness with his own. “You’re shivering, Tatum.” His warm breath softly moved against the skin of my neck. “Why are you shivering? Because you’re scared?” He sucked my earlobe into his mouth. “Or because you’re turned on?” My entire body felt like a raging volcano, ready to erupt at any moment. His voice, his words, and his wicked ways had the power to consume me within seconds. My strength, my will was nothing compared to his seduction. “Castello—” “Shhh. I’d rather find out the answer to that question on my own.” Without warning his hand slipped between my legs, his fingers tearing the thin fabric of my panties. “Castello, what are—”

“Shhh, little mouse. I’d prefer your body do the talking.” And then he slipped a finger easily inside me. There was no way I could stop the soft sound of need that escaped me, proving to both of us that we were equally fucked up. He moaned against my cheek. “You see, little mouse, your body can’t lie to me.” “Stop,” I said against his palm. The word, my voice, held absolutely no conviction. None. I’ve tried so many times to convince myself that this wasn’t who I really was. That the person I’ve become since I met Castello was just a part of me trying to survive in his world. But that was a lie. A big, fat, naïve lie. I was every ounce of twisted as he was. He pulled his finger out, then pushed it back in. My legs started to shake, my hips slowly moving against his palm, and I could feel myself slipping further and further down the pit of darkness that surrounded us both with nothing but sinful desires. “I don’t think you really want me to stop, do you, Tatum?” A second finger entered me, and the only answer I could give him was by biting my lip, and moaning as my body started to demand more. With his hand still around my throat, his thumb tracing all along my lips, Castello was busy doing what he did best…seducing me. “Look at me, little mouse.” I opened my eyes, and stared into his dark irises.

I no longer saw any resemblance between him and Carlo. Nothing. Even though they were identical twins, I saw an entirely different man. My lips parted, and he slowly eased his thumb inside my mouth. “Did you really think I would let you go?” “Did you really think I wanted to run?” His full, inviting lips curled up into a wicked smile. “Oh, how you thrill me.” And then his lips were on mine, hard and heady, his tongue forcefully claiming every corner of my mouth. My body instantly reacted by pushing harder against his, my hips moving, searching, yearning, loving the way his fingers expertly sent me closer and closer to the point where I would no longer be satisfied with less than all of him. The harder he kissed me, the faster his fingers moved inside me. Nothing about him—about us—was soft, and gentle, and calm. Everything was hard—it was rough, turbulent, and aggressively passionate. Exactly the way I wanted it. Castello was right. Now that I knew how it could be, now that I’ve tasted the darkness with him, I would never be satisfied with anything less. Castello knew what I wanted, and how I wanted it…just like I knew what he needed. Hesitantly, yet desperately I placed my hands on his shoulders trying to push him away, wanting to prove to him that I can play. But his body just

pushed harder against mine, like steel pinning me against the wall. He pulled his hand away, the cold air assaulting the need that pooled between my legs, and I moaned as my body mourned the loss of his touch. He started with his pants zipper while never taking his eyes off me. “Don’t fight me.” I lifted my chin in deviance. “Give me one good reason not to fight you.” “Because you don’t want to.” “You have no idea what I want.” “Oh, but I know exactly what you need.” Abruptly he grabbed my waist, pulled me against him and spun us both around, slamming my back against the wooden cabinet. The pain that radiated down my spine wasn’t strong enough to overpower the fervent need that possessed my entire body. Cold, dark, hungry eyes stared down at me, and it only added more fire to the flame that already threatened to burn me to ash from the inside. He traced a single finger down the side of my face. “It is a master’s responsibility to know his slave, to know what she wants…what she needs.” “Is that what I am? Your slave?” “There’s only one way to find out.” With a hard jerk he grabbed my arm and spun me around, pushing my face against the cabinet. Castello pressed his elbow against my back, securing me between him and the hard wood.

When I felt the sturdy leather of his belt being placed around my neck, I gasped with panic while my body continued to climb with sinful anticipation. “Castello, what are you—” Abruptly he tightened the belt around my throat, silencing me. The cold steel buckle pinched the skin of my neck as he tightened it even more, making it almost impossible for me to breathe. He leaned forward, placing his cheek against mine. “You shouldn’t have run from me, little mouse.” Before I could even attempt to reply, he pulled my arms behind my back and shoved me to the side, and toward the desk. Moans escaped me as I struggled and gasped for air, but my body started to quiver as the promise of sinful deeds thickened the space around us. With a violent push, my body slammed against the mahogany desk. With his hands still firmly holding my arms behind my back he forced me down until my cheek was flat against the wood. “Always a sight, you bent over, and completely at my mercy.” “Cas—” “Shut up.” The belt tightened. “Just keep quiet and let your body talk to me.” A hand so soft, yet capable of inflicting so much pain, gently started to stroke up the back of my

thigh, moving the fabric of my nightgown all the way up until it no longer covered me from his view. I felt him slip a finger inside my torn panties, slowly pulling them down all the way until it fell around my feet. “I need to see you, Tatum.” With his foot he forced my feet apart, spreading my legs. “I need to see all of you.” His hand started its way back up my thigh, until his fingers softly stroked against the wet, sensitive flesh on display for him as he kept me bent forward. “Do you know what I see whenever I look at you like this, spread open and so ready for me?” I couldn’t answer. I didn’t want to answer. “I see hell.” His finger dipped and traced through my slit, earning a loud moan from me. “I see hell masked, veiled, hiding behind the promise of finding pleasure in a paradise most men would kill for—which I have killed for.” I closed my eyes thinking about Nicollo, how he almost took from me that which no man had the right to take. Memories of his blood painted across my prison walls bombarded my mind, and it threatened to pull me away from the moment… away from Castello. But then there was a load crack, a searing pain, and a liberating feeling that spread through my soul like morphine, numbing every bad emotion that was

brought on by the memory of almost being raped. “Don’t you dare leave me, Tatum.” He slapped my ass again, the sound echoing around us as I relished the pain that felt so goddamn good. “There is no space inside your body, inside your mind for anything but me.” He let go of my arms. “Grab hold of the edge in front of you.” Slowly I eased my arms forward, my shoulders aching as I reached for the edge of the desk. Castello tightened the belt around my neck and forced my head up as he leaned over my body, his lips touching my ear. “If you let go, I won’t let you come. Do you understand?” Good God, no. He pulled the belt back some more, and I almost gagged from the pressure around my throat. “I asked, do you understand?” “Yes…sir.” My voice was nothing but a desperate whisper. One hard jab, and he was inside me. If it wasn’t for the belt around my throat I would have screamed out. Not being able to make a sound forced me to endure the pleasure in silence which only intensified everything I was feeling. He plunged deeper into me, harder, causing both pain and pleasure to spread up my spine, ricocheting right back down to crash between my legs in an explosion of wickedly decadent

sensations. “You feel that, little mouse? That inferno blazing through your soul? The fire burning inside your core? Do you feel my possession straight to your bones?” Another hard thrust while his palm came down mercilessly on my thigh. I bit right into my bottom lip, tasting my own blood. He pulled my head up more, bringing it closer to his face. “That’s me staking my claim over your body, your mind, and your fucking soul.” I kept my eyes closed as he continued to move in and out of me with hard thrusts, pushing as deep as my body would take him. “That means you belong to me, little mouse. As a woman, as a lover, as a pet…as a goddamn slave. You. Belong. To. Me.” The belt tightened, and my lungs grew desperate as my body ached for release. I wanted to scream. I wanted to beg. I wanted to plead with him to give me what I needed. I tried to move my hips as a desperate attempt to find the pleasure that would satiate the hunger that possessed every inch of me. He let out a satisfying laugh. “You see, Tatum? Your body talks to me, and right now, it’s fucking begging me to let you come.” His arm rounded my waist, his hand cupping me between my legs before his finger started to play with the one spot guaranteed to push me over the

edge. Without a breath, I allowed the sensation to carry me to a place where my darkest desires no longer had to hide. A place where I was free to embrace the guilty pleasures of my depraved being. My legs quivered, my body demanded, and I succumbed to the darkness which this man so easily evoked inside me. He leaned his head closer, and I felt the warm skin of his cheek against mine. “Everything you’re feeling right now, with me buried balls deep inside you means that you belong to me. Never, ever doubt that.” I tried to spread my legs even wider, wanting more, wanting him deeper. My need for air wasn’t nearly as strong as my need for ecstasy. With one hand clutching the belt, the other grabbing my hip, his fingers digging into my flesh, Castello stood up straight and gave me exactly what he knew my body needed…and wanted. My mind still tried to stray from the truth. It still tried to convince me that all this wasn’t me, it wasn’t how it was supposed to be. But Castello was right. My body couldn’t lie to him. It was proven in the way I erupted. How my core exploded with such intense pleasure that every bone in my body started to quiver. My legs trembled, and I clawed my nails deeper into the wood of the desk. The second Castello let go of the belt, I cried out

while he kept his hard, fast rhythm, moving in and out of me. “Say it. Say what you are.” I was in a haze of sensual decadence, my body completely and utterly satisfied, and I was unable to get past it. “Say it. God damn you, woman!” His palm came down on my skin, and the pain pulled me out of the sex-induced fog I was in. “Your slave,” I cried out. “I’m…your slave.” Castello roared like a demon possessed creature as he gave one final deep jab inside me, letting his pleasure fill me to the brim. Every time he came inside me it felt like he was drawing us closer, showing me that somehow, some way we belonged together. It just felt right. I all but collapsed against the wooden desk, my body completely spent. By the strong weight that suddenly lay heavily against my back, I knew that Castello experienced the same. This was us, Castello and me. There was no way either of us could explain it to anyone. No one, not even us understood what was happening. But whatever it was…it was dark, it was wicked, and it was intense. I opened my eyes and stared out the window into the darkness of night. How long had we been here? A few days? A week? I wasn’t sure since I lost my grip on time. Ever since the day I witnessed by

father being murdered, how Castello killed his own mother to protect me, I’ve lived in this haze where reality was no longer something I wanted to keep a grip on. I wanted to forget. I wanted to wipe every memory of that day from my mind, and create my own reality where it was just me and the man whose touch set me free from the cruelty I’ve endured and witnessed. Some people might not understand how I was capable of sharing my body, soul, and mind with this man as if nothing had happened. As if I didn’t lose my father because of the Fattore family—the same family of the man I allowed to touch me, to kiss me, to fuck me…to hurt me. But without him, without the escape of being completely possessed by Castello and the depraved desires that simmered between us, I would have nothing but the memories, the grief, and the emotional torture of everything I’ve been through. My body, my desires, my need for an escape had become the scars…and Castello the knife.

2

CASTELLO I regretted nothing. Life was just too fucking short to regret the decisions you’ve made in the past. And now, while I had my cock buried deep inside the woman that had ultimately changed my life forever, I knew that for as long as I had her, I would never regret a damn thing. I would never regret saving her. I would never regret killing my own flesh and blood in order to keep her. And I would never regret the day I had her kidnapped. Did that make me a soulless bastard? Yes. Did I care?

No. All I cared about was this addiction that took root inside me the first time I fucked Tatum Linscott. It was an addiction stronger than I ever could have imagined. A compulsion that was too strong to fight, too powerful to control. This woman had become my drug, and there was no way in hell I would ever give her up. And by the way her body responded to me every goddamn time told me she felt the same, that she needed my darkness the same way I craved her innocence. I’ve corrupted her. I know that. If it weren’t for me Tatum probably never would acknowledged the part in her that yearned for the sinful pleasures that belonged in the dark. But truth be told, I fucking loved the fact that it was me who lured her to the shadows. I felt her body rise and fall beneath me as she tried to catch her breath. “Say it.” I needed to hear it again. I needed to hear it every goddamn day. “You own me, Castello.” I smiled, appreciating the fact that she had gotten to know me so well. “Non dimenticarlo mai.” Never forget it. “Mai.” I sat up slightly, and with a gentle touch I swept her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Bellissimo.” The way her body trembled beneath my touch thrilled me to the deepest parts of my being.

Knowing that I yielded that kind of power over her perfect body was downright euphoric. I’ve never wanted to possess another human being as much as her. I wanted to hide her from the world, share her with no one. There was this uncontrollable urge that had me wanting nothing more than to own her like she was a priceless possession whose sole purpose was to please me. But I’d be an idiot if I believed that. This woman had become so much more than that to me. Truth was, it felt like she was starting to own me. “Come on.” I placed a soft kiss on her shoulder and removed the belt from around her neck. “I’d rather not kill anyone today.” She stood up. “What?” I wrapped my arm around her waist, swirled her around and pulled her closer. “I’d have to kill anyone who set eyes on you looking like this.” And that was God’s honest truth. If any man had to see her in the tiny little number she called a nightgown, with her hair all disheveled and that sexed-up look on her face, I’d have no choice but to pop his goddamn eyeballs out of his skull. Gently I ran my finger over the red marks around her neck, staring at it. “Why do I like hurting you so much?” “For the same reason I like being hurt by you so much.” My gaze shot up to hers, and her blue eyes

searched my face. “Someone once told me to not complicate the answers to simple questions.” I couldn’t help but smile. “He must be a smart man.” “Smart, and stubborn.” I crouched down and picked up the torn panties, sticking them in my pants pocket. “Wouldn’t want to leave any evidence behind.” She let out a soft laugh, and the sound penetrated the stone cold heart I carried around inside my chest. I had no idea what was happening to me, to us...but by God, I knew that whatever it was, it was something I never wanted to lose. For the first time in my life I was starting to feel like I was living, and not just existing. All because of her, because of the way she was changing me. The best part, she wasn’t even aware she was doing it. It was just fucking happening. In silence we walked out of my uncle’s study. This was the first time Tatum had left the room ever since we arrived here. She refused to come out of the bedroom, giving me all kinds of excuses. But I knew the real reason. She feared the unknown, and refused to face reality. And the reality of the situation was that her father had died. My mother had died. And there was a full-on war raging between me and my younger brother. All this would be a lot for one person to handle, especially since she had been protected from it all

her entire life. She knew nothing of a world where loyalty was worth dying for, yet a life held no value. Finding out that your father hired an assassin to kill the man you thought you loved, a man who also turned out to be a blackmailing gold-digger, had to be a bitter pill to swallow. Maybe that was the reason for me feeling so protective over her. It was her innocence that pulled me toward her—the fact that she was so pure, yet had a hankering toward the darkness. Fuck, I don’t know. I closed the door behind me, turned around, and saw Uncle Gino smiling at both me and Tatum. “Uncle Gino.” “I see you finally decided to take Tatum on a tour of the house.” He glanced down at her naked legs. “In her nightgown, no less.” I cleared my throat uncomfortably. “Yes. It was a spur of the moment decision.” He gave me a knowing look. “I’m sure it was. Anyway, do you have a moment? There are a few matters I’d like to discuss with you.” By the look on his face I knew it wasn’t something he’d like to discuss in front of Tatum. “Sure.” I let go of Tatum’s hand, thinking she would get her own way back to the bedroom. But then there was the familiar hammering of doubt at the back of my skull. What if she decided to leave?

What if she decided to walk out the front door and leave me behind? What if... Fuck that. I grabbed her hand again. “Just give me a few minutes to escort Tatum back to our room.” “It’s fine, Castello. I can manage finding my own way back.” She smiled, but it did nothing to silence the voices of doubt swirling around inside my brain, threatening to drive me mad. “No. I’ll take you.” We started down the hall, and it was like I could hear the wheels turning in Tatum’s head while she walked beside me. And the fact that she was staring a hole through my forehead didn’t help. “Why are you staring at me?” “Are you afraid that I’ll try to leave?” “No. I’m afraid you’ll get lost in this huge goddamn house.” “So you’re confident that I won’t leave the first chance I get?” I pulled my hand through my hair, taking a deep breath. Just thinking about her leaving made my blood boil. It was impossible for me to even ponder the thought of her no longer waiting for me in the bedroom without standing on the brink of losing myself to anger. “Answer me, Castello.” I lost it.

With a jerk of her hand I swirled her around and pushed her against the wall, bringing my face inches from hers. “I see we still have to work on your capacity to keep your mouth shut when the situation demands it.” “Is this a situation that demands my silence?” “Any situation that angers me is a situation that demands your silence.” She lifted her chin. “A confident man shouldn’t get angered so easily.” I grabbed her upper arms, pulling her closer. “And a woman in your position should learn to know her place.” “What position am I in, Castello? Where exactly is my place?” “Where I fucking say it is!” My voice boomed down the hall, my anger echoing in every word. The way Tatum stared at me with bewilderment I knew I had scared her. But I didn’t care. Maybe it was a good thing, Tatum being scared of me. Maybe if she feared me, she wouldn’t dare walk away from me. I let go of her arms, and her shoulders slumped forward while she took a few steady breaths. Jesus. She was scared of me. With a deep breath, I held out my hand to her. “Come on.” But she didn’t take my hand. She straightened and looked me in the eye with a cold,

hardened expression on her beautiful face. “Am I still your prisoner, Castello?” Goddammit. I wasn’t ready for her to ask that question. I knew the words swirled around inside her mind ever since we got here, burning the tip of her tongue. But somehow I’ve managed to avoid this conversation…until now. The truth was, I didn’t know the answer to her question. Deep down I wasn’t sure whether she was still my prisoner or not. All I knew was that there was no way in hell I’d ever let her go…in other words, my answer depended on whether she would leave or not if given the choice. I gave a step back, never taking my eyes off her. “Only you hold the answer to that question, little mouse.” “What does that even mean?” I reached out and placed my palm against her cheek. “I’m never letting you go, Tatum. So it’s up to you whether you’re my prisoner or not.” I didn’t wait for her to respond. I grabbed her elbow and started down the hall, a heavy silence hanging over us like a threatening storm. It was suffocating, almost impossible to breathe amidst all the confusion and conflicting emotions that raged all around us. She expected me to give her an honest answer, she wanted me to tell her the truth about what was really happening between us. But I couldn’t. Honesty wasn’t something I could give

her right now since I wasn’t even sure what the fuck was happening between us. She didn’t say anything. Like an obedient pet, a silent prisoner, she let me lead her to the bedroom we had shared up until now. The bastard in me loved it, the way she so easily slipped into that role. But the man in me hated it. Hated seeing her lowering herself to nothing but a…slave. I opened the door, and gestured for her to walk in. She didn’t look at me as she made her way into the bedroom, which was probably a good thing since I wasn’t sure how I would handle the disappointment that was probably plastered all over her face. “I’ll be back soon.” She didn’t reply, so I closed the door, and stared at the mahogany wood for a few seconds before I decided to do something I had never done before. I turned the key…and locked the door.

3

CASTELLO On my way to the study I kept my hand in my pocket, rubbing the bedroom key between my fingers. Fucking thing felt like it weighed a ton. It was probably a stupid thing to do, locking the bedroom door. But deep down the selfish bastard in me loved knowing she was safely locked in and there was absolutely no risk of her not being in there when I got back. I’m pretty sure there’s a special place in hell for fuckers like me. Ever since we arrived here that bedroom door had never been locked. It wasn’t like it never occurred to me to lock her in. I was just trying to smother and suffocate that part of me, the part that

wanted all control over her. Deep down I knew that if I wanted to keep her, if I wanted to make sure that she didn’t want to leave, I had to start acting like a man, and less like a selfish prick. Every goddamn morning I would wake up and stare at her, thinking that I had to try harder. I had to make her want to stay. But after what just happened—me losing my shit—it was fucking with my head, knowing she could leave at any moment if that door wasn’t locked and bolted shut. It was a mistake, the game we played. The game where I wanted her to run from me so I could hunt her little ass, and show her who she truly belonged to. And God knew, while she ran from me I loved it, yet I hated it, too. The animal in me relished the chase, yet the bastard in me hated the fact that she even thought it possible for her to run from me. Did she not know there was no way in hell she would ever be free of me? I’m the demon that had his claws tightly wrapped around her. The devil that would bind her in hell for all eternity if it meant I never had to see her run from me again. Good God, I was going insane. The second I walked into the study and saw Uncle Gino’s face, I knew exactly why he wanted to see me. “What did my little brother do now?” He sat down on the couch and took a sip of his drink. “It has come to my attention that Vico has

approached our supplier in Mexico.” “Approached him for what?” I walked over the table and poured myself one. “Weapons. Vico has been using this situation to his advantage. He’s spreading the word that you have betrayed the family and you are no longer seen as a Fattore.” I closed my eyes after placing the decanter down. “That son of a bitch.” “It was only a matter of time before Vico did something like this.” I walked over to the window. “Yes, well, it’s only been a short while. My mother’s corpse isn’t even cold yet.” An image of my mother’s dead body flashed through my mind. Her blood pooled around her while I held the gun, my finger still on the trigger. Everything happened so fast, and the only thing I remembered was relief. Bone numbing relief that I had stopped my mother in time to save Tatum. What kind of man, what kind of son, thinks that way, feels that way after shooting and killing his own mother? Again…special place in hell. “I’m afraid the time has come for you to make a decision, Castello.” I glowered over my shoulder at him before turning my gaze back out the window. “A decision about what?”

He got up from his seat. “About where you fit in with all of this.” “You know I’ve never quite fit into anything when it comes to this family.” “You’re different, Castello. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be the leader of this family. In fact, you being different might be exactly what this family needs.” I snorted. “I tried doing that, remember? And look how that all turned out.” Uncle Gino stepped in next to me, also gazing out the window. “The lives that were lost is tragic, but maybe something good can come out of all of this.” “Good? Like what?” He turned to face me. “Like you claiming your rightful place as leader of this family without others’ motives interfering with your leadership.” I could see it in his eyes as he stared at me. The expectation, the hope that I might rise up to the occasion and take my place on the so-called Fattore throne. The truth was, I never felt the need to lead. It was probably because my dead twin brother was always the one that got groomed and trained to be the Boss once my father stepped down. Me being the heir never crossed my mind once. But that was life—it hardly ever turned out the way you thought or hoped it would. Now I found myself at a crossroad, and Uncle Gino was right. I needed to

make a decision. I had to man up and protect what was rightfully mine. I glanced back out the window. “Vico will never accept me as leader of this family. It seems like he has already claimed that place.” “It is not his to claim.” “He seems to think so.” I took two large gulps of bourbon. Talking about my little brother wasn’t something I could do without losing my temper. Uncle Gino turned around and leisurely walked to the table. “Vico is too ambitious for his own good. His hunger for power clouds his judgment, and he’s too blind to see that he is not capable of running this family.” “You try telling him that.” “Your little brother is young and stupid. I’m afraid his stupidity will guide him, and he won’t stop until he’s proven to everyone that he is the rightful Boss of the Fattore family.” “And to do that he needs to kill me.” I swallowed the last bit of my drink and joined Uncle Gino by the table. “Not necessarily.” He poured himself another drink. “You killed your mother, Vico’s mother, in order to save the person that, in his eyes, was the reason he lost a brother and a father. To him, and a lot of other members of this family, Tatum is to blame for everything.” I slammed my empty glass down on the table.

“Lies! Those are all fucking lies, and I proved it.” “Yes. You proved it the same day you spilled your mother’s blood. Now tell me, Castello, how would you feel, how would you react if you were on the other side of this situation?” “Were you not the one who told me that my mother was a liar? That she was manipulating all of us?” “Yes. And the day you opened your eyes to your mother’s lies was one of the happiest days of my life.” “Then why does it sound like you’re accusing me?” He stepped closer, and I had to ball my fists in an attempt to control my anger, my confusion as to what the hell Uncle Gino was trying to say. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Castello. I know you acted on impulse and did what you thought was right. I don’t think killing your mother was something you did intentionally. But Vico does, and I’m trying to let you see why his sole purpose now would be to destroy you.” I poured myself another drink and tossed the alcohol down my throat in one huge gulp. “If Vico thinks he has it in him to destroy me, he’s an even bigger idiot than I thought.” “Do not underestimate your brother, Castello. He has already played one card by having the balls to approach a supplier this family has been working

with for the last twenty years.” “He won’t succeed in his endeavor by trying to discredit me, Uncle.” He grabbed my shoulders and I could see the resolve, the determination in his eyes as he stared at me. “Then you need to take what is rightfully yours. You need to make every member of this family see, including your little brother, that you are the rightful leader. Not Vico. Now think, boy, think about what you would have done if you were in Vico’s shoes. If you were the one who saw his own brother murder their mother, saving the woman he hated the most.” It took me all but two seconds to realize that I would probably have felt exactly the same way Vico did. If it was me, I would have demanded revenge. I would have done everything in my power to destroy those I felt was guilty…like I did when I still blamed Tatum for the loss of my twin brother. The answer was simple. “I would destroy those responsible.” “How?” “By letting him feel pain worse than death. I would take from him that which he hold dearest.” Uncle Gino let go of my arms and stepped back. “And what do you hold dearest, Castello?” Jesus. Deep down I knew this all along. Deep down I knew that Vico would want Tatum

dead. But somehow I convinced myself that he would want to bury my corpse much more than hers. And I had silently hoped that Vico would be happy just by having half of the Fattore family under his command, following him. But now…now that I finally saw this entire situation through Vico’s eyes, there was no doubt in my mind that Tatum would be his target. “I won’t let him touch her.” “You did once.” I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him. “That was different.” “Was it?” “Yes.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “And how was it any different then than it is now?” Anger started to simmer inside my gut, my vision slowly starting to turn into shades of red. The memory of Vico beating Tatum, bound by chains and hanging naked from the ceiling, infested my mind. It was all my doing. I started it. I was the one that hung her by those chains in the first place. And by God, I loved the sight. I loved how vulnerable she looked. How she stared at me with pleading eyes, knowing all too well that she was completely and utterly at my mercy. Right then I already knew that fucking Tatum was inevitable. I knew that my rage, and my hunger for revenge wasn’t nearly as

strong as my desire to unleash the sexual dominance she so desperately craved. It was written all over her face, the evidence engraved with white scars on her body. She yearned for something more, something that stemmed from darkness, yet shamelessly bloomed in her soul. I knew while I stared at her body being ripped apart by Vico’s belt that I would be the man that gave her the darkness she desired. And as I counted every lash, endured every scream that came out of her mouth, I knew that I would never allow another man to lay a single hand on her body ever again. She was mine. And she became mine the second she got carried through my front door and placed behind the prison walls I had specially made for her. I gulped down the last of my drink. “Do you want to know what’s different, Uncle?” I poured myself another glass. “I’m different. I’m a different bastard now than I was that day.” “And why is that, Castello?” I snorted as I turned around to face him again. “Back then I was the bastard who had a woman kidnapped, beaten, and humiliated for his own selfish needs. And now…now I’m the bastard who has that same woman locked in his bedroom, but for some entirely different selfish reasons.” “You need to stop.” I snorted. “Stop what? I already started this war

between me and my little brother by choosing her above my own family. There’s no stopping it now.” “Then you better man up and get that goddamn confused look off your face.” I scowled. “Confused?” He threw his empty glass across the room, pieces of glass shattering against the wall. “You walk around looking like a man that doesn’t know where he belongs. Like a man that doesn’t know what the fuck is going on in here.” He slammed his fist against his own chest. “You need to decide what the hell it is you want, and then you take it, and you make sure that no one, and I mean no one, ever takes it from you.” I bit down on my bottom lip. He was right. I was confused. Every time I looked into those beautiful sapphire blue eyes I was confused as fuck. I didn’t understand how one woman could change so much, make me feel so many different feelings all at once. One moment I felt like I needed her more than I needed air. The next moment I looked at her and I couldn’t stop thinking that everything that happened, Carlos death, me killing both Nicollo and my mother, this war that simmered between me and Vico, it was all because of her. I killed my own flesh and blood because of her. My family was now divided, because of her. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from wanting this woman more than I wanted anything in this entire

goddamn, motherfucking world. How the fuck was that possible? Blaming someone just as much as needing that same person? I squared my shoulders and looked at Uncle Gino, hoping like hell he didn’t see all the conflicting emotions running rampant inside me. “I’m trying to figure all this out.” Uncle Gino stepped up, his dark stare pinned on me. If I wasn’t such a confident asshole I would have felt intimidated by the stone cold look he had on his face. “That woman you currently have locked up in your bedroom in my house will either be your saving grace or your downfall, Castello. I pray it’s not the latter. But if you keep on treating her like your prisoner I can guarantee she will destroy you.” I snorted, and shook my head before looking him square in the eye. “It’s too late for that, Uncle. She already has.”

4

TATUM The second I heard him lock the bedroom door, I knew I had acted foolishly. I pushed him. I provoked him by asking the question I knew he wasn’t ready to answer. But I was getting restless, confusion taking its toll on my mind, my sanity. Ever since we got here I had no desire to leave the room. I had no desire to face reality, but rather to stay here between these four walls and live inside the world Castello and I had created for ourselves. Our world felt safer. I felt stronger. And I liked it. On the inside of our world nothing else mattered. Death, money, lies, deceit, sadness…nothing mattered but us and this weirdly twisted bond we

seemed to share. I didn’t want to step out of this bubble we were in only to face a reality I wasn’t sure I would be strong enough to survive. I had convinced myself I was still his prisoner, and I preferred it that way. I preferred to live in our world, rather than live in mine…or his. In the world the Fattores lived in they did not care for any rules but their own. Loyalty was everything, yet a life held no value. I realized that the day I watched my father die…the day I saw Castello hold the gun that killed his mother. All the chaos and uncertainty that surrounded me while living in the midst of a world I knew nothing about, I felt safer right here in this room, protected against the unknown. But it seemed different now, after the game we played. The second Castello told me to run earlier, I experienced a tiny fragment of freedom I had been denied for weeks, and it made me realize I could no longer live like a prisoner. I needed space. I needed air. I needed to feel alive outside the bedroom Castello and I shared. I wanted to be more than just the person he fucked in order to give his demons what they craved. And during those brief moments of freedom, I hoped Castello felt the same. That he, too, wanted and needed us to be more than just players in the dark. More than just two people who depended on each other to satiate and tame the

warped desires that stemmed from the darkest parts of our souls. But I was wrong, so very wrong. To him I was nothing more than a possession, something he owned. I was a pet, a slave. I was whatever the fuck he wanted me to be, nothing more. The sound of the door locking was proof of that. I flopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. At least this prison room was prettier, and much bigger than the first one I had. And there was a bathroom. And a great view. And Castello shared it with me. Goddammit! Why did it feel like everything changed…yet it hadn’t? Castello killed his own cousin to keep me from being raped. He killed his own mother, betrayed his family, to save me. This was just another example of how impossible it was to know what he was thinking, to know what he was feeling. Castello was an enigma, a puzzle from which the pieces only created more questions. A mystery unsolvable among a thousand riddles. Whenever I was alone, I didn’t feel strong enough for him. Yet when we were together like we were earlier, I felt like we were two pieces of a force so powerful it could destroy us both. I gently touched the skin around my neck, feeling the burn Castello’s belt had left behind. My body ached, and my mind was a minefield of

questions and confusion. Yet I had never felt more satisfied. As little as I could see inside Castello’s mind, he somehow managed to see everything in mine. He knew what I wanted, what I needed. He knew my body like it was a sculpture he had shaped and formed…as if he were god over my soul. He became the dictator, and I was merely the slave who obeyed his every command. But the ultimate question that confused me more than any other—why, after his family killed my father, after everything he had put me through, did I not hate him? How could I look at him, the man that starved me, had me beaten and humiliated, and still desire him more than anything else? I closed my eyes and tried my best to focus on the pain that lingered throughout my body. It was the only way to stop the memories from storming back into my mind. Vico’s belt. Nicollo’s vile breath while he spewed threatening promises of how he would violate my body. Castello’s mother’s eyes as she stared at me with so much hate I could feel it inside my bones. And then seeing my dad bleed, witnessing the last breath escaping his body. It was tiny pieces of hell I relived over and over inside my mind. I tried my best not to think of it. But then again, thinking of Castello wasn’t helping either. All it did was

confuse me more, making my mind spin out of control. He locked the fucking door, and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it didn’t bother me…it did. This all started with me as his prisoner. Would it ultimately end with me at his feet as his slave? Along with the satiated ache between my legs and the burn on my skin, I could feel the darkness trying to claw me in. Confusion, grief, heartache, angst—it all churned deep inside me, simmering, boiling, threatening to erupt. Unless…unless I found a way to let it all out. Pain. Pain had always been my cure. It purged me from things I wasn’t strong enough to deal with. It had been a part of me for so long. It calmed me, soothed me, and kept me in control. I got up from the bed and glanced at the door, thinking of the lock, and the key Castello walked around with, probably in his jacket pocket. The more I thought about it, the more memories started to flood through my mind. The sound of gunshots. The screams. The blood. Death. Pain. I shook my head, biting back tears. I knew I

needed to mourn the loss of my father. I knew I needed to work through what had happened to me during the last few weeks. I knew that no woman who had been through what I have would still be sane. I needed to give myself time to heal. I’ve been to enough psychologists to have known all these things. But unfortunately, I didn’t have that time. I didn’t have the luxury of mourning, or dealing with the pile of shit I had been through. No. Not in this world. Not in his world. And that was where I was. His world. My world no longer existed, and by the sound of the door locking, no longer did ours. I looked down and stared at the scars that formed white lines across my thighs. Two of those scars were still red. It was fresher than the rest, the two marks Castello made when I was held captive at the Fattore mansion. I remember the ecstasy I felt when he sliced the blade across my skin, pushing me over the edge. To finally embrace the dark desires that lurked inside me for so long by letting him have all control over me was liberating, and the pleasure was indescribable. Now, as I stood alone in a locked room with memories I wish I could forget, I knew I needed to experience that again. The relief of letting go. But it had been too long since I’ve bled by Castello’s hand, which was why I needed to do it myself. With one final glance at the door I started to

search the room. I went through every cupboard and every drawer, but found nothing sharp enough to help me get rid of the whirlpool of emotions that was wreaking havoc inside my mind. When I searched through the bathroom cabinet I finally found what I was looking for—my cure. I took the small white-framed hand mirror and stared at my reflection for a few moments. My eyes were teary, blue circles framing them from lack of sleep. How could I sleep when demons of the past surrounded me the second I closed my eyes? Just by the shape of my cheeks I could see I had lost weight. You were starved for fuck knows how long. Unable to stare at myself for one second longer, I dropped the mirror to the ground and watched as it shattered in to pieces. I could already feel the blackness of anticipation as it moved up my body, coating me, slowly squeezing the unwanted emotions out of me. I bent down on my knees, picked up the sharpest piece, and stared at a part of my thigh that was unblemished, unscarred—the perfect canvas. While I kept the broken piece of glass in my hand something inside tried to pull me away from the temptation, willing me to fight the urge slowly creeping up my spine. It had been years since I last marred my own body. Years since I allowed myself to give in, to let my corrupt soul take control of my

actions. But today, right now, I had a choice—my only choice. Either give in and allow myself this one escape that would give me the strength to get through whatever my future held in store, or let my emotions weaken my chances at survival. And God knew, I needed every ounce of strength if I wanted to survive Castello Fattore. I placed the sharp edge of the broken piece against my thigh, closed my eyes, and allowed the one memory I hated the most to enter my mind. All I saw were pools of crimson, blood and life draining out of my father’s body while Vico smiled like the devil. The pain that shocked through me like a thousand volts right at that moment, just like it did on that fateful day, caused me to flick my wrist and slice through my skin. The burning relief instantly consumed me, and I felt my soul relax. I’ve never used drugs before, but I was pretty sure this was how it felt. All the heaviness of the cruelty I carried lifted off my shoulders, and my mind was nothing but holes of emptiness. For a few brief seconds my soul was light, unscarred, and all the bad had escaped through the cut, softly tricking down my thigh. It was only when I heard Castello’s voice roar through the room that everything came back like a giant boulder of chaos. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Castello grabbed my arm, pulled me up, and

dragged me out of the bathroom. He shoved me onto the bed like I was nothing more than a pathetic ragdoll. “What in the name of ever loving fuck were you thinking?” When my eyes met his, I knew I had never seen him angry before. But this, the way he stared at me, irises swirling with rage, this was Castello Fattore angry. I tried to right myself on the bed. “Cas—” “Why?” I looked up at him, and I knew there was no way I would be able to bullshit my way out of the truth. Not with him. I glanced down at the fresh wound. “I needed it.” “Why?” I snorted. “Are you serious? Do you really not know why I needed to do this? In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been through hell and back the last few weeks, so I think I’m entitled to act a little crazy.” He stepped closer, his eyes narrowed. “So you did this, for what?” I sat up straight and looked him square in the eye. “Release.” The malevolent smile I’ve come to know so well spread along his face. “Release?” “Yes. Do you not think I deserve some form of release after what I’ve been through—what I’m

still going through?” Abruptly he grabbed my thigh, his thumb pressing right over the wound, making me flinch. “I give you release. My hands, my mouth, my cock… my blade gives you release. So next time you feel like acting a little crazy, you come to me.” “You locked me in. You weren’t here when I fucking needed you. You’re the one who woke all this shit up inside me, Castello. You’re the one who made me feel okay about the fucked up mess inside my head. And what do you do? You lock the fucking door as if I’m an animal you need to keep caged. You. Weren’t. Here.” He leaned down closer, dark irises wild and burning with fury, lips pulled in a straight line. “Then you go on your fucking knees and wait for me like the good little pet we both know you are.” He gripped my thigh harder, smearing the blood over my skin. “But this will never happen by your hand again. You will never dishonor me in this manner again.” I balked. “Dishonor you? How is cutting myself dishonoring you?” He let go of my thigh and grabbed my face, his fingers gripping my chin painfully. “You are mine. You belong to me. And by cutting yourself you are waving one giant ‘fuck you’ in my face.” He let go of my face with a jerk. “What’s the difference between whether you do

it, or I do it?” “What’s the difference? Are you serious? The difference is, when I do it, you bleed for me, not for yourself. Me.” He grabbed me by my hair, pulling me up and dragging me across the room. “Castello, stop. You’re hurting me.” He turned me around, grabbed my waist and pulled me back against him. “Look!” I tried to grab his hand still fisted in my hair. “You’re hurting me!” “I said, fucking look!” My scalp felt like it was on fire, my heart beating a thousand beats a second. “Look!” I opened my eyes and stared in front of me at both our reflections in the mirror. “That woman you see, she’s mine. That body, it’s mine. Everything is fucking mine, and when you go do shit like that”—he glanced down at my thigh —“you’re fucking with what’s mine.” He tightened his grip in my hair, and I flinched and gasped. “Do not fuck with what’s mine, Tatum. You think you’ve seen the worst of me, but you couldn’t be more wrong.” He let go of my hair, and with a jerk he tore the nightgown I was wearing straight down the back before yanking it off me completely. “Castello, what are you doing?”

“I’m teaching you a fucking lesson.” From behind he grabbed both my breasts and squeezed. “These are mine.” His one hand dipped down my body and palmed me between my legs, causing me to gasp. “This is mine.” Through the fear and confusion I moaned when he forced a finger inside me. My legs numbed, and every muscle inside my stomach clenched as desire exploded through my core. He pushed a second finger inside me. “Everything you are, everything you have belongs to me. The only person that desecrates your body is me. Not even you have that fucking right. Just me.” I heard the zipper of his pants, and like a goddamn switch my entire body started to anticipate the sexual gratification I knew I was about to get. The panic and alarm that prickled along the back of my skull was no match against the lust that crashed with full force between my legs. He pulled his fingers out, grabbed me behind my neck, and forced me to bend over. “It seems you’re struggling to accept the fact that your life now only consists of one thing. Me. So let’s see if I can fuck that concept into you.” Without warning he plunged inside me. I rocked forward, but he grabbed my waist and pulled me back before pushing his cock hard and deep inside

me again. “This time I won’t let you come.” “What?” He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back. “Keep your fucking mouth shut. I said you are not allowed to come. If you do, I will bind you to that motherfucking bed and punish you with something worse than pain.” Faster and faster he started to move in and out of me. His grip tightened as he fisted my hair, his fingers pushing painfully into my waist. I bit down on my lip trying my best not to concentrate on the pleasure he was thrusting inside me. My legs grew weaker by the second, my core tightening as he kept on flexing behind me. The more he moved, the closer he pushed me toward the edge. I could feel the pressure build inside me, how my core tightened as I came nearer to the pleasure I so desperately sought. “I can feel you, little mouse. I can feel you gripping me tight. I swear to fucking God, if you come I will work your pussy ‘til fucking dusk without allowing you one single goddamn orgasm.” “Castello, please,” I begged with rapid breaths, my body trembling as I fought against the pleasure. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, I swear. Just please…please let me come.” “No.” He let go of my hair, grabbed my waist with both

hands, and jerked me to the side toward the bed. “Keep your legs straight. Put your face flat against the bed.” I obeyed, praying and hoping like hell he would give me permission to come before my body betrayed me. With his foot he shoved my legs apart before pushing both my feet against the base of the bed. My muscles in the back of my legs pulled and stretched while he pushed my upper body flat against the mattress. “Do not think you can fool me, little mouse. You know your body can’t lie to me. I will know the second you come.” “Castello, I beg you…please.” “No!” All it took was a few deep, hard, relentless thrusts until I finally felt him release his pleasure inside me. The blood from biting into my bottom lip coated my tongue with its metallic taste. It was all I could do to stop my body from tipping over the edge I had been forbidden from. Tears started to fill my eyes, my body aching and screaming, begging for a release from the tension that now tortured every inch of me. No blade, no knife, and no belt had ever caused me this much pain. For the first time I experienced pain that not only possessed my body, but also my mind. I flinched when he pulled out, and the loss of

feeling him inside me caused the tears to escape and fall on the gray sheets. I didn’t get up. He hadn’t given me permission to yet. Other than the sound of his zipper sounding through the room, we were surrounded by the most deafening silence. I sucked in a breath as more tears slipped down my face. “Get up.” I wiped away my tears and slowly stood up straight. “Turn around.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to face him. But I knew I had no choice. Like he had told me a thousand times, he owned me. I had to obey. As I turned, I kept my gaze down to the floor. “Look at me.” More silent tears fell as I gathered the courage to look at him. His face no longer showed any trace of anger. In fact, his eyes were soft, compassionate, as if staring at an innocent little lamb that only deserved kindness. His palm came up to my cheek, and I couldn’t stop myself from nestling deeper into his touch. “I will not tolerate such actions. I will not allow you to mar your own body. As I said before, that is my right alone.”

With his thumb he wiped away a lingering tear. “Now dry your tears, square your shoulders, and honor me in everything that you do. Understood?” I nodded, and he pulled his hand away from my face before turning around and walking toward the door. “And, Tatum,” he said over his shoulder, “you will not touch yourself. You will not pleasure yourself. The next time you come will be with my permission.” I watched as he took the bedroom key out of his pocket, slipped it into the keyhole…and locked the door. He turned around. “And I’ll be here watching you, making sure I am not disobeyed.”

5

CASTELLO I’ve been angry many times in my life. From mad, to furious, to enraged. But today, when I walked in on Tatum slicing her own skin, I was livid. There were no words to describe the levels of anger I felt when I saw her holding that piece of glass, her thigh stained red. I knew she was a cutter, that she had mutilated her body before. I was drawn to her like a demon to a sinner because of it. But the sight of her holding that glass, actually witnessing her doing herself harm, made me react in the worst possible way. I wanted to punish her. I wanted to tie her hands together for the rest of her fucking life so she would never be able to do that again.

Yes, I fucking loved the look of euphoria on her face as I sliced my blade across her skin. Yes, my cock grew hard when her ivory skin was stained with crimson while her body trembled with pleasure. I was a sick, twisted son of a bitch, but I never wanted to see her do herself harm again. Ever. I stood by the door and watched as blood trickled down her thigh…just like the tears that slipped down her cheeks. Her tears did nothing to lessen the anger that still festered inside me. “You need to clean that.” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and without a word she walked to the bathroom. Just as she was about to close the door, I blocked the door and pushed it open. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.” “Why? Because you think I’ll cut myself again, or because you want to make sure I don’t give myself that which you deny me?” I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Both.” With a scoff she turned around, and as she walked to the cabinet my gaze moved down to her naked ass, the red handprints clearly visible on her ivory skin. She grabbed the first aid kit and sat down on the corner of the bath. When she looked up at me, our gazes locked, and I could see the resentment, the

bitterness she felt toward me at that moment. But the familiar buzz of lust mixed with toxic anticipation still pulsed between us. It was powerful, something no amount of hate or dislike could ruin. It felt like hours had passed before she abruptly opened her legs, the movement causing me to glance down. My cum, along with her need for release, pooled between her legs, and trickled down her thighs. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel so fucking good to see my seed on her skin. To see the wetness between her legs, proof that her body craved the sexual relief only I could give her. And by God, I wanted to give it to her. I wanted to grab her and push my cock so deep inside her, giving her the release she craved. I wanted to hear her scream as pleasure wracked through her entire body, feel her tremble against me. But she had to learn. She had to come to terms with the fact that everything she was, and everything she ever will be…would be mine. “Let me make this very clear.” I started toward her, watching as she cleaned the wound. “You will never do this to yourself again. This is the last time. The only new scars that would mark your body from here on out will be those I give you. If you need release, you come to me.” I stopped right in front of her, grabbed a fist full of her hair, and

yanked her head back, forcing her to look up at me. “Is that clear?” She swallowed hard. “Yes.” I pulled her head back some more. “Yes, what?” “Yes…sir.” “Good.” I let go of her hair and gave a step back. “Now go to bed.” She stood up. “I’m not tired.” “I said, go to bed.” Her eyes narrowed, no trace of the tears she had cried earlier. She stepped up to me, her naked breasts touching the fabric of my shirt. “Thanks to you, sleeping is the last thing on my mind right now.” I smiled. “I’m sure it is.” “I’ll give you one guess what’s on my mind right now.” She cocked her head to the side, her golden hair falling over her shoulder. I stepped closer, pushing my body against her, my cock already rock hard and ready to take her. Gently I brushed her hair away from her neck. “My guess is that you need something from me.” “Oh, you’ve got that right. I desperately need something from you, yet you refuse to give it to me.” Her hands brushed seductively down her sides, avoiding the places I forbade her to touch. I glanced down at her naked body, savoring the view of perfection. “You dishonored me today, and that cannot be left unpunished.”

Her sweet scent swirled around me, the air crackling as our sexual desire for each other started to thicken. She took the lapels of my jacket between her fingers and slowly stroked up and down, my cock growing harder by the second. Blue irises looked up at me, all traces of the pain reflected in them earlier, gone. Now all I saw were shades of resolve and tenacity giving me a glimpse of the woman who had fought so well to survive the hell I had put her through. Slowly, seductively she wrapped her arms around my neck, her touch making my skin hungry for more. “I remember you telling me that you would fight this war against Vico with me by your side as your queen.” “Is that what you want? To be my queen? To be at the side of a mafia Boss fighting a war in a world you know nothing about?” “Maybe.” I leaned down, letting my lips come within inches of hers. “You’re not strong enough. What you did today proves it.” I could see the doubt overshadow the confidence she had mere seconds ago, but she tried her best to hide it. Her gaze moved from my eyes to my lips and back up. “Someone once told me that just because he came on my stomach, doesn’t mean that I know

him. Well in this case, just because you fuck me, doesn’t mean you know me.” I couldn’t help but smile at how she took my own words and turned them against me. Just when I thought I had her all figured out, something smart would come out of her mouth and surprise me. It was one of the reasons I was so intrigued by her. She stepped back out of my reach, and with squared shoulders she looked me in the eye. “You need to decide whether I’m your slave or your queen, Castello. I can’t be both.” She turned around and walked out of the bathroom. Her turning her back on me wasn’t something I liked—especially when done as a sign of disrespect. But she had knocked the wind right out of me. Her words rendered me speechless, leaving me without any intelligent or sarcastic comeback. All I could do was stare at her as she walked out. Tatum was right. I needed to decide whether I wanted her to be the queen at my side…or the slave at my feet. That night I sat in the chair across from the bed and watched her toss and turn between the sheets. It was dark, only the crescent-shaped moon casting a dim light through the room. At first I wanted to tie her hands to the bed to make sure she wouldn’t touch herself while I slept. But then I realized I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not only could I not get

the image of Tatum cutting herself out of my head, I also knew, deep down, that it was my fault. I wondered how long it had been since she had cut herself before today. Judging by the way her scars had whitened, it had to have been a long time. She had conquered those demons for a while…until I dragged her right back into hell. It was my fault. I punished her for doing something I had ultimately pushed her into doing. After everything this woman had been through by my hand, how could I have expected her to live and act like everything was normal? Nothing about us was normal. If I had to draft a list of what was right, and what was wrong between us, the wrong list would win by a mile. But there was one thing, one right thing between us...the way we unashamedly embraced each other’s darkness, turning something so wrong into something that felt so fucking right. This all started with me wanting to be the devil she sees in her nightmares. I wanted to hurt her. I wanted to see her cower at my feet in fear. I needed her to feel my pain, the pain of losing a brother. I demanded revenge. Now I no longer cared about any of those things. In fact, right now as I stared at her sleeping restlessly I felt a need to comfort her, to take away her fears and nightmares. I wanted her to feel safe —to feel adored, and to share my bed without

fearing me. Yet, a part of me demanded to see her on her knees, begging me, pleasing me, giving me full control over her body. I wanted the best of both worlds, and there was only one way to do that… Make her my queen by day, and my slave by night.

6

TATUM I knew the second I opened my eyes that he was watching me. In fact, I woke up a few times during the night feeling his gaze on my skin, caressing me, teasing me, making me want him in ways I shouldn’t. It was times like these I wished it was possible for me to see him as nothing more than the man who had me kidnapped, ruining my life in the process. Not having this constant whirlpool of mixed emotions cluttering my mind would have made everything so much easier. I desired him, yet hated him at the same time. How is that even possible? “Did you sleep well?” I heard the sarcasm in his voice. It felt like a

goddamn slap to the face. “You tell me. You’re the one who sat in the corner and watched me the entire damn night.” The bed dipped, and I opened my eyes as he took a seat next to me. By looking at him one would never have guessed that he didn’t get any sleep. He looked fresh, handsome, and so wickedly tempting. The scar around his eye just made him so much more intimidating, adding to the alpha dominance that oozed out of him all the damn time. I could see why Vico felt threatened by him. Castello had a way of demanding respect just by entering a room—the way a leader should. All Vico brought with his presence was arrogance and malevolence. With the back of his hand Castello caressed the side of my face gently. “I am only going to say this once. Don’t make me say it again.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. “God, I know, okay. Yesterday was the last time. I won’t cut myself again. Your punishment is still torturing my body.” He smiled and softly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry, Tatum.” Three little words. Three powerful words that made my entire world come to a standstill. I shifted up and stared at him cautiously. “May I ask what it is you’re sorry for?” “Everything.” “Everything covers quite a broad spectrum of

things. Care to be more specific?” He got up and buttoned his suit jacket. “Just, everything. Now get dressed.” “Get dressed for what?” He shot his cuffs and straightened his sleeves. “Last night you laid out a choice for me, and I’ve made a decision.” I got out of bed as he turned around and opened the closet door. He reached inside and pulled out a white dress. I narrowed my eyes. “What is going on?” “Last night you told me to decide whether you were my slave or my queen.” He walked closer and softly took my hand in his, placing it on the dress. “And I’ve decided.” “What did you decide?” By the smile that spread across his face it was obvious that he saw the shocked expression on mine. He reached out and dragged his thumb slowly across my lower lip. “Would a man give a two thousand dollar dress to his slave?” “Two thousand—” I glanced down at the dress. It was a plain white, mini-skirt, high neck dress with a little detail embroidered on the seam. It was plain, yet beautiful. Exactly the kind of dress I’d choose for myself. It’s like I was an open book to him. Like he knew everything about me. Except my need to be able to make my own choices.

He cocked an eyebrow. “As a member of one of the richest families in America you sure look shocked about the value of that dress.” “Just because I come from a rich family doesn’t mean I like bragging about it by buying expensive things and flaunting it in everyone’s faces.” Castello stepped closer. “Well, you better start liking it. If you’re going to be the woman at my side, you need to embrace the power that comes with it…and flaunt it in everyone’s faces.” He winked teasingly, and all I could do was stare at him. Woman at his side? Embrace the power that comes with it? Confused did not begin to cover how I was feeling right at that moment. After what happened yesterday, the way I had angered him, how he punished me, I was sure there was no way I’d ever be more than a prisoner to him. Someone that wasn’t worth more than a few fucks a week. Someone that tore his family apart. But now he had managed to knock the wind right out of me by saying all these things that I had no idea how to interpret. I cleared my throat. “You said I wasn’t strong enough.” “I changed my mind.” “Why?” He waved his finger in front of my face as to say no. “The first rule, never question me. Ever. My

word is law, and you will respect me and every decision I make by never questioning a damn thing. Understood?” I clutched the dress against my naked chest. “Okay.” “Second rule.” He walked over to the cabinet and opened the top drawer. “Whenever you step foot out of this bedroom, you will always look your best. Your image is a reflection on me.” I moved closer, and peeked inside to see the drawer stacked with make-up and beauty products. When he opened the second drawer to reveal underwear and lingerie that weren’t there before, I looked up at him. “Where did all this come from?” His eyebrows slanted inward. “It’s been less than two minutes and already you’re breaking rule number one.” “Well I haven’t accepted your offer yet.” He smirked. “You say that like you have a choice.” I narrowed my eyes at him, and that cocky grin remained on his face. “You gave me the choice, little mouse, and I made it. There’s no going back now.” “What if I don’t want to do it?” I clutched the dress tighter as Castello started to slowly circle around me, his gaze moving up and down my body. “You never would have brought it up if it wasn’t

something you wanted to do.” I glanced down to the floor, refusing to look at him. The way my skin tingled, the way every muscle inside my belly started to clench tight, I knew he was staring at me with lust-filled eyes. And once I looked into his eyes, I would crack and do exactly what he wanted me to. But right now, I wanted to at least try to have a clear head. To process what the hell was happening between us. “Am I no longer your prisoner?” I kept my head down, not looking up at him. “I answered that question already.” “You said the answer depended on me.” “It does. I’m not letting you go, Tatum. Not now, not ever. Do you think I’d kill my own mother, go to war against my own brother if I thought there was even half a chance that I would be able to let you go?” “It’s hard to know what you’re thinking sometimes.” His lips pulled up into a cocky grin. “A man never shows his weakness, little mouse.” I swallowed hard, feeling intimidated under his scrutinizing gaze. “Is that what I am? A weakness?” He stepped up behind me, and the second I felt his warmth against my bare back, I sucked in a breath. “Is it possible for someone to be your weakness as well as your strength?” I closed my eyes as his breath moved against the

skin of my neck. It’s as if yesterday never happened. As if I hadn’t angered him at all. The way he felt against me, his touch, the way the energy between us sparked with wild fire—it felt like nothing had changed between us…yet it had. He placed a gentle kiss on my bare shoulder. “Is it possible for one person to be your illness, as well as your cure?” I shuddered when I felt his hand softly frame my waist. Within a few heartbeats Castello had easily managed to seduce me into silence. All the questions I had swirling around in my head a second ago was gone. The confusion was gone. With a single touch he had possessed my mind, filling it with nothing but thoughts of untamed desires and wicked pleasures. It was like a filthy melody, playing seductively inside my head, urging me to stop trying to figure him out. To just let it be, to succumb and give this man everything he wanted from me. “Castello, please,” I begged as he slowly dragged his fingertip over my waist. “Shhh, I know. You need me, and as my queen I will always make sure you have what you need.” His hand dipped between my legs, and leaning back against him was all I could do to keep myself from falling. With a single stroke, he pulled his finger through my slit and I moaned. His touch managed to cause my body to spin out

of control within seconds. My breath hitched as he pushed his finger inside me, his thumb still working that one spot that had me rocking my hips back and forth. I long ago accepted the fact that my mind will never win over my body when it comes to this man. And the truth was, my body wanted him…all the damn time. “You’re a part of my world now, Tatum.” He brought his other hand up and cupped my breast, pinching my nipple hard. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you not only survive at my side, but thrive.” His hand moved deeper between my legs, and I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stop the pleasure from exploding through my body, my legs shaking, my spine quivering as his touch continued, extracting every last of my release. His words, his touch, and the time he had denied me pleasure all came crashing together in one giant wave of euphoria. The relief was indescribable. Being denied the release my body craved for an entire night was torture, yet it made the pleasure so much more powerful. I felt him smile against my neck. “Feel better?” My heart was still racing, my breathing shallow. “Much better.” “Good.” He stepped back and I almost lost my balance. “But that wasn’t what you needed.” “It wasn’t?” I glanced over my shoulder, my legs

still shaking. “That should get you through the day, but tonight once the lights go out, I’ll give you what you really need.” The sordid promises that swirled around in his dark eyes made me shiver. Instantly all my senses were heightened, my body filled with the anticipation of what Castello would do to me…in the dark. He straightened his jacket. “Now, get dressed. We have a lot to do today.” “We?” He smiled wickedly like he knew something I didn’t. “Yes. We. Now go get dressed.” I glanced at the dress in my hand, and then back at him. His intense gaze that seemed like it could see straight through to my soul didn’t falter. With every step I took toward the bathroom, I could feel him looking at me. It felt like his gaze seared my skin, as if I could feel his desire for me all the way to the bone. Even from half way across the room with my back turned to him, he had the power to control my body. I didn’t close the door. I liked knowing that he was watching me. It made me want to spend as much time as possible being naked. Usually when it came to men, I tried my best to hide the scars that marred my body. I saw it as a flaw, a weakness. But it was different with Castello. He was drawn to my scars, drawn to my unexplainable need to

experience pain. He made me feel like my scars made me unique rather than crazy. Every minute I spent in that bathroom preparing myself, trying to make myself look as perfect as possible, nerves started to twitch inside my belly. Ever since Castello had promised to fight this war with Vico with me by his side, I never gave much thought as to what it would entail. I never once wondered what would change, and whether it was something I wanted. From the day I woke up in that tiny room and stared into the eyes of a scarred man that had a remarkable resemblance to my past, I was never given any choice. And last night I was brave—or stupid—enough to toss a choice into his face, to make him choose where my place was in his life. But now that he had made that decision, ultimately leaving me no choice, I wondered if maybe he was right. Am I strong enough? Will I have the strength to prove to Castello that I have what it takes to be his queen? I pulled my hair up, tying it in a sophisticated looking bun at the back of my neck. It had been weeks since I wore my hair up. Weeks since I wore any kind of make-up, since I’ve looked this presentable. And as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I caught a glimpse of the woman I was once. All my life I had been misunderstood, feeling like I never fit in anywhere. My family, my friends— every single person in my life unconsciously made

me feel like I just didn’t belong, that I was constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time. The urge to run, to get away followed me whenever I was surrounded by people who supposedly had every right to be in my life. I was an outsider, no matter how pretty I looked. “I must say, I picked the perfect dress for you.” I stared at his reflection in the mirror as he stood behind me, leaning against the door, his gaze slowly moving up and down my body. “Do you think I’d be able to choose my own dress next time?” His gaze caught mine in the mirror. “Not a chance. I choose what you wear.” “Why?” “Because I’ll be the one undressing you later. So my choice will always be based on whether I’d like to take my time getting you out of your clothes, or if I’d rather prefer, quick and easy access to what’s hidden between those legs of yours.” From the heat I felt on my cheeks, I knew I was flushed. I turned around and watched as he took a few short steps toward me. The way he stared at me, his dark eyes conveying every lust-filled thought had me clenching my thighs at the same time I gripped the edge of the bathroom sink behind me. He stopped in front of me, his face and lips inches from mine. “There’s just one thing.”

“What thing?” My words came out soft, slow, my body and mind reeling as if under his spell. Slowly he lifted his hand and reached behind me, his gaze never leaving mine. For those few seconds I lost myself in him. I lost myself in the depths of his eyes, in the energy that always seemed to pulse between us. It was intoxicating. As he gripped my hair, taking the bun in the palm of his hand, I sucked in a breath. Gently he pulled my hair lose, letting the strands fall around my shoulders and down my back. He licked his lips. “Rule number four. Always wear your hair down.” He leaned closer, his nose brushing against mine. I thought for sure he was about to kiss me, and my body had already primed itself for his touch. But then he took my hand and gave a step back. “It’s time for you to step into my world, little mouse.” That was the moment I knew that my life was about to change…forever.

7

CASTELLO I watched her closely as we walked down the hall. She was anxious, I could sense it. But even with the nervous twitching of her fingers, Tatum looked like the epitome of sophistication. It was easy to see that she grew up in a wealthy home where she was taught to always carry herself gracefully. Even after all she had been through the last few weeks, she still managed to walk with her head held high…just like the day we had walked to the dining hall to face my mother. Yesterday I told her she wasn’t strong enough to live in my world. I changed my mind. I glanced down at her hand. “You’re nervous.” “Of course I am. What do you expect?”

“Lesson number one, never show weakness.” She scoffed. “I’m not weak, I’m just tense. There’s a difference.” “No, there’s not.” I stopped, grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. “Being nervous shows that you lack confidence. A lack of confidence shows you doubt yourself. And doubting yourself is weakness.” “You can’t expect me to walk into this without feeling just a little uneasy.” She tried to loosen the grip I had on her arm, but I only tightened it more. “What I expect of you is to act the part you have been given, and to show the rest of the world that I was right about you.” “What do you mean you were right about me?” “Do I have to spell it out for you, woman?” “Yes.” I grabbed her other arm and held tight, squeezing her shoulders together. “I chose you. By tearing my family in two I chose you, Tatum. Above everyone else. Above loyalty, above my own flesh and blood, I fucking chose you. So stop acting like you don’t know what or who you are to me. Stop pretending like you don’t know what your part is in all of this. Because you know. You. Fucking. Know.” Big, round, beautiful eyes stared up at me. “How would I know if you don’t tell me?” I sighed. “Some things can’t be told, Tatum. Some things need to be shown.” A few more

seconds of looking into the crystal depths of her blue eyes and all I could do was kiss her. I kissed her so hard, it felt like I was pouring everything out of me and into that kiss. Our tongues crashed like waves, our lips pressed together as if nothing else mattered. Life didn’t matter. Death didn’t matter. War or peace didn’t fucking matter. All that mattered was her, me, and the way we melted together with that one, earth-shattering kiss. How could this woman not know what she was to me? I didn’t say it because there were no fucking words that would be able to describe exactly what she meant to me. Words weren’t good enough for a woman like her. She deserved more than just mere words which could easily hide true intentions. Words deceived too easily. I had to force myself to peel my lips from hers, and when I did she let out the softest, most beautiful moan that made my cock twitch, and my balls ache. I placed my thumb on her bottom lip. “Don’t doubt yourself, Tatum. And don’t doubt me.” With that I took her hand and led her down the hall. Every minute, every day that passed everything just seemed to get more intense between us, but with that it also grew more complicated. The day I took her for the first time, her body rocking on top of mine while I sunk balls deep inside her, I never could have predicted that things would

escalate as far as it did. This woman went from being my prisoner, to being the woman I wanted at my side and in my bed every goddamn day. She was turning into a weakness—my weakness, which was why she needed to be taught. If she could be strong enough to play this role I have given her, no one will see her as my weakness…but rather as my strength. It had to be done. As we walked toward the dining room door, I realized this would be the first time Tatum joined Uncle Gino’s family and I at the breakfast table. This would be the first time Tatum would eat breakfast without me feeding her. Dammit. I was already starting to regret my decision. “There you are.” Uncle Gino got up from his chair and walked over to us. “Miss Linscott, you look stunning.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward, kissing her cheeks. He glanced at me. “I was wondering when Castello would finally share you with us.” He winked, and I cocked a brow. “Come. Sit.” He took her hand and led her to the table. “Unfortunately the rest of my family had another engagement this morning, so I’ll introduce you to them later when they return.” He pulled out her chair, and immediately her gaze shot up to mine, like she was asking permission. I nodded slightly, and she took her seat. I watched as she took in everything around her,

all the expensive Italian furnishings. The picture was perfect. Tatum in the middle of lavish surroundings and classy art. It’s like she belonged there, like she was meant for luxury and grand living. What the fuck was I thinking? Of course she would seem like she belonged there. She’s a goddamn Linscott. She might have had a lot of family issues, but money wasn’t one of them. I sat down next to her, at the end of the table across from Uncle Gino. Breakfast had been placed in the middle of the table. Fruit, yoghurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. The last time Tatum had a spread like this in front of her was when she went on her knees like a good little pet, allowing me to feed her fruit from my hand. My cock reacted to the memory, growing hard with images of Tatum on the floor, taking the fruit from my fingers, moaning while I watched her pop grapes in her mouth. Good God, my entire body was turning into one giant hard-on. I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. “So, Uncle Gino, have we heard anything from our supplier in Mexico?” I noticed him glance from me to Tatum, as if to say “this is not a topic that should be discussed in front of her.” But I didn’t care. If she was going to be by my side, there would be no secrets, and no

lies. She needed to know everything about my life and how we ran things. She needed to know who I truly was…even if it scared her. Uncle Gino took a sip of his coffee. “We have. Apparently Vico is one persistent bastard.” I saw Tatum tense when Uncle Gino said Vico’s name. She looked at me, and I nodded toward the food in the middle of the table. Slowly she reached for a slice of toast and some bacon while I grabbed a cup and poured her some coffee. It was then that I realized I didn’t know how she drank her coffee. Did she even drink coffee, or did she drink tea? If she did, what kind of tea? I shook my head lightly, trying to get rid of all the goddamn questions which the answers held no consequence. I placed the cup of unsweetened black coffee in front of her, knowing she would drink it no matter how she usually took her coffee. I poured myself a cup as well. “And we are sure there is no way Vico would be able to manipulate his way into our business with Mexico?” “Indeed, we are. I’ve known this guy for twenty years. We have nothing to worry about.” “Good. I would hate to go hunting for new suppliers because my little brother decided to fuck with things he knows nothing about.” “What do these people in Mexico supply you with?” Both Uncle Gino and I abruptly looked at Tatum.

She stared back at us as if to say, ‘What?’ Uncle Gino looked at me, cocking a brow as if to say, ‘You started this. So you tell her.’ Goddammit. Deciding against scolding her for interrupting a conversation in which she had no business taking part in yet I decided to include her, I took a sip of my coffee before setting it down. “Weapons,” I answered simply. “Weapons? What kind of weapons?” Her voice was lower, softer. “Guns, ammo, anything our clients want.” She glanced from Uncle Gino to me. “And who are your clients?” I narrowed my eyes, and tapped my finger on the table, pondering whether this would be a part of our business she didn’t have to know about. Uncle Gino cleared his throat and gave me a knowing look. I picked up my cup of coffee. “The government.” “The government? As in our government, or your government?” I snorted. “Is your government not the same as ours?” Tatum leaned back in her chair. “But you’re from Italy.” “We’re Italian, Tatum. We speak Italian, but that doesn’t mean we’re Italian citizens.” “But Carlo, he told me you were from Italy. That

your parents moved here when you were children.” When she said my twin brother’s name I couldn’t stop my annoyance from showing. I slammed my cup down on the table. “Have we not established that everything Carlo told you was a lie?” “I just assumed—” “Well you assumed wrong. My brothers and I were born here. We are American citizens just like you. Now eat your breakfast.” She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. She picked up on what I was doing, that I was dismissing her. I could see the way her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red, and I knew I had annoyed her. I didn’t care. I hated hearing my brother’s name come out of her mouth. I hated the way it sounded when she said it. It felt like her voice had the power to slice through my chest whenever she uttered his name. Somewhere, somehow, I had managed to grow jealous of a dead man. I envied a man who lay six feet under the ground, probably burning in hell right as this moment. Yet I hated the fact that he had her first. That he had claimed her before I did. Just thinking about another man touching her, kissing her…fucking her. Jesus Christ. I didn’t want to think about the fact that she had a past. That she even had a life before me. It was

something I just couldn’t comprehend, because to me it felt like there was nothing but emptiness before her. My life was nothing but a black void until she and those damn crystal blue eyes of hers forced some color into my existence. I righted myself in my seat. “Make sure our associates are aware of Vico’s agenda, and that we are certain we have everyone’s loyalty. I’d hate to be caught off-guard by traitors.” “I have that under control. But, Castello, I would advise you to have a bigger presence within the family. Without proper leadership, people are bound to start listening to gossip.” I tossed my knife and fork down on the plate. “You think I don’t know that? You think I’m not aware of everything that could possibly go wrong? Well I am, Uncle. I’m very much aware of the risks.” I glanced at Tatum. “But I’ll be damned if I let anyone fuck with me or what’s rightfully mine.” She looked up and our eyes met. From the way her irises brightened, the way her lips parted ever so slightly, she knew I was talking about her. She was my risk—my only risk.

8

TATUM I knew Castello didn’t exactly sell cookies for a living. I, more than anyone, knew he was no goddamn saint. After everything that’s happened, I was fully aware of the Fattore family’s power, that they were a force to be reckoned with. I just didn’t know exactly how powerful they were…how powerful he was. But maybe that was his plan, the reason he decided to make me his shadow for the day. The reason he dressed me up and had me seated next to him at the breakfast table as if everything between us were normal—which it wasn’t. He wanted to show me exactly what kind of man he was, what kind of power and authority pulsed through his veins. This family was no low-

life drug dealers or slave traders. They were dealing with illegal weapons, supplying it to the government. Thinking about it that way actually made it sound less illegal. I kept my head down. The piece of bacon I was chewing was impossible to swallow. And I couldn’t even look at the slice of toast that was still on plate. My appetite had vanished, and for the first time since we left the bedroom half an hour ago, I wanted to go back. I wanted to close the bedroom door and separate myself from reality and once again lose myself in our world. Unfortunately I was intelligent enough to know that was no longer an option for me. That option disappeared the second I stepped foot out of that bedroom wearing a pair of five hundred dollar Louis Vuitton shoes. The silence hanging around us like thick smoke suffocated the conversation. I could see by the tick in Castello’s jaw, and the way his scar seemed to move next to his eye that he was pissed. It scared me knowing that he was angry. He was a walking stick of dynamite that threatened to go off at any moment. I might not be in shackles, or locked between four walls, but I was still here by his choice…not mine. I wiped my mouth with the napkin and continued to look down. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, and glanced at him. He didn’t reply or respond in any way. Not even

with a twitch of his lip or a nod of his head. “Uncle Gino, is everything in place for our new recruit?” Disappointment flooded through my chest when I got no acknowledgement from him. “Yes. Everything is in place.” “And our other little…problem?” “Ready for you to deal with.” “Good.” He tossed his napkin on his plate. “Uncle Gino, would you mind giving me and Tatum a few minutes alone?” My heart skipped a beat, and my entire body went cold. I looked at him hoping to see some kind of reassurance that maybe he was no longer angry with me. I needed some kind of sign that would ease the threatening panic looming in the pit of my stomach. “Of course.” Uncle Gino got up from his seat and left the dining room, closing the door behind him, leaving me with a man whose entire demeanor spoke of irritation and anger. “I’m sorry, Castello. I didn’t—” “You spoke out of place.” “I know. It won’t happen again.” His fingers toyed with the seam of his napkin, and he still didn’t look at me. “How do you feel about it?” I frowned. “About what?” “About what we do.”

“Dealing with illegal weapons?” He nodded, still staring at the napkin on the table. I shifted in my seat. “I don’t think I’m in a position to feel anything when it comes to that.” “Are you saying it doesn’t bother you?” “I’m saying I choose to keep my opinion to myself…for now.” For the first time in what seemed like hours he looked at me. His eyes, his face, he was completely unreadable. Nothing about the way he stared at me gave me any clue as to what was going on inside his head. He stood up from his chair, and my heart felt like it was about to crack through my ribs. With slow, yet confident steps he started to walk around the table dragging his fingers across the white tablecloth. “I warned you the day I killed Nicollo to not mistake me for the hero.” My heart beat wildly as I watched his every move. He stopped at the end of the table, picking up a silver knife. “I told you I was the villain, the monster.” He brushed the pad of this thumb across the blade of the knife, then looked at me from across the table. “Did you think I was lying?” With my hands on my lap, I nervously tangled my fingers together. “I don’t remember what I was thinking.”

“What do you remember?” “I remember feeling relieved. Thankful that you saved me from an even worse fate.” “Worse than what?” I swallowed hard, not knowing if I had the right answer to that. “Worse than what, little mouse?” I scraped together the courage and looked up at him “Worse than being your prisoner. Worse than being chained, naked, and beaten in front of a room full of men whose eyes showed the depths of their hatred for me.” Slowly he started toward me. “Oh yes. That was the day you begged me not to leave you. The day you said you felt safer with me than with the rest of the men there.” He stopped behind me, and I sucked in a breath when chills danced across my skin, my entire body hyper aware of the man towering over me. No matter how much I feared him, how much dread he evoked inside me, the lust and the desire he stirred within me was always stronger—more compelling. I felt the cold sting of stainless steel against the skin of my neck, and I closed my eyes listening to the rampant beating of my heart. “I warned you that day too, didn’t I, little mouse?” “Warned me about what?” Slowly he dragged the edge of the knife across

my throat. I swallowed, and the movement made the blade press harder against my skin. “I warned you not to feel safe with me.” “And look what happened after that.” I kept my eyes shut as I felt him pull the blade across the pulsing vein at the side of my neck. One wrong move, just one flick of his wrist and he could end me. It would only take the time of a single breath for him to kill me, to let my blood seep out of my body. But instead of feeling terrified by the thought, I felt exhilarated. My body didn’t react with any kind of fight or flight instinct, only a desire that both thrilled and alarmed me. Why am I not scared? Is it because I trust him? The sharp point of the knife pressed deeper into my skin. “And what exactly happened after that?” His voice sounded deep, low…dangerous. “Everything changed.” “Maybe you’re being foolish to believe that.” I knew I was playing Russian roulette with the devil, but my shadowed soul loved the game. I cleared my throat softly. “You killed a man. You pressed a gun against your cousin’s skull and pulled the trigger, painting my prison walls with his blood in order to keep me from being raped. Tell me, Castello, was there even a second that you regretted doing that? That you regretted pulling that trigger?” The only answer he gave me was his silence.

I took a deep breath. “And your mother? The woman who gave birth to you. You killed her. You took her life to save mine. Twice, Castello. Twice you pulled the trigger for me, killing your own flesh and blood, so how can you expect me to believe that nothing has changed?” As the last word left my mouth, I felt the blade pierce my skin. Pain seared my flesh, and I gasped when he wrapped his hand around my throat. He leaned down, his lips inches from my ear. “Just because I killed for you doesn’t mean you’re safe with me.” I turned my face toward him. “To me it means I’m safer nowhere else.” Our gazes remained locked. His eyes were cold, his expression hard, but I tried my best not to feel intimidated by him in that moment. “I know what you’re trying to do, Castello, and it’s not going to work.” His grip around my throat tightened. “And what is it that I’m doing?” I brought my hand up to the spot where his knife had nicked my skin, and wiped the blood with my finger. “You’re trying to make me fear the beast inside you more than I lust for it.” I placed my hand against his cheek, and smeared the drop of my blood over his lips. “But as you’ve said before…it’s my blood that feeds the beast inside you.” His tongue flicked out, wiping away the crimson

on his lips, causing every muscle inside my core to tighten. “You’re wrong, little mouse. I’m not trying to make you fear it. I’m forcing you to embrace it.” He leaned closer, and I could smell the metallic scent of my blood on his lips. “Why?” I whispered softly. He smiled, and it was the kind of smile you’d expect from the devil. Confident, yet arrogant. Bewitching, yet threatening. Castello was every ounce of bad he had claimed to be…but right now, I wouldn’t want it any other way. He placed the cold, hard steel of the knife against my lips. “Because you’re my addiction, Tatum. My obsession. I’m not letting you go, and neither is the beast inside me.” My skin was instantly electrified, my mind reeling with his words, my body whimpering with the need to be touched by him. Was I so far gone that such dark words made me lust for the wickedness that pulsed through his veins, waking the blackness I’ve always known hid deep inside the depths of my soul? The more time I spent with him, the more I embraced the side of me I kept hidden for so long. The easier it became to just give in to every sinful desire, every dirty fantasy I’ve ever had. And God help me, but hearing how his possessiveness over me coated his every word made me want him even more.

He dragged the knife across my cheeks, and I pressed my flesh deeper against the blade. “And what makes you think I want you to let me go, Castello?” “I don’t think you know what you want.” “Is that why you won’t give me the chance to decide for myself? Why you refuse to give me the freedom to make my own choices?” The knife was back over my mouth. “The only choice you need to concern yourself with right now is how to please me.” If there was one thing I’ve learned during the time I’ve spent with him, it was how to please him. All I had to do was accept who I truly was, and embrace the part of me that yearned for the dark. That was how I pleased him…how he pleased me. With the knife still against my lips, I gently eased my tongue along the sharp edge. I kept my gaze on him as he watched with eyes that seemed possessed with feral hunger. It was there, written on every inch of his face, the need…the want…the desire. His strong body that towered over me started to ooze with lust he tried so fucking hard to contain. But by the look in his eyes, the dark hunger that swirled within his chocolate irises, I knew that just like me, it wasn’t something he could control. The energy that constantly buzzed between us only grew stronger. Our most primal instinct was to fuck, the crackle of sexual tension between us a constant

reminder of that. It was only a matter of time before we would once again give in. I licked my lips, never taking my gaze off his. “Have I not pleased you…sir?” His lips pulled up in an amused grin. “You still have lots to learn my little pet. But lucky for you I’m one patient man.” Slowly he dragged the edge of the knife from my lips, over my chin, down my neck. I leaned my head back offering him more of me, placing my life in his hands. He pressed down, and the tip of the knife pricked my skin over the hollow below my throat. I flinched and gasped as the sting of pain instantly morphed into a desire that had me clenching my thighs to get some relief from the ache that throbbed with need between my legs. Keeping the knife against my throat, he leaned in and traced the tip of his tongue all the way up my jaw. “You like to bleed for me, don’t you, little mouse?” His warm breath against my ear made me shiver. “I like when you bleed for me. They say a person’s soul is in their blood. And when I see the crimson slowly trickle out of your body while your face paints the perfect picture of desire, I know that your soul is mine. And do you know how that makes me feel?” I swallowed and felt the blade inch deeper into my skin. “How?” “Like I’m the most powerful bastard in the

whole fucking world.” His lips crashed against mine, his tongue forcing its way inside as it eagerly rushed to assault every corner of my mouth. I was lost in him. Utterly spellbound by how damn good it felt to be so completely possessed by a man who made every bone in my body burn and ache for sinful pleasures. I whimpered as he tore his lips from mine. I haven’t tasted him nearly enough. He pressed the knife against my chin and forced me to look up at him. “You know your body can’t lie to me. You can’t lie to me. I see you, Tatum. You might not know, but I do. I know what you need, and once I’m done, you will have exactly that.”

9

TATUM As we walked down the hall, I couldn’t help but wonder what Castello meant by saying he knew exactly what I needed. It wasn’t the first time he said it, but I’ve been under the impression he meant it sexually. That he knew what I needed when it came to sex. But after he said it again this morning, I got the feeling I was wrong. He meant something else…I just couldn’t figure out what. I glanced up at him. He had that tick in his jaw again, hard lines forming across his face. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was nervous. “Where are we going?” I looked down, staring at the wooden floors. He pulled his hand down his face, looking a little

unsettled. “My father used to say it’s always better to pull the plaster right off.” Now I was getting nervous. “Okay?” He stopped in front of a door, and his intense gaze pinned me on the spot. “If you’re going to become a part of my world, I need to prepare you the best I can.” “Prepare me for what?” His eyes searched all around us, as if he was trying to find the right words. He sighed. “We do what we need to survive. And sometimes that requires us to be…monsters.” I stepped closer. “Castello, what are you trying to say?” “What I’m trying to say is, that no matter what happens, you need to trust me. I need to know you trust me.” He looked at me pleadingly, his gaze etched on mine. Something bad was about to happen. I could feel it in every bone of my body. It was the same feeling I felt when Castello dragged me to that dreaded dining hall where I was put on display like a goddamn animal. Back then, I didn’t trust him. The question is…did I trust him now? “Can you do that, Tatum? Can you trust me?” I searched his face, trying to make sense of the jumbled mess my mind had become. There wasn’t a coherent thought inside my head when it came to this man—when it came to how I felt about him… about us. But after everything that’s happened

something clawed and scraped at the back of my mind, urging me to trust him. “Yes,” I whispered, and it was like a veil of relief fell over him. “Good.” He opened the door, and I stepped inside. When I saw the scene in front of me, I balked, and could hear every beat of my heart echoing through my head. “What is going on?” I stared with apprehension at a man tied to a chair. Blood dripped from his nose, the tape covering his mouth stained with crimson. The fear in his eyes was something no one would have been able to miss. He was completely naked, his wrists and ankles tied to the chair. His hands and feet were stained with blood from trying to free himself. There was a soft touch at the hollow of my back. “This is where we become monsters, Tatum.” I shot my gaze up to Castello’s, staring at him as a thousand questions ran through my mind. He straightened the lapels of his jacket, and it was like he pulled on the mask of a man who had no fear, someone who exuded authority, demanding the respect of every one that stood in his presence. He wore the face of the man I met when I woke up in a cell, dressed in a rag. Uncle Gino was there along with four other men, guns at their sides, demonic looks on their faces. I

recognized one other man. It was the same man who was there the first time I saw Castello. The man he referred to as ‘Doc,’ the man who pushed a needle into my skin. That same gnawing instinct that urged me to trust Castello now warned me I wasn’t going to like whatever was about to happen. Castello moved to stand in front of me, his back toward the rest of the crowd. “You will not say a word unless spoken to. I’m breaking a lot of rules by having you here, don’t make me regret it.” “I don’t want to be here,” I blurted out with panic. Every instinct I had told me I most definitely did not want to be there. He stepped closer. “I want you here.” “Why?” “It’s the only way.” “The only way for what?” But Castello had already turned around, abruptly ending our conversation. I swallowed hard as I braved another look at the man tied to a goddamn chair. By the bruises and the blood on his face, he had already been beaten. He looked like…he looked like my father did…just before Vico killed him. “Tell me, Ricardo, do you know why you’re here today?” Castello’s voice was hard, low, and intimidating as hell. No wonder the man was trembling.

The man frantically shook his head, muffled moans coming from behind the tape covering his mouth. Castello stopped in front of him, reached out, and ripped the tape off his mouth. The sound sent chills down my spine as I watched the skin around Ricardo’s lips turn a dark shade of red. Castello dropped the piece of tape to the floor. “Talk.” “I…I…I don’t—” Castello slapped him through the face, his head jerking to the side. I yelped softly as the crack burst through the room with sickening force. Castello grabbed his chin and made the man look at him. “Now let’s try again. And this time, don’t stutter. Do you know why you’re here?” “No.” Ricardo leaned to the side and spat out a mouth of blood before turning back to Castello. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” “So the stories I’ve heard of you helping my little brother aren’t true?” Instantly Ricardo paled as if he had seen a ghost. “Of course they’re not true.” Castello started to pace around him again, his shoulders squared, confidence radiating from him like rays of sunlight. “Then it wasn’t you who arranged the little get-together between Vico and our Mexican supplier?” “What? Of course not.”

“So, you’re calling my Uncle Gino a liar then?” Castello stopped in front of him, his gaze never leaving Ricardo. “According to my uncle, you’re the snitch who has been paid very handsomely by my brother for setting up the meeting.” Ricardo’s eyes darted toward where Uncle Gino was standing. Uncle Gino had the same hard look on his face as Castello. And with no other light in the room besides a lonely light bulb hanging from the ceiling, cruel shadows fell onto the lines of their faces. Ricardo started to frantically shake his head. “It wasn’t me. I swear to fucking God, it wasn’t me.” Castello held his arms out wide. “Well then, it seems we’re done here.” He turned around, and Ricardo seemed to sag in his chair with relief. Even I felt slightly relieved, but by the way Castello’s entire demeanor darkened, screaming of anger and malicious intent, I knew the relief would be shortlived. “Oh yes,” Castello started before turning back to Ricardo holding his phone out toward him. “There is this issue of you being photographed collecting your payment from one of Vico’s men.” I narrowed my eyes and stepped slightly closer to try and see the picture Castello was referring to. Ricardo stared at the phone for ten seconds, then started to fight against his restraints. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Castello. It won’t happen again. I needed

the money to pay off some debts. But it was a onetime deal, I fucking swear.” Oh God. Castello put his phone back in his jacket pocket, seemingly unaffected by Ricardo’s confession and begging. “Castello, please. I swear to God it won’t happen again—” Castello swung his fist straight into Ricardo’s face, and I heard the distinct sound of bone breaking. I flinched, closing my eyes for two seconds. When I opened them Ricardo’s face was covered in blood from a cut just above his left eye. By the way Castello’s jaw clenched, I knew the monster was about to come out. “Did you not lay down the oath? Did you not swear your loyalty to this family? Did you not vow to follow me the day my little brother decided to stand against me?” “I did. Yes, I did. I’m sorry, Castello. Please believe me when I say I will never ever betray you again.” Castello leaned forward, and Ricardo stared at him as if he were the devil himself. I stared at him as if he was the devil. “The punishment of such betrayal is death.” “Please, no!” Ricardo started to weep, his beaten face contorted with fear. Castello straightened and looked my way.

“Unless she decides to spare your life.” My heart dropped, my gut instantly feeling like it had been filled with concrete. “What?” Castello kept my gaze. “What do you say, Tatum? Should I be merciful and spare Ricardo’s life?” “Oh God, please,” Ricardo started to beg again, only this time his pleading words were aimed at me. “Please don’t let him kill me. Please, God no.” There were too many thoughts inside my mind shouting, screaming while the sound of my own heartbeat resounded in my head like a fucking jackhammer. “What are you doing, Castello?” “I’m asking you whether or not you want me to spare his life.” I lightly shook my head. It felt like the world around me was starting to spin out of control. I glanced from Castello to the panicking Ricardo. Why was Castello doing this? Why would he leave such a decision up to me? I looked back at Castello. “You know I don’t want to see anyone die.” “So you want me to spare his life? After he betrayed me?” My lungs started to constrict inside my chest as my breathing became shallower by the second. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” He started toward me, still wearing the mask he

had pulled on the second we walked into this room. “Do you think this man deserves a second chance?” “Don’t we all?” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “And what if I told you that betraying me, helping my brother plot against me isn’t his only crime?” I kept his gaze, refusing to cower away from him. “I don’t care about what he’s done. Death can atone for nothing.” He cocked his head to the side. “And why do you think death can’t atone for anything?” “Because when the guilty is dead, they feel nothing. Only the living left behind carries the weight of an injustice done unto them.” The way his mouth pulled up at the corners made me think he already knew. He expected me to say no to killing this man. He stopped two feet away from me. “Do you remember when Vico killed your father? Murdered him in cold blood?” Anger raged. “Of course I do.” “Do you remember what it sounded like, the sound of the gun as Vico pulled the trigger?” I clenched my teeth. “What are you doing, Castello?” “Do you remember the scent of your father’s blood as it dripped on the floor?” “Stop.”

He stepped closer. “Do you remember what it felt like watching the life drain out of your father’s body, knowing there was nothing you can do to save him?” Tears blurred my vision while pain seared the inside of my chest. I closed my eyes, desperate to get rid of the images Castello was causing to pour back into my mind. “Do you remember what your father looked like as he took his last breath?” “Please stop!” He grabbed my arms and jerked me closer. “Do you remember the smug grin on my cunt of a brother’s face after he pulled that trigger? After he killed your father?” God! “Yes! Yes, I remember!” Tears streamed down my face, the image of my father’s lifeless body next to a gloating Vico finally tearing my soul in two. “Good!” Castello jerked me once more. “Look at me.” I continued to sob. “I said look at me!” I opened my eyes, and stared into his. “Remember that pain, Tatum. Remember that image of your father as he died in that chair.” “Why?” I whispered between clenched teeth. “Because that pain you feel whenever you think of that exact moment is what’s going to make you

stronger. It’s going to motivate you.” “Motivate me for what?” He placed his palm against my cheek, his thumb gently rubbing against my bottom lip. “Revenge.” I searched his face while I struggled to keep the pain and the rage contained. “This man—” Castello pointed toward Ricardo“—he was the one that brought your father to Vico and my mother. He was the man that beat your father so hard there were no bones left in his face to break.” My body became heavy, my mind reeling with every word Castello spoke as I glanced from him to Ricardo in disbelief. “Ricardo was the man that tied your father to the same chair he died in. This man you want me to show mercy to had a role in your father’s death.” He let go of my arms, and my legs felt as if they could give way beneath me at any moment. I stared at Ricardo. “Is it true?” He remained still. “Is it true?” I yelled, and he only flinched without saying a word. Funny, a few minutes ago he couldn’t shut up as he tried to beg for his life. But now he was as silent as a mouse—a little mouse. Castello walked over to Ricardo and pulled out his gun, aiming it at Ricardo’s head.

“Tell me, Tatum. Do you still believe that death can atone for nothing?” Over and over I imagined my father’s lifeless body. Every night that exact image was the last thing I saw when I closed my eyes. It was also the first thing I saw when I woke up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop my mind from reliving those few seconds over, and over, and over again. But now, as I stood in front of a man that played such an important part in the nightmare I was forced to relive every day, the thought of him dying actually felt like it had the strength to numb the pain. Slowly I started to replace the images of my dead father with images of a dead Ricardo…and it made me feel stronger. “It’s time for your final verdict, Tatum.” Castello pressed the nozzle of the gun against Ricardo’s forehead. Ricardo closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, as snot spat from his nostrils. Castello released the safety of his gun, and Ricardo sobbed while he pissed himself. My heart hammered, but it wasn’t because of fear. It was because I knew what I wanted, what I needed. What I needed… I snapped my gaze up to Castello. That’s what he meant. That’s what he meant when he said he knew what I needed. He nodded as if he could hear my every thought,

as if he knew I had pieced it together. I took a deep breath, and kept my eyes on Castello’s face. “Kill him.” Castello pulled the trigger, and the deafening sound of death filled my ears. I closed my eyes and felt something I never thought I’d feel over the death of another human being…relief.

10

CASTELLO I pulled the trigger, executing the traitorous motherfucker. It was the only way. It was our way. You live by the gun and the knife…and you die by the gun and the knife. Tatum needed to witness this, to learn our ways if I wanted her to thrive at my side. She might not have known it yet, but I saw it in her soul, the darkness which had the undeniable potential to turn her into a powerful woman—my woman. Ricardo, the fucker, he was lucky. If it weren’t for Tatum being here, I would have tortured his fucking ass. So in whatever corner of hell he was burning right now, he could thank God I gave him a merciful death.

I kept my gaze on Tatum, scrutinizing every contour of her face. What was she thinking? How was she feeling about what just happened? I pushed her. I forced her to relive that godawful moment. I made her feel that pain all over again. But it had to be done. She had to feel the anger, the rage, the bone numbing ache of witnessing her father die. It was the only way I could make her tap into the deepest, darkest part of her that demanded revenge. Every goddamn night I had to listen to her moan and cry in her sleep. I knew it was her father’s image that plagued her nightmares. The blood. The death. The loss. And after yesterday, finding her in the bathroom on the floor slicing her skin, I knew she needed a way to let the pain drain out of her soul. That’s why I brought her here today. That’s the reason I made her pass judgement on the fucker who now had a bullet in his head. I was certain the sweet taste of revenge would calm her soul, it would comfort her, strengthen her. She just needed someone to push her, to force her into taking that leap, and that’s what I did. I made her take the leap. Her eyes opened, and she stared right at me. I could see the rage storming in the depths of her blue eyes. The hate, the hurt, the pain, it was all there. But I also saw determination burning like a newly lit fire, the flaming sparks threatening to

scald whoever came in its path. It was goddamn poetic to see innocence turn into fierceness. To tell the truth, it was turning me the fuck on. “We’re done here.” I placed my gun at my side and walked over to her, wrapping my arm around her waist. As I ushered her out she kept looking over her shoulder at the dead body. She couldn’t take her eyes off it. Almost as if she needed to make she would never forget the sight, the justice that had been done. Only when we were out in the hall and I closed the door did she look at me. I took her face between my palms. “It had to be done.” “I know.” There was no animosity or pain in her words. Everything about her seemed eerily calm. I took her hand in mine. “I think you should rest.” Maybe she was acting so calmly because she might be in shock. It wasn’t the first time she witnessed someone die. But it was the first time she was the one who passed judgement. Getting her back to our bedroom, a place she had seen as her safe zone was what she needed. Yes, I pushed her, but now I needed to take care of her. She remained quiet as we walked up the stairs, keeping her gaze straight ahead. Perhaps I had pushed her too far? But wasn’t that the best way to learn how to swim—to get shoved in the deep end?

There was no better way to test your strength than to be placed in a situation which demanded you survive…or die. We reached our bedroom, and Tatum walked in first. I closed the door behind me still wondering if I had gotten it all wrong. “Tatum—” “Thank you.” I turned around slowly, narrowing my eyes, staring at her as she stood a few feet away. “Thank you, Castello. Thank you for knowing what I needed, even though I didn’t.” I searched her face, studied her eyes, but there was no trace of tears, or regret. “Are you okay?” She smiled. She actually fucking smiled, and it reached all the way to her eyes. “I’m more than okay. It scares me, knowing that witnessing a man die makes me feel…okay. But it also makes me feel like I finally have—” “Control?” She bit her bottom lip before answering, “Yes.” Jesus Christ. How did I ever think she wouldn’t be strong enough? Now, while I stared at this beautiful creature in front of me, her eyes wild, beaming with life and strength, her face painted with newfound energy, I knew she was right where she was meant to be. By my side. My body started to hum with a carnal desire, an uncontrollable need to take her. My cock was hard,

my mind filled with nothing but images of her naked body beneath me, screaming my name while I fucked a whole lot of mind-numbing pleasure into her. I slowly started toward her. “I told you, Tatum, you need to trust me because I know what you need.” She stared at me with her blue eyes, and the brilliance that used to sparkle within those irises were back. “How?” she whispered softly. I stopped right in front of her, my gaze never leaving hers. “Because I was there. I had that same need inside me once.” Her eyes searched mine, her mouth parted slightly. “Carlo. You needed revenge for Carlo’s death.” I didn’t reply. I didn’t have to. The answer was already there, filling the space between us like thick smoke. She slanted her head to the side, her beautiful streaks of golden hair falling around her shoulder. “You needed revenge for your brother’s death, and that’s why you had me kidnapped. That’s why you plotted against my family…because it was the only way you could break through the wall of grief. Grief that had the power to destroy you.” There was no judgement in her eyes while she spoke every word, no hostility or hatred as she figured out the motive behind the decisions I made

in the past. The way she looked at me was as if she finally understood, as if my reason for wanting to ruin her life no longer seemed cruel to her. She stepped closer, her sweet scent surrounding me, aggravating my already greedy cock. “But something changed. Something happened, and it had the power to break through that wall you had without killing me.” Her soft palm came up to my cheek. “What changed, Castello? What was it that made you think I was worth more to your sanity alive, than dead?” For the first time in my life I felt the ugliness of self-doubt. For the first time my chest felt so damn tight that I could hardly take a decent breath. Within a split second my confidence had forsaken me, making me feel naked and exposed. I despised the feeling. I hated it. The tidal wave of vulnerability that crashed against my being made me feel weak. She made me feel weak. Why? Because of the words that demanded to be spoken. I placed my hand over hers, squeezing it tight. “Because, Tatum. I realized killing you won’t save me…but loving you will.” The second those words left my heart and spilled out of my mouth, the veil that had been the last obstacle between us, that kept us both from realizing our souls were meant to be one tore in half. It was like a weight had been lifted, and the confusion I had felt ever since Tatum came

crashing into my life was gone. And by the way she stared at me with her tender gaze, caressing my skin, I knew she felt the same. I pulled her against me and kissed her like I’ve never kissed her before. Everything I felt right then had me overcome with so many emotions, my heart wanted to explode. Was I in love with, Tatum Linscott? Of course you are, dumb ass. You just said it out loud. The soft whimpers she made as our tongues danced together in one rush of need made my chest ache as I longed for her in a way I’ve never longed for any other woman. Her body was no longer the one thing I desired the most…I wanted all of her, and I wanted it for the rest of my fucking life. I moaned in protest as she pulled her lips from mine. I wasn’t done. I wanted more…so much more…and I wanted it now. “Castello.” “Shhh, little mouse. Let me have you.” I tried to pull her closer, but she pressed her hands against my chest. “Castello, I’m not feeling too good.” “It’s just the shock, baby.” I leaned down, wanting to feel her lips against mine. “Let me make you feel good.” Her hands were still on my chest, and she jerked her head to side. “Castello, stop. Something’s

wrong.” Her voice sounded shaky, and I grabbed her face in my hands. She was as pale as a ghost. “Tatum, what’s wrong.” “I…I don’t—” Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and then her entire body went limp. I wrapped my arms around her and carried her over to the bed. “Tatum! Tatum, wake up! Jesus.” Fuck! I ran to the bedroom door and swung it open. “Someone call Doc, now!”

11

TATUM The sound of faraway voices started to slowly drag me back to reality. “What’s wrong with her, Doc?” “I’m not sure. But her vitals seem fine. It might be stress.” “Stress?” “She’s been through a hell of an ordeal, Castello. It was only a matter of time for her brain to call for a time-out.” “Time-out? Is that what you call just collapsing without any apparent reason? A time-fuckingout?” “Castello, try to relax. Everything seems fine. She just needs to rest.”

The door closed, and I finally managed to open my eyes. “Castello?” “Tatum.” I felt his warm hand cover mine, and it instantly comforted me, knowing he was there at my side. “How are you feeling?” How was I feeling? I wasn’t sure. “What happened?” He sat down on the bed next to me. “You fainted.” “Fainted?” “What’s the last thing you remember?” I glanced up at the roof, my mind jumping around, trying to grab hold of a memory. “Um…I remember breakfast.” Bacon. A knife against my throat. “What else?” I closed my eyes. “Ricardo.” Red. Death. Revenge. Relief. I opened my eyes and looked at Castello. He stared at me wide-eyed as words softly hummed through my mind. “Killing you won’t save me…but loving you will.” Did he really say that? Did Castello Fattore tell me he loved me? Surely that couldn’t be true. I knew there was some sort of connection between us, but love? How could what started out as a sick, twisted vendetta turn into something as sacred and

innocent as love? It wasn’t possible. I must have dreamed hearing those words come out of his mouth. Castello placed his hand on my shoulder before pulling his fingers through my hair. “What happened when you fainted?” “I’m not sure. I remember feeling dizzy, sick to my stomach, and then…nothing.” “Doc reckons it’s stress, exhaustion. I don’t know what fucking else.” There was a clear tone of worry in his voice, and the way his eyes searched every part of my face was as if he was trying to convince himself I was fine. I took his hand as it reached the ends of my hair. “I’m fine, Castello. I’m sure Doc is right. I just need some rest.” He leaned down, and placed his lips hard against my forehead, kissing my skin. “You scared the living shit out of me, Tatum.” I smiled. “Don’t tell me you were worried about me…sir?” He scoffed. “That is not even remotely funny.” He got up from the bed straightening his jacket, once again wearing the confidence of a Fattore man. “I’m going to arrange for some food to be sent up, and then I don’t want you to move from this fucking bed. Is that clear?” The thought of food made my stomach churn.

“I’m really not hungry.” “Don’t even think about it. You’ll eat every goddamn morsel of food I’m having sent up.” I gagged a little. “I’ll send Doc up to check on you.” I watched as he walked out the bedroom, closing the door behind him. My body felt achy all over, my head pounding against my skull. I had no idea what happened. I’ve never fainted before in my life. Maybe Doc was right. Maybe, after everything that happened, my brain finally decided to zone out. After all, I was kidnapped, beaten, almost raped and murdered. I also witnessed my father getting killed by a man I now despised most. Vico. Surely my body and brain deserved a few seconds of not…functioning. I turned on my side and nestled deeper into the pillow when a surge of nausea suddenly burst through my gut. There was no way I would have made it to the bathroom in time, and my stomach decided the plush white carpet was the perfect place to empty its contents—which wasn’t much. Every muscle inside my body tensed and strained as I mostly dry-heaved with a violent urge to throw-up. The more I gagged, the sicker I felt to my stomach. “Miss Linscott!” Doc came rushing in. “Are you okay?” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand,

feeling—and probably looking—like shit. “I’m fine.” He crouched down beside me, placing his hand against my face, checking for a fever. “Have you been feeling ill lately?” I shook my head and leaned back on the pillow, closing my eyes. “Not really, no. Just tired… confused.” The last part wasn’t meant for Doc. He placed his fingers on my wrist and checked my pulse. “Have you eaten anything that could have given you food poisoning?” “No. Not unless they’ve been serving bad food here…which I highly doubt.” And then there was silence, and a vague sense of being watched made me open my eyes. “What is it?” I eyed Doc cautiously. “Miss Linscott, forgive me for being so blunt, but are you using protection?” I sat up. “Protection against what?” “I mean, you and Mr. Fattore. Is there a chance you might be pregnant?” And that was all I needed to vomit yet again. Doc scurried around and pushed a steel bin underneath my face as I hung from the bed. During all this time it never occurred to me once that I might get pregnant. I was vigilant with my birth control shots, setting reminders on my phone, my laptop, little sticky notes on my goddamn fridge so I never missed my six month appointment. But being

kidnapped and almost murdered shoved that little priority right to the bottom of the list. Now, as I made the little sum inside my head, I realized my birth control shot was weeks ago…right about the time I was drugged and dragged from my apartment. My body shuddered as acid burned my throat, spasms taking control of every muscle, my mind reeling in a thousand different directions…which all led to the same fucking answer. “Yeah, there’s a big chance, Doc.” My heart was no longer beating inside my chest, it was pounding in the soles of my feet. “Okay, I’ll send for a pregnancy test before we start searching for other reasons as to why you’re not feeling well.” Doc helped me back up on the bed. “I’ll inform Castello that this might be pregnancy related.” “No!” I grabbed his hand. “Don’t tell Castello.” He looked at me, both scared and cautious. “Let’s see if it’s positive first.” I tried to play down my reaction. “I don’t want to worry him unnecessarily if I’m not even pregnant to begin with.” Doc continued to stare at me, his nose all scrunched up. “Okay,” he finally conceded. “I’ll be back with the test in an hour.” I sagged back into the bed. If there was anything left inside me to vomit, I would have been hunched

over the second Doc closed that door. Pregnant? That was just not fucking possible. Out of all the messed up situations I had found myself in the last few weeks, being pregnant was something I would not be able to get myself out of. No one could. Just the thought sent cold chills throughout my body, apprehension coating every inch of my skin with ice. How could I have been so irresponsible? Because you were too busy trying to not get killed. Even though my skin was cold, the blankets were too heavy. Suddenly it felt like the tiniest piece of fabric against my body made it almost impossible to breathe. I got up and walked to the bathroom. I grabbed ahold of the sink, my legs weak and my arms shaking. I can’t be pregnant. I just can’t. Everything that currently surrounded me was just too sordid, too dark for me to bear another human life. An innocent life. And what would Castello do? What would he do if I were pregnant? Would he throw me out, me and the bastard I was carrying? Jesus, he was going to be so mad at me. With everything that was going on, this was the last thing he needed—the last thing we needed. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Would he see me as used, and not desire me anymore? Would

our baby just be another weakness for him? Oh God. Panic wrapped around my throat, gripping tight, choking all the air out of my lungs. I couldn’t even fathom what the consequences would be if I had to carry a Fattore child inside me. I didn’t even know what was happening between me and Castello, or where we would ultimately end up. Everything was so fucked up at the moment. Less than an hour ago I basically sentenced a man to death. The worst part? I liked it. I loved the power, the thrill of knowing that I was capable of extracting at least some of the revenge I needed for my father’s murder. How could I be a mother? How could someone as twisted as me, someone who didn’t know what the fuck she was doing half the time raise a child to be strong enough to survive this cruel world we lived in? I placed my palm against my belly. Please God, I can’t be pregnant. I splashed some water on my face hoping like hell that this was all just a goddamn dream…just like the dream I had of Castello telling me he loved me. What was happening to me? I brushed my teeth, the hollow feeling of nerves mixed with a sickening churn of worry still lying heavily inside my gut. Not even a hot shower managed to cleanse me from the dreaded feeling. No matter how much I thought about it, I just couldn’t convince myself that being pregnant

would have at least one silver lining. The entire situation between Castello and I was just too fucked-up. There was just no way. “Miss Linscott?” My stomach dropped when I heard Doc. Had he been gone an hour already? I wrapped a towel around me and walked to the bathroom door. “Do you have the test?” There was a somber expression on his face, as if he too knew that this had the potential to be an incomprehensible fuck-up. He nodded. “In fact, I brought two.” He held out the paper bag, and for the life of me I couldn’t move. I couldn’t reach out to take the bag from him. Every muscle seized up and I was incapable of moving. “Miss Linscott. You need to do the test.” With a heartbeat that thundered against my ribs, the rapid beating echoing inside my head, I managed to take the bag from him. Funny how one tiny little bag could have such power. How peeing on a stick could be so goddamn frightening. I closed the door and pulled both boxes from the bag. When I woke up this morning, I never imagined my day would end with me putting my fate on a thin white stick. A few deep breaths, and two pregnancy tests later, my fate was sealed. There were two lines. Two little pink lines that

taunted me. The longer I stared at it, the more those lines suffocated me. I always liked the soft feminine color, but today I hated it. Two pregnancy tests and both confirmed something I would not be able to hide from. I was pregnant…with Castello Fattore’s child. “Miss Linscott, are you finished?” For the first time in what felt like hours I tore my gaze from the sticks that now held all the power, and I looked at the door. Doc couldn’t know. He would tell Castello. Not because he wanted to, but because he would have no choice. His loyalty to Castello would demand that the truth be spoken, and I wasn’t ready to face the truth. I didn’t want Castello to know. God. I didn’t want to know. “Miss Linscott?” “Yeah.” I pulled my hand through my hair. “I’m done.” How could I keep this from Doc? I could say the tests were negative and I threw them away, but something told me Doc would want to see the tests. After all, trust wasn’t something anyone in this household knew how to do. I had to find another way to keep Doc quiet until I’ve had a chance to think this through. But what could I possibly do that would make Doc keep my secret? I glanced up at the mirror, my reflection staring back at me. I’ve come such a long way. I’ve

survived so much. I watched a man get executed after I was the one who passed judgement. And Castello now seemed to think I had the strength, and the hunger for revenge to rule in this world alongside him. Maybe the time has come for me to embrace this life Castello had given me, and to make use of the power that came with it. Judging by how good it felt to see Castello put a bullet in Ricardo’s skull, I was pretty sure I could do this. I had to. I straightened and squared my shoulders. It was time for me to stop acting like the goddamn victim, and allow the strength in me to take control. I walked out of the bathroom and held out the two positive tests to Doc. “Mio Dio.” Dear God. He looked up at me. “You are pregnant.” I just nodded while I watched the expression on his face. It was obvious that just like me he didn’t know how this would affect my life—all our lives. “We need to tell Castello.” He rushed toward the door, but I intercepted. “Not yet.” His eyes narrowed. “Miss Linscott, he has a right to know.” “And I will tell him…when the time is right.” “And when is that?” I gave a step forward. “When I say it’s right.” He leaned his head to the side. “I have a loyal

duty to inform Castello that you are with-child. I’m sorry, Miss Linscott, but he has to know.” With another step forward I tried my best to seem confident. It was like Castello said, being nervous showed that you lacked confidence, and when you lacked confidence others would see it as weakness. Right now, I couldn’t afford any weakness. “I need this to stay between us, for now.” “Miss Linsc—” “If you say a word of this to anyone, I will make sure to tell Castello what happened here today.” He stepped back. “What are you talking about?” “You touched me, Doc. Remember?” I cocked my head to the side, pulling the best goddamn poker face in history. “You took advantage of me while I was hunched over the bed throwing-up.” Grooves formed on his forehead, gray eyebrows slanted up. “That is a lie.” I plastered a wicked smile on my face. “Is it?” “Yes!” he blurted out, his eyes wide and worried. “That is a blatant lie.” “And who do you think Castello will believe? You? Or the woman he killed his own mother for?” As the threat left my mouth, I felt the power strengthen me. I felt the euphoria of knowing I would get what I want, and I would have this man under my thumb. With a simple threat and the dark sound of warning I would force this man to keep

my secret. He stared at me for the longest time, and as the seconds turned to minutes, I knew he was fully aware about the fact that he had no choice. “Well done, Miss Linscott,” he sneered, his lips pulled in a straight line. I will keep your secret, but this is something you won’t be able to hide forever. ” I stepped back, relaxing a little. “I don’t plan on keeping this secret forever. I just need some time.” Doc rounded me and walked toward the door. “While you take your time, we need to have a few blood tests done, and a sonogram.” I turned to face him. “Could you arrange that? You know, without anyone knowing?” He turned his gaze to the ceiling while taking a deep breath. I was putting his loyalty to Castello on the line, in turn putting his life on the line as well. But unfortunately for him this was one of those situations that demanded I be selfish and do everything I can to protect myself…and my unborn child. “Fine. I’ll try to arrange it. But, Miss Linscott, do not underestimate Castello. He might be the quiet type, but he is very observant.” And with that he left the room. Doc was right. Castello was a very observant man. Nothing got past him. I had to make sure I didn’t act differently, or give him any reason to

believe I was hiding something from him. I placed my hand on my belly. But as Doc said, this wasn’t a secret I would be able to hide forever. I needed to figure out what my options were, and I needed to figure that out fast. If only I knew how he truly felt about me. If only I didn’t feel all this uncertainty when it came to him—to us. Maybe then I wouldn’t have felt like I needed to keep this pregnancy a secret. Maybe then this would actually be something I could share with him—something we could share together. Just the thought of it caused a feint flutter inside my belly and me hoping that maybe…just maybe this wouldn’t turn out as bad as I thought it would.

12

CASTELLO I’ve done some pretty bad shit in my life. I’ve stolen, lied, murdered, but nothing I’ve done had me in a situation where I experienced the bone chilling fear that had the potential to bring a grown man to his knees. Until today. Today I felt that fear. I experienced it as I watched Tatum faint, her body going completely limp as if all life had been drained out of her in a split second. It was the most terrifying moment of my life…so far. Somehow I had the feeling I’d be experiencing more of these bone numbing moments with Tatum in my life. I don’t know what it is about her, but I just can’t stop myself from wanting to protect her, to keep her away from harm. Wasn’t it

fucking ironic how I went from hating her to loving her? Loving her… I couldn’t be sure, but I got the feeling that she didn’t remember my words. There was no recognition in her eyes when she woke up. It was as if she still didn’t know how I truly felt about her. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe I spoke too soon, acted on impulse. I needed to start thinking with my head around her, not with my heart and cock. If one wasn’t careful, love could easily become a weakness. After all, it’s those we loved the most who had the power to destroy us. “Is everything okay?” Uncle Gino looked up as I walked into the study. “Yes. She’s fine. Just had a dizzy spell.” “Good. I’m not surprised though. She’s been through so much.” I took a seat across from him. “Yeah, so I’ve been told.” I pulled my palms down my face. It wasn’t even two in the afternoon and already I felt exhausted. When I looked up I noticed Uncle Gino staring at me with a huge-ass grin on his face. “What?” “You did good today.” I rubbed my hand through my hair before leaning back in the couch. “Yeah. Why do you say that?” “I had my doubts about your plan, having Tatum

present during Ricardo’s interrogation. But it worked.” “Too bad she fainted twenty minutes later.” He snorted. “I’m surprised she didn’t faint right there on the spot. She’s a fighter, Castello. A real strong woman.” “I know.” He leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees. “She would make a great wife, Castello.” My gaze shot to his. “What?” “You heard me.” I got up from the couch and grabbed a glass, pouring myself a stiff drink of bourbon. “You do love her, don’t you?” I swallowed, then glanced at him before turning my gaze down to the glass in my hand. “Since when does love have to do with anything?” “Since everything you’ve been doing lately is because you’ve fallen in love with her.” I turned to face him. “What do you mean everything I’ve been doing lately?” He got up from his chair, the smug grin still on his face. “This is my house, Castello. Not much happens around here without me knowing.” He poured himself a drink. “I know you had an entire wardrobe bought for her and sent up to your room. And I also know that the reason you pushed her today with Ricardo wasn’t only to prepare her, but to give her what she needs. Revenge.”

I continued to watch him as he took a sip of his drink. “And the real reason you decided to be the leader of this family, to go up against your brother isn’t because of some ego trip where you could show Vico your balls are bigger than his.” I couldn’t help but snort at his choice of words. “But my balls are bigger than his.” “That might true.” He saluted me with his drink. “But you and I both know the reason you stepped up as acting Boss is because you know it’s the only way you can give Tatum the protection she needs. The security.” Observant motherfucker. “That doesn’t change anything.” He took a seat again, and I sat down across from him. “You’re right. It doesn’t. In fact, I for one think it was a very wise decision you made.” I cocked a brow. “You do?” “Yes.” He leaned back. “Tatum is no ordinary woman, Castello. She might not know it, but she was born to rule. She has a rare inner strength that will help her turn her pain into power. You will find no better match for yourself, and if an old man’s opinion is still worth something, I’d tell you to marry her tomorrow.” I downed the rest of my drink. “Slow down, Uncle Gino. I have no plans of getting married.”

“Why not?” I balked at his blunt question. “It’s complicated.” “And by it you mean Tatum.” It wasn’t a question. “Uncle Gino, just spit out what you want to say. You know I hate it when you talk in circles.” I placed my glass on the table, and settled into the couch curious as to what my uncle’s motive was around this entire conversation. He eyed me speculatively before too placing his glass down. “Fine. I’ll be frank.” “Thank God.” “A marriage between you and Tatum would be the perfect way for you to show Vico you are not afraid, that you are not hiding.” I shrugged. “But I’m not afraid. I’m not hiding.” “You’re hiding her.” “Was me making her a part of Ricardo’s interrogation and execution not proof enough that I’m not hiding her?” “It’s not enough, Castello. She’s still inside these walls, hidden from the outside world. You need to show Vico you’re confident in the choices you made. By hiding her, you’re letting everyone think you’re afraid, that you think your brother has the means to take what is yours. He already suspects that the best way to get to you is through her. Show him that you do not fear him or the vendetta he has against you. That you are confident enough to take

risks.” I leaned forward, gritting my teeth. “I will not risk her.” “Then that is your first mistake.” I jumped up from my seat. “Would you risk Angelique? Would you risk your own wife?” Uncle Gino too stood up from his seat. “I put her at risk every goddamn day. Every time she steps out of this house, whether at my side or not, her life is at risk. For as long as I’m breathing her life will be at risk. It’s a constant threat, a threat that will never go away. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take, a threat I’m willing to face if it means I can give her and my children even the tiniest resemblance of a normal life. And if you care about Tatum at all, you would do the same. She is not an animal you can keep caged in.” I leaned even closer to him. “And if something had to happen to Angelique because you decided the risk was worth it, what then?” Sadness clouded his expression, worry lines forming across his face. “If something should happen to her because of me, living without her would be the worst punishment. The pain and grief I would feel every day of my life would be my penance.” I continued to stare at him. Uncle Gino and I might not have seen eye to eye at the beginning, but I respected him. I trusted him. And I knew he

loved his wife, his children more than anything else. But like me, he was trapped in the Fattore curse. Being a member of our family had its advantages, but men like us paid dearly for it. Every privilege had a price. Uncle Gino placed his hand on my shoulder. “Having her in your life would mean constant worry for you. But not having her in your life would be a constant torture. Now which is the lesser of two evils, Castello?” “Living in torture, but knowing she’s safe is the unselfish thing to do.” Uncle Gino smiled before patting his palm on my cheek. “Unfortunately, we are human, which means we are a selfish species.” He walked toward the door. “And, Castello, bring her to dinner tonight. I’d like her to meet Angelique. After all, she has been living in my home for weeks now. It would be the unselfish thing to do…for you to share her with us.” He winked, and walked out. Why did it feel like every time my uncle and I engaged in some sort of conversation it always ended up with us discussing Tatum? It was like he saw right through me, as if he knew what I was thinking and feeling whenever he looked at me. But could he be right? Was me keeping Tatum hidden a mistake? I didn’t hide her because I wanted to. I was only trying to protect her. I knew

my little brother better than anyone. Tatum would be his target, not me. Even though I was the one who pulled the trigger, killing our mother, the entire war raging between us now started with her…and I was afraid it would ultimately end with her.

13

TATUM When I heard his footsteps outside the bedroom door, I held my breath. He seemed to know me better than I knew myself. How was I going to manage keeping my secret from him? I tied my robe, my hands brushing against my stomach. My heart skipped a beat. I have to keep this secret. “Why are you not in bed?” I looked up. “I’m feeling better.” “Doc tells me he’s been up here to see you again.” My heart stopped. “What else did Doc tell you?” “Just that he’s sure your fainting spell was stress related.”

I let out a breath, and tried to muster up a smile. “See, I told you I was fine.” He sauntered toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. He managed to always make me feel like the prey whenever he approached me with such confidence, such hunger reflecting in his eyes. “Uncle Gino would like us to join them for dinner. Are you up for it?” No. “Yes.” He smiled. “Good.” He took my chin between his fingers. “After dinner, I’m going to find out just how fine you really are.” My body shivered, the sound of hidden promises in his words making me hyper aware of the sexual tension that always sparked between us. It was undeniable. Neither he nor I could stop it, or fight against it. It was like a force of nature which no one could control. I didn’t want it controlled. Unfortunately, our situation no longer depended on what I wanted, or what Castello wanted. It was no longer just us. I gave a subtle step back. “I suppose I need to get ready for dinner then.” “Why did you do that?” His brows slanted inward. “Do what?” “You stepped away from me. Why?” “I didn’t.” His eyes narrowed. “You did.”

My heart started to race, and the way he looked at me had me nervous. He stepped closer and without warning his arm shot out and he grabbed my hair pulling my head back. “Don’t ever do that again. Do you understand?” I swallowed hard, dark angry eyes boring into mine. I knew the right thing—the normal thing— for me to think right then was for him not to hurt me. But by the way he tightened his grip at the back of my head, the pain that seared my scalp, all it did was wake my body, igniting a fire that could only be extinguished with ecstasy. Right at that moment, all I wanted—needed—was for him to wrap his other arm around me and show me how truly twisted we really were. He gave another jerk, and I yelped as a strong current of need crashed against my core the same time I felt the pain of him pulling my hair. “I asked, do you understand?” I lifted my chin, and kept my gaze on his. “Yes.” His gaze moved from my eyes to my lips, and I could feel how hard and ready he was for me. God, I wanted him. I wanted him so much, my entire body ached. His tongue slipped out of his mouth, and eased over his lips. It made me want to taste him. I wanted to be reminded of the bittersweet taste of him in my mouth. “Tonight,” he whispered with a promise, and let

go of my hair. I remained still, not daring to move. Firstly because he had already warned me never to step away from him again, and secondly because my body was under his spell, heeding no other command than to be taken by him. He stepped back, and his eyes made no secret as to what he wanted. His gaze alone told stories of sordid affairs and wicked touches. “Go get ready while I pick out something for you to wear.” “You won’t let me pick my clothing?” The corner of his mouth turned up in a sly grin. “Of course not.” Of course not. Castello was not a man who would willingly change his possessive ways…and I loved it. Even though I was the one whose choices were taken away, I liked the sense of power it gave me to know a man like Castello Fattore felt possessive over me. The more time I spent in his presence, the more I submitted to him, the more I realized how much I loved rendering such powerful actions from a man as influential and powerful as Castello. On my way to the bathroom, I stopped by the door, keeping my back toward him. Slowly, seductively I untied my robe and gently eased it off my body until it pooled around my feet. By the way my skin tingled, and my stomach clenched, I knew

he was watching me. I could feel his gaze caressing me, touching me, claiming me. It was something I could easily have grown addicted to—the feeling of being wanted by a man to a point where he needed to control all of you. Without saying a word I walked into the bathroom, not closing the door behind me. He had warned me the day before to not close the bathroom door. And I was an obedient little mouse, for I had long realized my reward was worth every choice I was being denied. When I stepped into the shower I realized that for the last ten minutes, while I was under the spell of a man that now ruled every aspect of my life, I didn’t once think about the two pink lines. Two thin little pink lines that I had to keep hidden for as long as possible. As I walked out of the bathroom Castello stood by the closet holding out a white cocktail dress. I moved toward him. “You seem to have a thing for white dresses.” “I have a thing for you in white dresses.” He held up his other hand. “And heels, too.” I snickered. The mischievous grin on his face showed a different side to him, a playful side…a human side. I dropped the towel I had wrapped around me, and as Castello continued to watch me I slowly pulled the dress on. It was a sleeveless dress with

sparkly beads creating a belt around the waist. And unlike the one I wore earlier, this one had a flair from the waist down. I closed the zip on the side when Castello went on his knees. What is he doing? Softly he wrapped his hands around my ankle, caressing my skin. I couldn’t take my eyes off him crouched before me as he gently slipped the stiletto heeled shoe on my foot. It was something I never thought I’d see—Castello on his knees in front of me. This big, powerful man was on the floor kneeling, placing a shoe on my foot like he was the slave and I the mistress—the queen. The sight took my breath away, and it made my heart feel too big for my chest. The moment felt so surreal. Fingertips caressed my skin, setting my body on fire inch by inch, his touch burning straight through to my soul. No words were spoken, yet the silence felt light, calm, as if for those few minutes everything between us was right…normal. There was no role playing, yet it seemed like he had given up the dominance he yielded over me for so long, showing me that a part of him was submitting to me. A part of him needed me—needed to please me. I knew for as long as we were together he would be my dominant, my master, my king—and I wouldn’t want it any other way. But now I realized that I meant more to him than I thought. There was no

way a raw, alpha man like Castello Fattore who was driven by his most primal desires would go on his knees for anyone…unless that person meant something to him. I meant something to him. His fingertips caressed my skin as his touch moved up my leg, leaving burning flesh in its wake. With ease he placed my foot down before wrapping his fingers around my other ankle. This time I closed my eyes as he placed the shoe on my foot, fingertips travelling up the inside of my leg. Slowly his touch moved up…and up…and up. His hand wasn’t yet between my legs, but it felt like he was already caressing me, touching me, causing my body to weep tears of lust and desire. He was still on his knees, making me feel like his queen in every way, and by God it felt euphoric. Castello was right when he said that some things couldn’t be said with words, because right now he was telling me everything I wanted to know by showing me one simple act of submission. I felt the subtlest touch of his fingers against my slit and I moaned, my head falling back. I didn’t even notice he had straightened in front of me, not until I felt his lips placing a tender kiss on my shoulder. “Perfezione.” Perfection. “Tu sei la bellezza nel mio mondo oscuro.” You are the beauty in my dark world.

I leaned my head to the side. “E tu sei il mio Dio.” And you are the God of mine. A low, heady growl escaped him, and he cupped me hard between my legs. “Do not speak such words, little mouse.” “Why not?” His finger entered me, and I moaned as my body welcomed it inside me. “Because a devil like me would use those words to justify the claim I have taken over you. A claim that was taken without your consent.” His finger kept its slow rhythm, only going deeper, pushing harder. I grabbed ahold of his shoulders, my legs threatening to give way beneath me. “No,” I whispered. “You have not taken anything from me without consent.” I leaned closer, my lips brushing against his ear. “I give it…freely.” “Cristo, aiutami.” Christ, help me. He pulled me hard against him, one finger joined by another. My body was being rushed toward the edge by his brutal touch. Breaths escaped me in huffs of greedy desire, the feeling of his cock pressing into my hip causing me to ache with the need to feel it inside me. “Nessuna donna.” No woman. It felt like he ripped his fingers from my body, the throbbing ache forcing a desperate moan from my mouth.

He took my face in his hand, gripping tight. The evidence of my desire coated his fingers, the scent of my lust assaulting my sense of smell like a potent aphrodisiac. “You will seduce me to my own death, woman.” His jaw ticked, his teeth clenched. The elongated pupil in his eye showed the anger and the lust— anger because I almost made him lose control, and lust because he wanted me to make him lose control. He wiped a wet finger across my lips, and I could taste the sweetness of my depraved desire for a man who once dreamed about my death. “Tonight, I won’t give you what you need. Tonight, little mouse, I’ll take from you what I need.”

14

TATUM Castello and I stepped out on the deck, and suddenly all eyes were on us. The only people I recognized among all the guests were Doc and Uncle Gino. Doc and I gave each other knowing looks, and my stomach turned. He has to keep my secret. I walked beside Castello as he held my hand. It felt good—being at his side, dressed and feeling like a worthy woman. Every glance our way—my way—wasn’t filled with hate or disdain as I was used to getting from the Fattore family. But of respect and acknowledgement. It made me feel confident, as if I might actually be where I belong. Castello stopped by a table stacked with glasses

of champagne. “Here.” He handed me a glass, and I hesitated just for a second before taking the glass from him. “Thank you.” With one hand holding the glass, I placed the other over my belly. If I didn’t drink this glass of champagne, Castello would notice. Castello always noticed. I held the glass to my lips, and turned my back toward him pretending to admire our surroundings. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice that I wasn’t taking an actual sip of the champagne. “It’s beautiful out here,” I remarked as I stared out over the garden. Castello stepped up behind me, his chest barely touching my back, but nevertheless it made shiver. “Uncle Gino’s wife, Angelique, has a great talent and love for gardening. You will meet her tonight.” I glanced over my shoulder. “May I?” He smiled, and held out his hand gesturing toward the stairs that led to the garden. Castello followed my every step as I walked down the pebbled path, admiring the beauty and the colors. White magnolias, vibrant colored birds of paradise, beautiful orange and yellow dahlias, and I smelled the sweet scent of orchids before I saw them. For a moment I was lost within the colors. I walked within a world of beauty and perfection, untainted by the greed and the hate of man. Like

most artists, I didn’t see shapes and lines, but emotions that shined through ever color, feelings that spoke through every outline and silhouette. It was beautiful…peaceful. I felt Castello’s hand at the curve of my back. “It is truly magnificent to see you get lost within a world of your own.” I glanced at him. “Are you not in this world with me right at this moment?” Castello stared out in front of him. “My world has been black and gray for too long, little mouse.” “It’s not too late to open your eyes to a different world, Castello.” He looked down at me, eyes narrowed as he studied my face. “Maybe.” I smiled and stared at the pebbled path. The pinks and yellows of dusk, the sweet scent of flowers, and the chirping birds as they made their way back to their nests made this moment feel almost…romantic. “Oh, look.” I stepped off the path and into the soil. I didn’t care that I was probably ruining the five hundred dollar set of heels I was wearing. I stared up at the vine, and placed my fingers beneath the purple and white petals. “It’s a passion flower. Isn’t it beautiful?” Castello leaned over my shoulder. “It sure is a very unique looking flower.” “Very. The passion flower belongs to the

Passifloraceae family. It consists of ten sepals and petals. It’s the unique shape that makes it my favorite flower.” He placed his hands gently on my hips. “Why so?” I glanced up at him over my shoulder. “For me different is good. Unique is beautiful. A common beauty loses its appeal when adored by too many.” His fingertips travelled down over the curve of my hips, earning a shiver from my body. “A certain beauty can never lose its appeal.” Soft lips touched the skin of my neck, and I closed my eyes. “May I ask which certain beauty you are referring to?” The tip of his tongue moved all the way up the side of my neck until he reached my ear. “The beauty of watching you, witnessing you come undone under my touch. There is nothing as beautiful as you when you embrace and unleash your most carnal desires.” Slowly he started to pull up my dress. “Tell me more.” “About what?” “The flower. Tell me more about the flower.” His fingertips brushed my skin as he pulled the skirt of my dress all the way up, the cold spring air wafting across my naked ass. From where we were standing we could see the crowd on the deck through the passion flower vine. I was looking directly at them, but they couldn’t

see us through the thick green leaves—I hoped. “The passion flower is a part of five hundred species of flowering plants.” His finger traced all along the slit of my ass. “Go on.” “Most species are found in South America, eastern and southern Asia, and New Guinea.” The sound of his zipper made me suck in a breath, my body already primed and ready to be taken by him. Soft fingertips traced circles all around my flesh, and then I felt his cock gently prodding at the apex of my thighs. “Continue talking while you open for me, little mouse.” I pushed my ass out a little, giving him access, and I whimpered when I felt his cock slowly pushing between my legs. “The passion flower has a unique structure—oh God,” I moaned when he nudged against my entrance. “Don’t stop, little mouse.” With one hand I grabbed ahold of the vine, every muscle inside my body clenched tight with anticipation. “The passion flower has a unique structure—” he eased his cock inside me “—which requires a large bee to effectively pollinate.” “Go on.” I pushed my hips out just as he gave a hard thrust

forward. I dropped my glass of champagne and grabbed the passion flower with my other hand crumpling the petals in my palm. “Passion flowers have great calming effects and is used in medicine to treat insomnia.” Castello started to move faster as he eased in and out of me. I continued to keep my gaze on the crowd who were completely oblivious to what Castello and I were doing in the garden. “Keep on talking.” He pulled me harder against him, pushing deeper inside me. “Jesus,” I moaned. “I said keep talking.” His palm met the skin of my thigh with a loud crack, and I sucked in a breath. “Spanish explorers learned about passion flowers from native Peruvians.” Harder, deeper, faster. I gripped the flowers and leaves tighter in my palms. “They named these plants for their resemblance to a crucifix.” My voice was nothing more than whimpers and rapid breaths. “The Passion is a term used to describe the final period of Jesus Christ’s life, including his crucifixion.” Castello started to pound into me. His flesh slapping against mine, and the sound of his cock entering my weeping body over and over and over again, created a filthy melody to fill the air around us.

“Fiore della passione,” I whispered, and felt him pour every ounce of his pleasure inside me. I pushed my ass out even more since I was right there at the edge, ready to get pushed over. But Castello stilled behind me, easing his grip on my hips. “I’m not going to let you come.” He swiped my hair to the side and placed a kiss just below my neck. “I want you to walk around tonight, needy and wanting.” He moved his other hand around my waist and his hand dipped between my legs. “I want you to ache right here.” He pushed his finger against my clit before dragging it toward my entrance. “And I want you to spend every moment thinking of how fucking good it’s going to feel the next time I’m inside you.” “Castello.” I wanted to beg, but he brought his finger up to my lips. “Shh. Don’t talk, just obey.” He spun me around, my body still buzzing with need and lust which I knew would not dissipate, not before he gave me what I needed. And after the simple act of submission he had shown me earlier, I needed him more than ever. Not just my body, but my mind, my soul…my heart. Deep down I’ve known that I had fallen for this man when I was still his prisoner, but I just wasn’t ready to admit it to him…or myself. But the words were starting to burn my throat, trickling on my tongue, begging to

be said. It was only a matter of time before those words would slip out and become reality. With intense, dark, mysterious eyes he stared at me while removing the blue tie from his shirt collar. “Even though I would love nothing more than to see your thighs dripping wet with my cum while you mingle with our guests tonight, I don’t think everyone would appreciate the sight as much as I would.” He placed his tie between my legs and rubbed the silk against my wet folds. It took every ounce of my self-control for me not to rock my hips. My body was that goddamn desperate for release. Castello cleaned my inner thighs, then tucked the dirty tie in his jacket pocket. He took my hand in his and opened my palm, revealing the purple crumpled petals of what once was a beautiful passion flower. “It’s so easy to destroy a delicate beauty, to watch it wither and wilt.” He took my chin between his fingers lifting my face toward him. I shivered as he placed a gentle kiss at the corner of my mouth. “I pray I don’t destroy you, little mouse.” *** We walked up the stairs, my body still electrified by what Castello and I had just done. It felt oddly thrilling walking among the other guests knowing they were completely oblivious to the fact that

Castello and I had just fucked in the garden, and that the apex of my thighs still bore the evidence. But it wasn’t just my body that felt alive, my heart felt as if it had the power to break through my chest. I was happy. There was a part of me that felt…happy. Castello leaned in to me as we approached his uncle. “That pussy of yours better stay wet for me, little mouse.” He stepped away just as his uncle came within hearing distance. “Uncle Gino.” “Castello, I was wondering where you two were.” “I was just giving Tatum a tour of your beautiful garden.” He placed his hand on my back, and heat spread along my cheeks. I was flushing again. “Ah. My wife deserves all the credit when it comes to our garden.” He glanced around until his gaze found a blonde woman standing by the table with the champagne glasses—an American woman. “Angelique,” he called out. “Come meet Tatum Linscott.” The woman smiled, and she picked up two champagne glasses. I watched her with intent as she walked toward us. Uncle Gino, I guessed, was probably in his fifties while this woman looked no older than mid-thirties, yet Castello had told me they had been married for twenty two years. She was beautiful. Light blonde curls hung just above

her shoulders, and with her slender frame she looked amazing in the navy-blue cocktail dress she was wearing. It was easy to see that she was well taken care of. Uncle Gino reached out and placed his arm around her waist. “Angelique, this is Tatum Linscott, Castello’s guest. Tatum, this is my lovely wife, Angelique.” She smiled and held out a champagne glass. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Tatum.” “And you.” I smiled in return as I took the glass from her, trying to think of a way to get rid of it without making Castello suspicious. “Castello took her on a tour of your lovely garden,” Uncle Gino said, beaming as he stared at his wife. It was obvious that he loved her. It was written in the way he looked at her. “You do have a lovely garden, Mrs. Fattore.” “Yes,” Castello chimed in. “Tatum is especially fond of the passion flowers. She told me all about it.” I almost choked on the damn breath I took, and glared his way. But Castello’s face remained stoic. Sly mother— “Oh yes, the passion flower are one of my favorites too,” Angelique said before taking a sip of her champagne. I took it as my cue to pretend like I’m drinking as well by merely touching the glass to my lips.

“I hope Castello has been making you feel at home during your stay here.” Angelique shot him a coy look. “He has been very reluctant to share you with us.” “Oh believe me, Angelique, I’m reluctant to share her with anyone.” Castello allowed his hand to drop just above the curve of my behind, and my body willed him to touch me so much more. Uncle Gino let go of his wife. “Castello, could I have a word with you?” “Sure, Uncle.” Castello leaned into me and placed a kiss on my cheek before whispering, “Stay wet for me.” I bit into my lower lip, my body instantly electrified, everything south of my navel clenched tight. How did he do it? How did he manage to turn me into a needy whore with nothing but words? Angelique stepped closer as we both stared after the men. “Castello reminds me a lot of Gino.” “How so?” She smiled. “He has that same passion, that same protectiveness when it comes to those he cares about. His father and Carlo never shared that passion.” I shifted nervously as the memory of Carlo came rushing back. Angelique was right. Carlo didn’t have the same passion as Castello. He wasn’t nearly the kind of man Castello was. Carlo was charming, charismatic, amiable…tame, while

Castello was fierce, ardent, volatile, and unpredictable. Twins who couldn’t have been more different. That was, if I ever really knew the real Carlo. “Can I ask you something?” I turned to face Angelique. “Of course.” “What is it like…you know, being married to a man who is part of such a powerful family?” She stared at me knowingly, as if she could see the reasoning behind my question. “It’s—how can I put it—challenging at times. Italian men are not easy to live with. And like I said, Gino and Castello are both very passionate men.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “But when they love, they love fiercely, and there is nothing like being loved by a Fattore man.” I smiled shyly. “Oh, I don’t think I’m loved by a Fattore man.” She held her lips against her glass as she stared at me. “I do not believe for one second you are that naïve.” “Naïve?” She took a sip of champagne. “I see the way he looks at you, Miss Linscott.” “Tatum. Please call me Tatum.” “Tatum then.” We started toward the steeled rail at the end of the deck. “I’ve seen Castello with a few women over the years, and believe me when I

say that he has never looked at any of them the way he looks at you.” “And…how does he look at me?” Her full lips curved at the corners. “Exactly the way his uncle looks at me.” I twirled the champagne glass between my fingers, thinking about the dream I had of Castello telling me he loved me. Somehow, deep inside, I liked the idea of Castello loving me. Somewhere within the depths of my heart I think I wanted him to love me. I placed my hand on my belly wondering what it would mean for me—for us—if Castello had to love me. For the first time since seeing those two little pink lines it all seemed simple. If he loved me, surely he would love the life growing inside me. “Is there something wrong with your drink?” I looked up at Angelique. “No. Not at all.” “You haven’t been drinking. Are you feeling okay?” Her blue-green eyes stared at me with suspicion, and then her gaze dropped to my hand holding my belly. “Gino told me you weren’t feeling well earlier today, that you had a dizzy spell.” I immediately removed my hand, then pretended to take another sip of my drink. The liquid barely touched my lips before I brought my glass back down. “I’m fine. Doc thinks it’s just stress.” Her eyes narrowed. “Yes…I’m sure it is.”

We stared at each other for what felt like forever. I felt uncomfortable under her gaze, but not because of any hostility between us. In fact, I liked her. But I felt uncomfortable because it seemed like she was staring right through me, straight at the secret I was carrying inside me. I shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m going to go find Castello.” Just as I walked passed her, she called out, “Tatum.” “Yes.” I turned to face her, and she gently took the glass of champagne from my hand while giving me a knowing look. “Don’t try to understand him. Rather trust in him. Men like Castello are impossible to understand…yet easy to love.” She gave me a heart-warming smile before joining the other guests. I remained still, staring after her for the longest time. Something about her reminded me of my own mother. The way she carried herself, the way sophistication followed her like a shadow. Even her blonde hair resembled my mother’s. For the first time since all this started I longed to see my mother again. When we first arrived here after that fateful, horrible day, Castello and I had only addressed the subject of my family once. I asked him what would happen to them, and his answer was simple, “Nothing. Nothing would happen to them as long as they knew…nothing.”

I didn’t even dare ask Castello what they had been told, what happened to me and my father. I didn’t want to know. Not knowing was better for me—especially now. Besides, after everything that had happened, would I be able to go back to them, back to my old life? I glanced at Castello still chatting with his Uncle. No. I don’t think I’d ever be able to return to a normal life—whatever normal was. Castello had become my new normal. Our gazes met, and his dark stare conveyed the same message he had whispered in my ear earlier. “Stay wet for me.”

15

CASTELLO “Tatum looks like she’s feeling better.” Uncle Gino glanced to where Tatum was standing. “She does, yes.” I kept my eyes on her. I noticed that she and Angelique had been in deep conversation earlier, before Angelique joined the other guests. Even though Uncle Gino and I were talking business, Tatum still had my attention. She demanded my attention. “I suppose she has been asking about her mother and her brother?” I took a sip of my drink. I never liked champagne. I’m more of a bourbon kind of man. “Actually, she hasn’t. Not since we first arrived.”

“Huh. That’s odd. They were close I presume. Tatum and her mother?” I shrugged. “I think so. But Tatum is a very… complex woman. I don’t think she really fit in with the rest of her family.” Uncle Gino glanced at her, then back at me. “Well it seems to me that she’s fitting in well with this family.” He gave me a sly look, a look that was meant to bring up the conversation he and I had had earlier. “Marriage is not at the top of my priority list at the moment, Uncle.” “Yet she is?” “Of course.” “Then how can marriage not be at the top alongside her?” For a moment I remained silent. He would never understand the complicated relationship Tatum and I had. We weren’t put together like the rest of the ‘normal’ world. Nothing about us was normal or uncomplicated. We fucked, and we fucked hard. And whenever we were together, we were like two monsters playing in the dark, pushing the limits —our limits. And after today, I had something special planned for her. Something that had the potential to push her too far. But I had to do it. I had to see if she trusted me. And what I had planned, she would only survive if I had all her trust.

“Okay, maybe this is a topic for another day.” Uncle Gino’s voice penetrated my thoughts, and the way he was smiling at me made me think he knew something I didn’t. Something neither Tatum nor I knew. Observant motherfucker. “Do you have anything else on your mind, Uncle?” He frowned. “I trust that you know what you’re doing when it comes to her.” “What do you mean?” “You’re trying to harden her, trying to change her.” I took a sip of my drink. “It’s the only way.” “It’s going to have serious consequences, Castello.” “I’m aware of that, Uncle.” “Are you? By hardening Tatum, by making her hungry for revenge you are steering this situation to only one outcome.” I remained silent. “In the end you will have to choose. Tatum, or the only brother you have left. You cannot have both.” “It seems you underestimate me, Uncle.” The corners of his mouth turned up. “On the contrary, Castello, I think it’s only fools who would underestimate you.” I stepped closer. “Then you will know that I have already thought about each and every consequence

that would follow my actions. I already know where this path I have placed Tatum on is leading, and I am very well prepared for where it’s leading me. Besides—,” I shrugged, “—our world is too small for me and my brother. In the end, only one of us will survive…and rule.” Uncle Gino nodded, almost like a proud teacher to his student. “Good. As long as you know where your path is leading you, all is well.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “You have my support, Castello. You always will.” “Thank you, Uncle.” He stepped back. “Vico will try again. He did not succeed in intercepting our business with our Mexican supplier. But he is too arrogant to see that he would be better off giving up this foolish vendetta against us. One of my informants told me Vico may have found himself a new supplier.” My body tensed. “Who?” “I am not sure who, all I know is that it’s a Russian contact.” “Fuck!” I cursed. “How did he manage that?” “I have no idea. But I suspect we have two months at the most before Vico starts to become serious competition, and a great threat to our business. That’s if he manages to secure business with this Russian supplier.” I rubbed my chin as I walked deep in thought to the edge of the deck. Uncle Gino was right. Vico

was too stubborn, too arrogant to ever give up. He would not rest until he had destroyed me, until everyone accepted him as the new Boss. I glanced at Tatum. It was also only a matter of time before Vico made his next move. After all, his end game was to destroy me by killing Tatum. I knew that because if I were Vico, that would have been my plan. The best way to get to the beast was to take away something it couldn’t go without, its addiction. And in my case, it was Tatum. I’ve long accepted that. Which was why I knew this would all end with me driving a knife through Vico’s heart. It pained me. No matter what he did in the past, he remained my brother, my blood. But somewhere between plotting my revenge against the Linscotts and saving Tatum’s life, she had become more to me than my own blood. Uncle Gino stepped in next to me, but I kept my gaze on the horizon. “I know what I have to do, Uncle. And for her I would do it gladly.” “Then you need to get it done as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the bigger Vico’s threat becomes, and the more at risk Tatum becomes.” I too turned to face him. “I’m a patient man, Uncle. But that’s one thing my little brother is not. I won’t have to go looking for an end to all of this. Vico will bring it to me.”

Uncle Gino glanced over my shoulder. “It seems our conversation is done for now.” I turned and saw Tatum walking toward us. I found myself smiling as I stared at her. She was the prettiest thing, the most beautiful creature God had ever created. And she was mine. “Did I interrupt?” Her lips curved into a half smile, inviting me to kiss them…which I did. I placed my hand gently around her waist and kissed her softly. “No. But even if you did, it would be the most welcome interruption.” She lifted a brow. “Don’t tell me you’re turning into a hopeless romantic who has a way with words, Mr. Fattore.” “Never.” I placed another kiss just below her ear. “What I meant to say was, there is nothing in this world that would demand my attention more than the beautiful paradise between your legs.” I felt a shiver move through her body, and I grinned, my lips still touching her skin. “And there is nothing that would keep me from fucking pleasure into you every chance I get.” I could see her chest rise and fall, her breathing becoming more rapid with every word I spoke. There was no need to slip my hand between her legs in order for me to know she was wet. The way the air around us pulsed with desire, the way her body hummed with need, I could practically smell

her lust. I knew that she wanted me, that she wanted my cock inside her. “Is that better, Miss Linscott?” She was biting into her bottom lip, her blue irises dark with lust. “Much.” “Good. Now come with me. I have something to show you.”

16

TATUM With every step I took I could feel the ache between my legs intensify. I was throbbing with a need to be filled and fucked, to have Castello buried so deep inside me that I would have no choice but to allow the pleasure to take control over my body. I was no saint. I’ve always liked sex. But ever since I experienced it with Castello, tasted how deliciously sweet it could be when you let all your inhibitions go, it was like my mind and my body had grown addicted to it—to him. Today was the second time he had denied me pleasure. It has been far too long since I came around his cock, and I needed it. I was starting to

need it almost as much I needed air. My entire body felt electrified, unsatisfied, and my mind was starting to spin out of control with images and fantasies of sordid deeds and twisted lusts. “Here.” Castello stopped and nodded toward a door. It took me a moment to realize that the entire way here I had completely spaced out, my mind only thinking of one thing. Castello placed his hand on the doorknob. “I know how much your art means to you, that it’s your way of dealing with certain things. I also know it hasn’t been easy for you, everything that’s happened. So I want to make sure that you have your own space—” he shrugged “—you know, when things get too much.” I narrowed my eyes and watched with curiosity as he slowly opened the door. He gestured for me to walk in first, and when I saw what was inside, I sucked in a breath. “Castello.” He walked in and stopped beside me as my gaze swept across the room. There were blank canvases on easels. An entire table stacked with brushes, paint, chalk, pencils, and every other thing any artist would ever need. “This is your new studio. I’ve taken every measure to ensure you have everything you need here. But if there’s anything I might have missed, just tell me, and I will make sure you get it.”

Stunned, I looked up at him. “You did this for me?” “It appears that I have.” He continued to stare out in front of him. I took a moment to look at him, to study his face. Among all the supplies, all the things that would make any artist beam with joy, Castello was the masterpiece. He was a strong man. A man who could carry the world on his shoulders without ever showing any sign of burden. His intensity, and the power he exuded was something everyone around him could feel the second Castello entered a room. His presence demanded respect, even mine. No matter how big of a mind fuck he was to me, his authority over me was undeniable. “Why? Why did you do this for me?” I kept my gaze on him, hoping to see some kind of emotion. He placed his hands in his pants pockets. “Do I need a reason?” “No. But I do.” He glanced my way. “Why?” “Because you never tell me anything.” “I tell you a lot more than you need to know.” “I’m not talking about your family, and how you do things. I’m talking about us, about what it is that’s really happening between us.” He turned to face me directly. “And what do you think is happening between us?” “That’s what I’d like you to tell me.”

“I already did.” “What do you mean you already did?” He pulled his hands through his hair, frustration evident in the way his jaw ticked. “You see, Castello. You never tell me anything. The only thing you tell me without talking in riddles is how you will never let me go.” “Is that not enough then?” “No. No it’s not. I want to know why you’ll never let me go. I want to know why you are so goddamn afraid of me leaving. I want to know why you were so concerned when I fainted earlier.” “Is it wrong of me to show concern when you’re ill?” “No!” I spat out, my own frustration starting to get the better of me. “It’s not wrong for you to be concerned. It’s not wrong for you to not want to let me go, or to be afraid I’ll leave. I just want to know why.” Our gazes locked, and the world around us turned to gray. My heart was racing, my mouth dry as the silence between us stretched into a moment that felt like a lifetime. And while we stared at each other Angelique’s words repeated inside my head. “Don’t try to understand him. Rather trust in him.” It was probably the best advice anyone could have given me when it came to this man. Castello was a beautiful enigma, a perfect paradox, yet no one was as perfectly imperfect like him.

Don’t try to understand him. Tears started to prickle my eyes, threatening to escape. My heart felt too big for my chest, as if it would break through the bones at any second. The way he looked at me was almost as if he felt something. As if there was something more than just lust and selfishness inside him. But what? I needed to know what. Don’t try to understand him. I was first to break eye contact. The longer I stared into his eyes the more I wanted to see into his soul. “Thank you…for this.” I glanced around the room, feeling grateful for what he had given me, yet I felt discontented with what he had not…I wanted him to say the words. I wanted to hear him say what I meant to him. He held out his hand with a key in his palm. “There is only one key to this room, and it’s this one. No one else will be able to enter this room without your consent, not even me.” I took the key and held it gently between my fingers as if it could break. “I don’t know what to say.” Castello moved, and his big frame cast a shadow over me. “I’m a selfish man, Tatum. I never claimed to be otherwise. I will never be the kind of man who lives a selfless life—especially when it comes to you. My need to own you, to be the

center of your world will always be greater than my need to be a better man.” “Castello, you—” “As I’ve said so many times before, I’m never letting you go, and this—” he held his hands out wide “—this room is yours, and yours alone. Hopefully it will give you the space, and the freedom to spread your wings while I keep your soul chained to mine.” In fear that I might burst out in to tears, I gave a tiny step forward and pushed myself up on my toes, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. “Thank you, Castello.” I stared up into his eyes, and the words moved to the tip of my tongue. “Two pink lines. There were two pink lines.” I wanted to say it. I wanted to tell him that out of all this death that surrounded us we had somehow managed to create a life. There was a tiny being conceived from half of me, and half of him, growing inside me, and with all my heart I wanted to tell him. But I couldn’t ignore the gnawing feeling of doubt that festered in the back of my head. What if Castello doesn’t want a child? What if he thinks I’m trying to trap him? What if he throws me out, discarding me as broken and used? There were a lot of ‘what if’s’ smashing against every corner of my mind. How could this

pregnancy possibly be anything good when all of this started with such cruel intentions? I was kidnapped by the man whose baby was growing inside me. My father was murdered by the brother of the man whose baby now occupied my womb. And the man whose child I was carrying was also the man I committed the most sordid of sins while cloaked by the darkness. Surely there was no hope for any of this to turn out well…for any of us. I moved back. “I appreciate this, very much.” And then it occurred to me. “What is it you want in return?” He cocked a brow. “What makes you think I want anything in return?” “You just said you were a selfish man. In other words, you did this because you want something in return.” The corner of his mouth pulled up into a devilishly handsome grin. “Soon.” “Soon, what?” “Soon you will know what it is I want in return.” “Why won’t you tell me now?” He stared at me with a calculated gaze, and my nerves started to flutter in the center of my gut. “Because you’re not ready, little mouse.” “Ready for what?” He smiled. “Soon.” “Castello—” “Are you tired?”

I blinked. “Excuse me?” “I asked, are you tired?” “Why?” It happened so fast. One second I was standing two feet away from him, and the next he had me pinned against the wall with my wrists bound painfully in his grip above my head. “Just answer the goddamn question.” I didn’t attempt to get lose from his grip. I’ve been a prisoner of his strength so many times I knew it was pointless to even try. “No. I’m not tired.” He moved his thigh between my legs, and pushed up, lifting me slightly off my feet. It was all it took to reignite the lust and need I had been walking around with all night. He leaned his head down, and I could smell the sweetness of the champagne on his breath. “Do you trust me?” I took a deep breath, trying to calm my needy body. “That’s a complicated question, Castello.” Taking both my wrists in one hand, he let the other come down, tracing his fingers along the side of my face. “Well let me simplify the answer for you then. If you didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t have welcomed my touch so eagerly. If you didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t want me as much as you do right now.” “Who says I want you?”

He let out a low laugh that rumbled in the back of his throat. “When will you learn, little mouse?” “Learn what?” His head cocked to the side. “That your body can’t lie to me. Your lust is seeping through the fabric of my pants. I can feel your heat, the way your pussy is throbbing right now.” He rubbed his nose along my cheek. “I can even smell the sweet scent of your desire…and it’s driving me insane with the need to fuck you.” I couldn’t stop myself. I was too fucking needy, my body wound up way too tight, so I slowly started to rock my hips back and forth, rubbing myself against his thigh. It felt so fucking good I could already feel the first tremble of pleasure move up my spine. Soft lips brushed against my ear. “That’s my needy little mouse.” He allowed me to rock on his thigh for a moment more before pulling his leg away, causing me to moan with the ache of disappointment. “Castello, are you trying to kill me?” “On the contrary, I’m preparing you.” “For what?” A roguish grin crept up on his face. “The reward is so much sweeter after it has been denied for so long.” “Please—” “I have something special planned for you

tonight, little mouse. For us. But first, I want to hear you say that you trust me. I want hear those words come from your lips.” He let go of my arms and gave a step back. “Tell me that you trust me.” I rubbed my aching wrists while never taking my eyes off him. Don’t try to understand him. Rather trust in him. With a flick of my tongue, I wet my lips, before softly saying, “I trust you, Castello.”

17

TATUM Nervous anticipation moved in waves through my gut. The fact that Castello wanted me to trust him so badly made me weary. Yet a part of me was excited too, wondering what he had in store for me. But when we walked into the bedroom I balked when I saw a man I didn’t know standing by the window in front of a table that wasn’t there before. I turned to Castello just as he closed the door. “What’s going on?” He just smiled, and the man turned around. “Cas, my man. It’s been a while.” Castello nodded. “Indeed it has.” The guy who had piercings in his nose, eyebrows, and bottom lip looked at me. Tattoos

peeked out from his shirt collar covering his entire neck and throat. Castello placed his hand at the small of my back. “Tatum, I’d like you to meet Joey. My tattoo artist.” I relaxed instantly. I didn’t do well with strange men in my bedroom, especially not after Nicollo tried to rape me before having his head blown off. Joey reached out his hand toward me. “You must be Tatum. Nice to meet you.” I shook his hand. “Likewise.” “So, are we ready to do this?” Joey clapped his hands together. “Do what?” I cocked a brow at Castello, but he ignored me and walked over to the table. “Do you have the designs I requested?” Joey went to stand next to him. “Yup. One king and queen ready to go.” “Excuse me,” I called out, and they both turned to stare at me. “What is going on?” Joey narrowed his eyes at Castello. “She doesn’t know, does she?” Castello’s face remained stoic. “No.” “Of course not. Motherfucker,” Joey cursed and rubbed his hand over his bald head. “You sure she’s going to go for it?” Castello glanced at me before turning his attention back to two sketches he held in his hand. “She’ll go with it.”

“Go with what?” I demanded, hating the fact I was being ignored. Castello placed the sketches back down on the table and pulled off his jacket before he turned to face me. As he rolled up the sleeve of his right arm, he said, “You and I are getting tattoos.” I almost swallowed my tongue. “We are what?” Joey started to move around the table, the word fuck dropping out of his mouth every two seconds. Castello grabbed a chair and sat down, placing his arm on the table next to him. “Sit down, Tatum. I’ll go first.” “Castello, I am not getting a tattoo.” “Yes you are.” “Give me one good reason why I should.” He snapped his head in my direction, and dark eyes glared at me with warning. All it took was one look and his authority over me came smashing down like boulders on me. With that one look he conveyed the message loud and clear…I didn’t have a choice. Carefully, nervously I sat down on the bed. Yes, I was an artist, and I liked tattoos…on other people. But getting a tattoo myself was never something I considered. It wasn’t something that interested me when it came to my body. I watched in silence as Joey shaved the inner part of Castello’s arm. Slow and precise Joey moved the razor across Castello’s skin. My stomach

clenched. Razor… Skin… Relief… With each carefully long stroke of the razor, my heart beat faster. Veins bulged under Castello’s flawless olive skin, the muscled contour of his arm evidence of the strength that pulsed through his body. The silver razor glinted under the light, and for a moment I imagined that it was me who held the sharp edge of the razor against Castello’s skin. The power, the control of knowing that his pain, his blood would be something I held in the palm of my hand. After everything I let Castello do to me— what I loved for him to do to me, I never once thought about how it would feel if I was the one with the power, and he the one completely at my mercy. Would I like it? I imagined pushing the blade just a little harder to make a tiny cut into his perfect skin, to watch his blood escape the wound in brilliant tears of crimson. His body would be my canvass, his blood the beautiful color I’d create a masterpiece with. What the hell am I thinking? While I continued to stare at the razor in Joey’s hand, I felt a warm tingle move up my neck. He was watching me. Castello’s dark eyes narrowed as if he was assessing my every expression. He knew what sordid thoughts were running through my

mind. He knew the effect all this had on me, seeing a razor glide over his perfect skin. I looked away. For a moment I felt ashamed about my thoughts, about wanting to see Castello bleed. I was the one that bled, not him. It was my blood, my pain that made the monsters come out to play. Not his. Joey moved and caught my eye. He was wiping alcohol over Castello’s cleanly shaven skin. After rubbing soap on Castello’s arm, Joey placed the stencil over the area. I still couldn’t see what the design was, and my curiosity made me lean forward. After Joey removed the paper all I saw was a glimpse of purple lines. “You happy?” Joey tossed the paper on the table. Castello lifted his arm, studied the design for a second, and then nodded. Joey shook his head. “Always a man of few words hey, Cas?” He removed needles and tubes from their sterile pouches and placed them in the machine before the buzzing sound filled the room. “I must say, when you called asking me to make these designs for you I was a little shocked, to say the least. I mean, this is quite different from the rest of your artwork.” It was clear that Castello had no intention of engaging in a conversation with Joey, but Joey kept on talking as if it didn’t bother him in the least that Castello wasn’t participating.

I watched with fascination as Joey inked Castello’s skin. Black lines formed, and with the sound came images of needles piercing skin. Tiny beads of blood pooled on Castello’s arm which Joey wiped away every few seconds. Not once did I wonder about the pain, how much it had to hurt to have your skin pricked a thousand times. I was used to pain. It no longer scared me. In fact, the prospect of pain excited me. What kind of twisted individual was I? The entire process took about an hour. It was an hour I spent every second of watching, witnessing as Joey inked, marked, and shaded Castello’s skin. After applying the ointment and dressing, Joey clapped his hands. “And that’s a wrap for number one. Next lady for a shave?” He glanced my way, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s your turn, Tatum.” Castello stood by the chair, waiting for me to take my seat. I rubbed my sweaty palms nervously across my thighs, and took a deep breath. Earlier I had told Castello that I trusted him, so now was the time for me to put my words into actions. “Where is the tattoo going to be?” I sat down in the chair. “Same place as mine.” I glanced down at my right arm. “Can I see the design?”

“No.” And then my world went dark as he placed a blindfold over my eyes. “Castello, what are you doing? I want to see the design before it gets inked.” “You said you trusted me, little mouse.” “Yes, but this is different.” “How is this any different?” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “It just is.” Suddenly his warm breath wafted over the skin of my neck. “Do not take off the blindfold until Joey is done. Is that clear?” I swallowed hard. I knew it was no use trying to fight him on this—on anything, actually. Soft fingers traced along my jaw and under my chin. “You belong to me, and so does your body, little mouse.” I remained silent, and for the first time in probably two hours, so was Joey. Castello’s touch was gone, and then I felt the razor slide across my skin. Shivers ran down my spine, and my muscles clenched tight in protest. But the more I felt the sharp edge of the razor, the more I relaxed—the more I wanted to feel it pierce through the first layer of skin. I tried to envision through the blackness what it looked like, what Castello was feeling as he watched Joey prepare my skin. Did he feel the same way I did? Did he

long to see me bleed? Of course he did. It was something he never tried to hide, the way he yearned to see the crimson liquid of my soul. “Ready?” Joey’s voice cracked through my thoughts. I stiffened, before biting my bottom lip. “Trust me, little mouse.” The sound of his voice was bewitching, soothing, and I found comfort in his words. “Yes.” And then the buzzing vibrated through the air just before I felt the burn on my skin. I flinched, and the pain intensified, lingering as Joey moved the needle. It was only when I tasted blood that I realized I had bitten my bottom lip. A hand cupped my chin, pulling my face up. I knew it was him. I knew it by the way my skin burned under his touch. No other man was able to electrify my body with one single, simple touch. He placed his thumb on my lip, over the spot that was bleeding, and then his hand was gone. An image of him sucking my blood off his thumb filled my mind, and what felt like an electric current shocked through my spine, crashing between my legs. The fact that I had my sense of sight taken from me made me feel the pain even more. I could feel the blood seep through the holes the needle pierced in my skin. I could hear and feel my skin crack, ink staining my body. But as the needle continued its

onslaught, the pain slowly started to fade and I wished that it wouldn’t. I liked the pain. It made me feel alive. Joey wiped across my arm every few seconds, and knowing that Castello was looking, that he was witnessing my blood seeping from my body thrilled me. My muscles were no longer strained because of uncertainty, because I didn’t know what to expect. They were strained because my gut was filled to the brim with anticipation, thinking about how much Castello had to like the sight of me now. Bleeding, being marked, and trusting him completely. The more I sat there, feeling the sharp sting of the needle, the more I started to embrace the pain, adrenaline running wildly through my veins. I clenched my thighs together, my body aching in the most inappropriate way. But I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stop my need from rising to new heights as my skin got marked. “Almost done,” Joey said softly. I felt Castello place his palm at the back of my head. “You’re doing great, little mouse.” Nervous excitement spread through my gut, adrenaline bursting through my veins. I wanted to see it. I wanted to see the design Castello had chosen for me, for him. I clutched my belly with my other hand. I knew there was a lot of controversy about pregnant women getting tattoos, but in the end it all

depended on whether it was a trustworthy artist. And the way I knew Castello, Joey wouldn’t be anything less than one hundred percent trustworthy. The buzzing stopped, and after hours of listening to the sound the silence felt odd, out of place. My skin was burning as if it had been held above the flame of a candle for too long. But the pain didn’t make me anxious, it didn’t cause my mind to flip thinking of nothing else but a way to find relief from the burn. I liked it. But then again, I’ve known for a long time I was different, that my mind was different than others. A strong, yet gentle hand took ahold of my elbow and helped me off the chair. With the blindfold still secure my skin soaked up the intensity of his touch. My body would recognize Castello’s touch within a split second. No other man had the power to burn my soul while my body never felt more alive. Castello moved to stand behind me, placing his hands on my hips. “I’m going to take off the blindfold, but don’t open your eyes.” His words, and the warmth of his breath made my skin feel alive and hungry for his touch. I knew Joey was still in the room, but I didn’t give a damn. If Castello had to take me right here, right now, I wouldn’t give a shit about Joey still being there. All I would care about was getting my fix of an addiction I pray I would never beat. Castello took off the blindfold, but I kept my

eyes closed as instructed. I was a well-behaved pet, knowing the reward would be so much sweeter when I pleased my master. I felt him wrap his fingers around my elbow. My heart started to hammer against my ribcage, the blood in my veins swooshing in every direction. Somehow this moment just kept intensifying with every passing second. No matter what the situation, Castello had the power to turn every minute with him into an experience I wished would never end. He lifted my right arm, the arm that was still stinging with the burn of the ink. I shivered when I felt him place the length of his arm against mine, his other hand resting on my hip. Soft lips brushed against my ear. “Open your eyes, little mouse.” I felt hesitant, nervous, but I slowly opened my eyes and looked down at our arms. “Oh my God.” I sucked in a breath as I took in the two images permanently marked on our skin. “You see, little mouse. I told you that you are my queen, but what I failed to say was—”he pushed his fingers deeper into the skin of my hip “—that I am your king.” Two chess pieces. A king on my arm. A queen on his. They were beautifully drawn in shades of black and gray. Intricate lines crafted around the pieces made it look elegant, refined, yet majestic and powerful. But it was the words inked around the

chess pieces that made my heart expand to a point where I was afraid it would burst. Below the king on my arm were the words, ‘Il mio re. Mio protettore.’ My King, My Protector. But when I read the words that marked his skin, it felt like every ounce of breath had escaped me. ‘La mia regina, la mia salvezza.’ My Queen, My Salvation. Blood seeped through the cuts blending with the ink. Somehow the sight made the moment so much more powerful, as if our souls were bleeding as a bond was being solidified. Castello’s grip on my waist tightened and he pulled me harder against him. “As long as you respect and obey me as your king, I will protect you” With a subtle flex against my ass I felt how hard he was, and my insides flipped with hot, heady anticipation. “And for as long as I have breath inside my body, I will treat you as my queen, make sure you want for nothing. Everything you desire will be yours, because I know that as long as you are my queen, I will have salvation.” I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t contain it. Every wave, every current of my desire for this man took complete control, and I acted. I lifted my arm, wrapping it around his neck as he stood behind me. With strength I didn’t know I had I pulled his head

down, and turned my lips toward his. I wanted to taste him. I wanted to devour him. I wanted to own him...just like he owned me with every breath he took. Castello didn’t stop me. Thank God. He allowed my lips to crash against his. He allowed my mouth to devour his. And I was rewarded with the same amount of fervor as his tongue claimed every inch of my mouth as mine claimed every inch of his. His taste, his lust, and his need to control became my own. Not once since Castello had forced himself into my life did I have the need to control him, to make him mine. All this time I was too busy willing him to make me his, offering myself to him. But now, right at this moment, I wanted to make him mine. It was only when Joey awkwardly cleared his throat that the reality of not being alone seeped in through the cracks, our mutual lust and desire retreating to the corners...for now. Castello let go of my mouth and looked at Joey standing a few feet away. “Why are you still here?” He brushed his palm nervously over his bald head. “I still need to wrap that up.” He gestured toward my arm. “And since you decided to pull off your wrapping, I need to redo that as well. We wouldn’t want those works of art to get infected.” Castello gave a step back, and I bit down on my tongue before a moan could escape my lips.

“We don’t want that, no.” Castello gestured for Joey to wrap mine first, and the entire time Joey spent on putting on some ointment and placing the protective wrapping around my arm, all I thought about was what would happen once Joey left. Once Castello and I would be left alone. It didn’t take Joey long though. It was like he knew that if he didn’t leave as soon as possible, he would carry grave consequences. “So, let me know how this all works out.” He indicated to both our arms freshly wrapped. “And leave those on ‘til at least tomorrow morning…if you can. Try not to get it wet, if you need any other work done just—” “Joey.” Castello glared at him. “Yeah?” “Leave.” “Oh, yes. Okay. Well then, Tatum, it was nice to meet you, and I hope to work on you again…in a non-sexual, dirty kind of way. You know, professionally.” I chuckled at how he struggled to keep his nervousness contained. Castello seemed to have that effect on a lot of people. God knows he intimidated me in the beginning—how he intimidated me still, only I wasn’t so frightened of him anymore. Joey carried his bag and opened the door. “See ya.”

The second the door closed behind him, my gut was immediately filled with equal parts desire and uncertainty. Absentmindedly I lightly touched the wrapping on my arm, the skin underneath still burning. Castello slowly sauntered toward the door, and the click of the lock resounded like a gunshot through the room. He turned while unbuttoning his shirt. “How does it feel?” I shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve experienced worse pain than getting a tattoo.” “I wasn’t referring to the pain.” “Then what were you referring to?” He pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. “I was referring to how it feels to have your body marked.” “Is that what this is? You marked me?” I couldn’t look him in the eye. Not with him standing across the room from me without his shirt on. Roped muscle covered with taut, beautiful olive skin beckoning to be touched. Castello Fattore was a gorgeous man, a strong man. Every inch of him was perfection. The mystery, and the darkness that lurked behind those chocolate irises was so appealing and striking, it was as if he had been created by God and the devil—both staking their claim over him. His eyes were hard, his gaze pinned on me.

“Believe me, little mouse, that tattoo does not even come close to how I really want to mark you. That tattoo is the symbol of my commitment to you. It’s there to remind both you and me what we are to each other.” I moved closer. “How can I be your salvation when all I’ve done was bring war to your front door?” He too came closer, so close I had to look up and into his eyes. “That is true. You’re ruining me…but you were able to do something no one has ever had.” “And what is that?” His arm reached behind me, his fingers slowly moving through my hair until he tightened his grip around a fistful of golden strands. “You freed the beast, and in turn liberated me from a feeble existence.” My heart was pounding, my mouth dry. The heat that radiated from his body to mine was intoxicating. I could feel it coat every inch of my skin, ripples of the most carnal desire moving from him to me. He dragged a finger along my jaw, his breath teasing my lips with the promise of a kiss, yet never delivered. Slowly, torturously, his touch moved down my neck until it reached the collar of my dress. “What if my answer is yes?” His gaze followed

the movement of his finger against my skin. “Yes to what?” He continued to toy with my dress collar. “The question you once asked me. The question that has been haunting your mind, burning a hole of uncertainty into your soul.” His fingers moved against my scalp as he gathered more hair in his grip. He pulled my hair forcing me to look up as he leaned down, his lips barely touching my ear. “What if my answer is yes? That you are free to choose whether you want to leave…or stay at my side?” I gasped. I couldn’t stop myself. “Is that your answer, Castello? Are you saying yes?” He leaned closer, his lips brushing all along my ear. I could hear his breathing. I could feel the heat of his breath, and I felt hypnotized by the man who undoubtedly owned every part of me. “If I am, would you stay?” he whispered against my neck, tracing circles over my skin with his lips. My mind slipped, and through the haze of lust, desire, and a need to be lost within a world where there was no one but him or me, I remembered it was no longer just us. No matter what we do, where we go, it would never ever be just us. Everything had changed, yet Castello had no clue. Things had grown much more complicated since the day I asked him that question—whether I had the

freedom to choose. The truth was, I didn’t. I didn’t have the freedom then because he had denied me. But now that he has seemingly given me that freedom, the outcome remained the same. I still didn’t have the freedom to choose my own destiny, to choose based on what I wanted…because the life growing inside me made that decision for me.

18

CASTELLO The words left a bitter taste in my mouth. “If I am, would you stay?” I wanted to believe she would. I wanted to believe that somewhere in the far corners of her heart she no longer resented me for what I’ve done —she no longer blamed me for breaking her world apart. And now, now I was trying to build her world back up, but in a way I wanted it. Did I mention I was a selfish bastard? I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stop myself from being selfish and greedy when it came to her. I broke her world, yet she had become mine. Irony, you son of a bitch. The more my skin lingered on hers, her sweet

scent teasing me as it enveloped my senses, the more I realized I wanted her. But not just her body, not just the color of her blood. I wanted her heart, and everything in it. I wanted to possess her soul. I wanted to be the center of her broken world, just like she was mine. “Would you stay, Tatum?” I dragged my fingertips up her arms, and she shivered. I loved that I held such power over her body. She leaned her face against mine. “You already know the answer to that, Castello.” “Do I?” “Yes.” I tore my lips from her flesh and stared down into her crystal blue eyes that had the power to consume me. Blue eyes that became the sun in my dark world. “Then say it. I need to hear you say it.” Her tongue flicked out as she licked her lips, leaving the most enticing shimmer that beckoned me to claim her mouth. She gave a step back, and my heart skipped a beat. For the first time her expression was unreadable. Her beautiful oval shaped face gave me no clue as to what she was thinking. Maybe it was my own insecurity causing me to become blind, rendering me incapable of knowing what was going on in her mind. I hated it. She looked down at her arm covered with the protective wrapping. “You had me kidnapped.” She

looked up at me. “You tore me away from my life.” I swallowed hard, her face still completely unreadable. “You starved me, humiliated me.” My heart started to pound like a jackhammer against my ribs, memories of how I hurt her, thoughts of how much I wanted to fucking kill her scrambled through my mind. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t open my mouth. All I could do was look at her, praying to God that her face would allow me to see something. Then she reached to the zipper of her dress that started under her arm. “You spent days trying to break me.” Slowly she dragged the zip down. “Mind fucked me. Convinced me that in the end, I would die by your hand.” I couldn’t take it anymore. “Tatum—” The dress slipped off her body, and I balked. “You degraded me, made me go on my knees, forcing me to act like your goddamn pet.” “Tatum, what are you doing?” I was confused as fuck. Her naked body and the words coming out of her mouth were contradicting—the one causing my cock to harden, and the other slicing through my heart. She gave a step closer, her shoulders squared with confidence. “You let your brother beat me. You let an entire crowd of men watch while I hung naked and chained from your goddamn ceiling.”

“Tatum, stop.” My heart was about to explode, my fists clenched as I tried desperately to fight the regret that was moments away from turning into anger. With another step she stood right in front of me, her naked breasts inches from my chest, her nipples taunting the beast. “Do you know what else you did, Castello?” I tore my gaze away from her breasts, pulling my hand down my face. “For God’s sake, Tatum. Just stop.” She reached out and placed her palm against my cheek. Confused as fuck, I stared down into her eyes…and then she smiled. “Mi hai liberato.” You set me free. Chills broke out straight through my entire body, relief filling my already pounding heart. My fists unclenched, and I grabbed her face in my palms. “Damn tu donna.” Damn you, woman. I pulled her face to mine and crashed my lips against hers. I kissed her, my tongue assaulting her mouth with a kind of vigor I never experienced before. I didn’t know whether it was relief, or anger because she had managed to put me through hell for the past few moments. But I needed to pour everything inside me into that one kiss. I needed this moment to show her what lay hidden beneath the cold, hard layers of my heart. “Ti amo.” I love you. I whispered the words from

my mouth into hers. Yet I screamed those words from my heart, desperate for her soul to hear. The taste of salt invaded our kiss, and without moving my lips from hers, I opened my eyes and saw the tears running down her cheeks. Softly I wiped them away with my thumbs. “Il mio cuore è tuo.” My heart is yours. A soft sob escaped her with a breath. “E la tua.” And mine yours. Her words pierced my heart like a thousand daggers. After everything I had done to her, after putting her through hell, this beautiful woman still gave me her heart. How was that even possible? Was this what mercy felt like? How being given a chance at redemption affected a man’s soul? Fuck knows. But what I did know was, I would never take her mercy for granted by breaking her heart. I would do everything and anything to make sure she would never regret this moment. With my hand on her ass I scooped her up, letting her wrap her legs around me. My lips never left hers once as I moved us both to the bed. The longer I kissed her, felt her naked body against me, the stronger my hunger for her became. I was between her legs the second her back hit the mattress, my cock grinding against her trying to get some welcome relief from the friction. But my damn pants was in the way and it irritated the fuck out of me, so I got rid of it within three seconds

flat. “Castello?” Her hands found my naked chest, her touch driving me insane. “What are those?” I looked in the same direction she was, and saw the gold chains hanging from all four bedposts. Chains I had placed there earlier, chains I planned on using tonight. But now, there was just no way I could have the patience to play with her. I wanted inside her, and I wanted inside her now! My gaze found hers. “I had plans for you, little mouse. But unfortunately, our confessions from a few moments ago changed it.” “What plans?” The black center of her crystal eyes expanded, darkness and lust clouding the rays of color. I licked my lips, images of what I had planned slowly giving me back some control. After all, would the reward not be so much sweeter afterward? I placed my naked body against her, my hips forcing her legs further apart. The tip of my cock teased against her entrance, and I loved feeling her arousal coating mine. “Plans to break you, then mend you, only to let you shatter into a million pieces with the pleasure I would fuck into you.” Her hips moved, and I groaned, desperately trying to keep myself from thrusting inside her. “Do it.” She bucked her hips again, and I wanted

to fucking roar like a demon-possessed animal, the little control I felt a few seconds ago, gone like mist before the sun. “Right now, little mouse, I don’t have the control to keep myself from fucking you raw.” Tatum reached between us, wrapping her fingers around my cock, causing a moan to rumble from my throat. “Do it,” she pleaded, and I pushed forward as her grip tightened. “Show me what you had planned for me...master.” Like a goddamn switch, that one word made me go from a man fueled by his desperation to fuck his woman, to a master who wanted to play with his pet. Her eyes begged, her body pleaded, and her pussy demanded as it throbbed against the tip of my cock. I sat up, her hand still firmly wrapped around me. “What my little mouse wants, my little mouse gets.” Darkness fell over me like a veil. And by looking at her hooded eyes, I knew the shadows had claimed her as well. God, it was exhilarating. Us. I had finally found the other half of my dark soul in her, and now we were entwined together forming something more powerful than anything I have ever felt before. Her fingers were still wrapped around my cock,

and I placed my hand over hers, squeezing and tightening. I started to move her hand up and down, pumping my cock hard, yet slowly. I watched in awe as lust beamed from her face, her body squirming beneath me. Abruptly I jerked her hand away from my cock, and got off the bed. “There’s no need for me to tell you again that a safe word won’t save you from me.” She nodded, her gaze following me as I slowly moved around the bed. My pet was hungry, craving all the twisted things only I could give her. And I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t make my blood sear the inside of my veins. “Have you not bled enough tonight, little mouse?” I gestured toward her arm with the fresh ink. “It’s not the same.” “How so?” She shook her head, her body still squirming on the sheets. “It’s like you said that night after Vico beat me. My body doesn’t react to anyone the way it does to you. It’s your touch, your belt...your knife that I crave. No one else. I want no one else. It’s only you...master.” My cock twitched, every muscle inside my body clenched tight. My skin tingled, sweat beading on my chest. Every time that word left her mouth I could feel the monster claw at the back of my

chest, wanting out. Wanting to use and devour. I never thought it possible that a man could harbor such sordid desires toward a woman, yet love her at the same time. I took one of the golden chains that hung from the bedpost in my hand, dragging my fingers all the way down. The way her chest moved, rising and falling, her breathing shallow, I knew she felt the hunger just as strongly as I did. “Sit on your knees.” My tone left no room for debate, and she quickly got up, positioning herself on her knees. I went to stand at the end of the bed, and leaned my head to the side as my gaze travelled between her legs. “Wider,” I commanded, and she obeyed like the perfectly trained pet she was, widening her legs, giving me the perfect view of her glistening pussy. “Better.” I smiled, and walked over to the chest of drawers where I had placed the other object needed to fulfill the plans I had made for my little mouse. I turned, and when she saw the golden collar I held in my hand, her eyes widened, yet her delicious lips twitched in the corners, telling me she approved. Oh, did she approve. “This is a very special collar, little mouse. I had it made specially for you.” I stopped in front of the bed, her eyes searching the golden collar I held. I gently touched one of the five rings that hung from the collar, equally apart. It’s only when I

turned it to show her what was on the front that she sucked in a breath. I cocked a brow. “I told you, you were mine, little mouse. So it seemed only fitting.” On the front was the word ‘MINE’ spelled with beautiful sparkling diamonds, a golden ring hanging between the ‘I’ and ‘N.’ Even though this collar was worth thousands of dollars, it still didn’t feel worthy enough for my little mouse. “It’s beautiful.” She breathed out the words, her eyes staring in awe at the collar. I grabbed a hairband from the bedside table. “Tie your hair.” “I thought you liked my hair down.” “I do. But for what we’re about to do, it needs to be tied.” I caught a glimpse of fear in her eyes, and then it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. Tatum gathered her golden hair and wrapped the rubber band around it. The way she lifted her arms reaching behind her head, her back arched and breasts pushed out. My palms itched, my fingertips craving to pinch her temptingly delicate nipples. “Perfect.” I bit into my bottom lip, my hunger for her perfect body only growing stronger the longer I stared at her naked beauty. I couldn’t help but think about how far we had come. In the beginning she couldn’t stop herself from defying me, yet now she seemed to find

pleasure when she pleased me. It was the most beautiful transition I had ever witnessed, seeing my woman go from an unsure, scared little mouse, to a confident, self-assured queen. Carefully, gently, I placed the golden collar around her neck, clasping it at the back. I leaned in and inhaled long and deep, allowing her essence to fill me. “Do you have any idea what it does to me seeing you wear my collar?” I moved around the bed to stand in front of her, and allowed myself the pleasure of staring at her for a few moments, loving the sight before me. Tatum, collared with diamonds and gold, on her knees with her legs spread out just for me. This was Heaven...my Heaven. “I’m no artist, Tatum, but the picture I’m looking at right now is goddamn priceless.” The faintest blush of pink flushed across her cheeks, and I loved it. I wanted to see the same pink bloom on her ass, her thighs, her breasts. Pink was a pretty good color on her, a color I would paint on her skin with my palm every goddamn chance I got. I took one of the four chains hanging from the four bedposts and fastened the end to one of the rings on her collar. My patience was starting to wear thin, my straining cock aching to feel her heat. “My queen by day…and my slave by night.” She swallowed, her throat bobbing up and down.

I knew she was nervous, but her desire overshadowed the nerves and the fear. She was my brave little mouse...my dark little mouse. I walked all around the bed, clipping the four gold chains to the collar around her neck. Those chains made it impossible for her to move, and the idea thrilled me. Her blue eyes found mine. “What is the fifth ring for?” My lips curled up. “You’ll find out soon enough.” I grabbed one of my black ties, and ordered her to place her hands behind her back. Slowly I tied the silk around her wrists, purposefully touching her with my fingertips, igniting all her senses to create the most palpable atmosphere around us. When I placed the blindfold over her eyes, I wasn’t surprised she didn’t react. She was growing used to having me strip her of her senses, heightening only those that mattered. Her body no longer stiffened whenever I did something that took her control away. She was turning into the perfect pet...just for me. “Do you still trust me?” I grabbed one of my leather belts from the closet. “Yes.” Her answer was confident. I liked that. “Good.” I snapped the leather bands of the belt, the sound cracking through the room. Her body jerked. “You have a belt.”

“I do. And this time it’s not going around your neck.” “Castello—” “Shhh.” I brushed my fingertips against a hardened nipple. “Remember that you trust me. Focus on me, nothing else.” Her body trembled, and I knew why. I’ve never punished her with a belt before. After Vico had punished her, the lashes didn’t leave scars on her body, but it left emotional scars that I knew would take time to heal. But tonight, the last part of her healing process would be complete. It was the only way. She pursed her lips, and I knew her mind had turned into battlefield. There was a war raging inside her, and I knew the only way for her to win the war against the demons of her past was to face them, and to conquer them. “There’s no one here but you and me, little mouse. It’s just us. I know you trust me enough to take you where you need to go without letting you fall. I will never let you fall, Tatum. Never.” I stared at her in awe, her body perfectly on display for me. Rosy pink nipples stood at attention, her legs still wide open as I had instructed. Gently I palmed her breast, kneading the soft flesh. She needed to calm her thoughts, to let the prospects of pleasure possess her mind rather than

memories of Vico and his belt. “I don’t know if I can do this, Castello. It’s a hard limit for me. Your brother—”. I pinched her nipple hard, and she yelped. “My brother isn’t here, Tatum. He will never touch you again. Right here, right now I’m your master. Let me help you turn your pain into power.” Her tongue darted out of her mouth, leaving a teasing glisten on her beautiful lips. Bound by chains of gold, diamonds shimmering on her collar —she was a goddess. It was the only way to describe her at this moment. Her naked breasts, her smooth pussy, and her flawless skin made for the most resplendent image, making me wish I could keep her like this forever. I climbed onto the bed, sitting on my knees in front of her. I cupped her cheek in my palm, and the way she leaned into my touch made my heart expand. To have such a beautiful creature love and adore the monster I know I am, it felt too good to be true. Yet here she was, embracing my touch, wanting more of it. I placed my hands on her thighs and slowly moved my palms up, gently caressing her skin. “If only you could see yourself through my eyes. You would realize how truly beautiful and brave you really are.” Her body shivered under my touch as I moved

my hands closer and closer to the apex of her thighs. Just as I reached her hips, I allowed my thumbs to gently touch her warm, glistening lips. The moan that rolled out of her mouth made my cock jerk, my body getting wound up tighter and tighter. Up and down my thumbs continued to stroke along the gentle flesh of her pussy. The way her hips started to move, her chest rising and falling as her breathing deepened made it almost impossible for me to not shove my dick inside her, causing our entire night to come to an end within thirty seconds flat. The more I touched her, the wetter she became. Her desire covered the tips of my thumbs, and it drove me fucking insane. God, I had to taste her. Abruptly I pushed my legs from under me and lay flat on my stomach. I forced her legs even wider, and with my thumbs still on her outer lips I opened that sweet pussy I had claimed so many times, yet knew I would never get enough of. “Master.” She panted, and my tongue lapped all the way up from her entrance to her clit. Her taste. Good God, her taste. The sweetness that coated my tongue had me on a high almost instantly. The more I licked and sucked, the more I wanted. “Master…holy—” She tried to move her hips, to push herself up. But the chains kept her in place, making it impossible for her to move. All she could

do was rock her hips trying to fuck my mouth. I dug my fingers into her hips, my thumbs keeping her spread open for me. Groans of ecstasy rumbled in the back of my throat, and I could taste how close she was to coming. The sweetness intensified, her fucking scent causing a frenzy of lust and desire to ache all the way from my spine to the tip of my cock. It wasn’t my idea to make her come this fast, this early in our little game. But I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted her to come on my tongue. I wanted to taste her pleasure. With gentle flicks I teased her clit before replacing it with my thumb, my tongue dropping to her entrance. “Master, I’m going…can I?” Good little pet, asking for permission. “Yes.” And just like that she exploded, her pleasure coating my tongue, her taste turning me into a wild animal that craved more of it. Her hips rocked back and forth as she rode out her orgasm, fucking my face like it was the last thing she would ever do. I swear to God, if I had to just touch my cock, I would come instantly. Her body relaxed, and I felt her muscles tremble. “That’s my good little mouse.” I got up, grabbed her behind her head and crashed my lips against hers, forcing her to taste herself. Forcing her to experience the delight of

savoring the way she tasted on my lips. Moans echoed from her mouth into mine, and it only caused me to deepen the kiss more. My body was rigid, my cock still standing at attention. I was far from finished. I wasn’t even near being done with her. Pity this first part didn’t go quite as I had planned. But then again, nothing with this woman had ever gone as planned. She had the tendency to fuck everything up, to put me on a completely different path than I had intended. But I realized I wouldn’t want it any other way. I wanted her in my life, and there was nothing in this world that would change that. I felt it inside my veins, with every beat of my heart. There was no other woman for me, and I needed her to know that. But I had to prepare her for a life with me, for a life with a man who could easily slip from lover to monster. Our lifestyle demanded I be ruthless, merciless, cunning and heartless. So I needed to make her look past the monster, past the coldblooded bastard in me. And in order for me to do that I had to make her see the outer layer of innocence she wore so well needed to be hidden. The broken parts of her might never mend, but I would teach her, show her how to use her brokenness and turn it in to a strength that would guarantee her survival. A strength that would give her the kind of power she was born to have. This

was why I needed to push her past her limits. I had to make her realize how strong she truly was, build her up to a place where she no longer had to fear anything. But in order for me to do that, I had to break her…completely.

19

TATUM The trembling wouldn’t stop. Electric currents kept shocking through my veins as everything between my legs throbbed with release. His tongue felt like velvet against my sensitive flesh, and the warmth of his mouth felt incredible as he lapped and sucked, milking an orgasm out of my body. When he had his head between my legs, his mouth devouring every inch of me, I wanted to push my body up to give him more of me to taste. But the four chains attached to my collar made it impossible. So all I could do was rock my hips as my body became desperate for release. Every muscle went numb, like all the strength had drained from my body. But I knew he wasn’t

done with me. It was too easy, too simple. Nothing with Castello was easy or simple. The mattress moved, and I tried to listen to figure out where he was, what he was doing. Then I heard the clanking of the chains, and felt the faintest movement from the collar around my neck. More sounding of chains, until finally I could feel I was no longer bound to the four bedposts. Just as I wanted to fall back, to allow my body the rest it needed, Castello grabbed the collar and jerked me upright. “Not so fast. We’re not done.” “I just need five minutes,” I pleaded. “Not yet. You can rest when I say you can.” Abruptly he pulled me forward by the collar, and I fell face first against the mattress. My hands were tied behind my back, and the blindfold still secure. Nervous anticipation bloomed inside my stomach, and even after the mind shattering release I had just had, my body started to hum again, my skin tingling with the need to be touched. Castello placed his hand beneath my chin lifting my head, and I heard the clasp of the chain realizing what the purpose was of the fifth ring on the collar. I tried to pull myself back up, but the chain held me in place…head on the mattress, and ass in the air. “Are you comfortable, little mouse?” “No.”

“Good.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Remember, you trust me.” My heart skipped a beat. “You’re scaring me by saying that every ten minutes.” “I’m saying it every ten minutes to make sure you don’t forget it. Especially because of what I’m about to do next.” “What are you about to do?” My words weren’t even cold when the first lash landed against my ass. It wasn’t so much the pain as it was the surprise that made me cry out. Only when the burn on my skin started to intensify did I recognize the pain…the pain caused by a belt. “Castello—” Another whip, and crack followed. This time I bit into my lower lip, trying to swallow the cry of pain that wanted to force itself out of my throat. I felt his breath against the side of my face. “Forgive me,” he whispered, and I could hear the regret in his voice. “Castello, please.” “For you to conquer your demons, you need to face them, little mouse.” And then his face was gone, another lash against my body. “I need you to go back,” he ordered. “Go back where?” “Go back to that night. The night I had you

chained from the dining hall ceiling. The night I gave my brother permission to torture you.” I tried to shake my head, my cheek rubbing against the silk of the sheets. “I can’t. I don’t want to go back.” “You have to.” I heard the belt slice through the air, and then pain seared my skin. This time I cried out, but then his hand was on my burning flesh, gently rubbing in circles. Pleasure and pain, two things that followed Castello and I wherever we went. It was something we would never escape. “Do you remember what was going through your head that night?” I took a deep breath. “I was scared.” “What else?” His hand dipped between my legs, softly teasing my sensitive flesh before dragging his fingers all the way up the slit of my ass. Again…pleasure and pain. “I remember hoping you would save me.” “After I was the one that put you there?” Images flashed through my mind like flashcards straight from hell. “I wanted you to save me.” Fingertips travelled over my tied hands and up my spine, sending shivers throughout my body. “Do you know what I was thinking as you hung there naked and vulnerable?” Did I want to know? I kept quiet. He twisted my ponytail around his fist. “I sat at

the table next to my mother, listening to her stressing the importance of you dying. I sat there listening to every hateful word she had to say about you, and all I could think about was how you would look hanging from the ceiling of my bedroom, naked, and for my eyes only.” I swallowed, his mother’s face popping up inside my head like a virus. Would I ever forget the hate I saw in her eyes that night, right before she tried to slit my throat? Abruptly he pulled my head back, and my muscles protested as the chain held my head in place. His cheek pressed against mine. “That was the moment I realized killing you would no longer be as easy as I imagined it would be.” He let go of my hair and my head fell forward just before I felt the sting of the belt across my upper back. The pain triggered it all. The familiar sting on my back made all the memories come back. Until now Castello knew my back was a hard limit for me because of what Vico had done. Because of the abuse I endured, the humiliation. “Castello, what are you doing?” Another lash, and tears sprung from my eyes, only to be soaked up by the silk blindfold. “I need to break you, little mouse. That’s the only way you will be strong enough to survive me.” A gentle finger traced over the spot the belt had

collided with my back. “I need you to acknowledge your pain.” “Why?” “Because only then will you be able to turn your pain into power.” Two more lashes across my back, cracking against the sensitive flesh of my arms. The pain was indescribable, just like it was that night. That night… Vico’s dark eyes… His hateful words. Everything rushed back, and I could no longer control the memories or the fear that came with it. “Tell me, Tatum,” he urged while his palm caressed my skin once more. “Tell me what you feel when you think about my brother.” “I hate him,” I bit out between clenched teeth. “I hate him.” “Why?” “Because he hurt me.” “I hurt you, too.” “That was different.” “How? How was it different?” I turned my head in the direction of his voice, the blindfold casting my world in utter darkness. “Because even though you hurt me, I could see in your eyes that it wasn’t out of hate.” “Then why? Why do you think I hurt you?” I licked my lips. “Lust, hunger. The same reason

I wanted to be hurt by you. Why I want to be hurt by you.” Silence settled around us. I tried to listen for any noise, any shuffling of feet. But nothing. It was a heavy silence. Palpable. Then the sound of the belt striking my flesh sliced through the silence. I cringed and squirmed trying to get rid of the burn that intensified with every lash. “Do you see his face? Can you see the bloodlust marring his features? I do. I see it. I see it every fucking night when I close my eyes, the way his eyes beamed with pleasure while he hurt you. It haunts me, you know? It haunts me every fucking day for allowing him to do that to you.” Another strike, and Vico’s evil face became clear inside my mind. The longer I focused on his face, the less I felt the pain. The longer I kept his dark, evil eyes in the center of my thoughts, the more my hate for him intensified. It started to boil, searing my veins from the inside. The hate, the resentment, the need for revenge. “I don’t blame you,” I murmured. “You should. If I didn’t have you kidnapped, if I didn’t fall for my mother and brother’s lies, you would be out there in the world living your happy life.” “But I am.” “What do you mean?” I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “I am living my

life…with you.” “But you have lost so much because of me.” “That might be true, but I’ve found more than I ever thought possible because of you.” My mind shifted from Vico’s face to the two pink lines that changed everything. And then it occurred to me, what would Vico do if he had to find out I was carrying Fattore blood inside me? If he hated me so much, what would he feel toward a child who was a result of me and Castello being together? I startled when Castello started to untie my hands. What was he doing? I knew he wasn’t done yet. He was trying to do the same thing as he did with Ricardo. He wanted me to tap into every bad feeling I’ve experienced since all of this started. Castello was trying to make me strong by letting me grab hold of the hate that would guarantee my survival. When my hands were free I instinctively wrapped them around my stomach. I was still chained, my face buried in the mattress. “Why are you stopping?” I murmured. “I know you’re not done.” He pulled the blindfold off, and I squinted as my sight got used to seeing light again. Our gazes met. “You’re right. I’m not done, and neither are you.” My gaze followed him as he walked to the front of the bed, kneeling down so he could look me in

the eye. “Too many lies have surrounded you, Tatum. Lies destroyed us both, but I swear to God I will make it right. But I need you to hold on to the hate you feel for my brother. It’s the only way I’ll be able to make this right for you.” His dark eyes softened, and I looked straight at the elongated pupil, the uniqueness of his soul shining through it. I no longer saw the scar on his face. All I saw was a man I had fallen deeply in love with. A man who seemed more determined than ever to make me his, to make sure I was strong enough so that nothing would ever come between us. But as he had said so many times before, he knew what I needed…and now I knew too. I narrowed my eyes. “You’re going to kill him.” He shook his head. “No. But you are.” Castello cupped my cheek in his palm. “I am going to give you the revenge you need to heal, Tatum. I am going to give you my brother.” I had no words. My heart hammered as if it would break through my chest at any moment. My stomach churned, my spine nothing but ice. Yet there was something else. There was a flicker, a spark that crackled with a threat to erupt should it take flame. It scared me. This was not how I was supposed to feel about killing another human being. It wasn’t normal. Yet, it felt…good. Castello’s full lips pulled up at the sides. He saw

it, too. In fact, I think he had seen it all along, and that was why he had pushed me, punished me, forcing me to think of the man I hated the most in this world. With my chin pressing into the mattress, I moved my arm out from beside me, and placed my palm over his. “You would do that for me?” His eyes bore into mine. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, little mouse.” Softly he pressed his lips against mine. No tongue, no movement. Just a single, simple, yet powerful kiss. He pulled back. “I told you before, I see you. I know what you need, even if you don’t.” “Thank you.” It was all I could say. He was turning me into the kind of person I needed to be in order to survive the past, and be ready for the future. Castello was making me strong, to protect myself…and the life growing inside me. He needed to know. Castello needed to know. Tears stung the corners of my eyes as I stared at him. After everything, this was the moment I felt a fear that had the power to crush me. Fear of losing him. But deep down inside the core of my soul I knew…I knew I needed to do right by him. Earlier he said that I had been surrounded by lies for too long, but it was the same for him. His family didn’t just lie to me. His twin brother with whom he

shared the same womb, lied to him. The mother who gave birth to him, who raised him also lied to him. I won’t. I won’t be the same as them. I would never be the same as them. I pressed my lips in his palm, and closed my eyes, allowing my tears to escape. “There were two lines,” I whispered against his palm. “There were two little pink lines.” I looked up at him, his eyebrows slanted inward with confusion. “What are you talking about?” More tears stained my cheeks, my heart no longer beating inside my chest, but pounding up my throat. I tried to keep my secret, but it wasn’t mine to keep. It was ours. He wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “What is it, Tatum?” Please God. I sniffed, then took a deep breath before I allowed my secret to escape. “I’m pregnant.”

20

CASTELLO I’d like to think I was a strong man. That I was prepared for everything life wanted to throw at me. Feelings and emotions never controlled me, while power and authority had been the force behind every decision I made, behind every action I had taken. But since Tatum had been brought—yes, brought—into my life, she managed to change everything without even trying. Now, while I stared into her crystal eyes, her words resounding inside my head, I felt powerless. I felt confused. And I felt like I no longer had any control. “Excuse me?” My voice was barely a whisper, and my lack of confidence pissed me off.

“I’m pregnant, Castello.” I reared back, my hand no longer on her cheek. “How?” Stupid question. “When?” Even stupider. “What do you mean, pregnant?” Dumb-fuck. Tatum tried to loosen the clasp around the ring of her collar, but she was shaking too much. “Castello, could you please loosen this?” I blinked, then reached out to unclasp the ring. I stood up the same time she sat up straight. “That’s why I fainted,” she started, her eyes looking everywhere except at me. “Doc asked me if there was a chance I could be pregnant.” She shrugged. “And turns out, I am.” I was a grown fucking man. An intelligent fucking man. Yet every word that came out of her mouth made absolutely no sense at all. “You’re on birth control. I know you were on birth control.” She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. “I was. And…how did you know?” “Don’t play dumb, Tatum. You know I did my homework before I—” “Before you kidnapped me.” Silence. “Yes.” She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, her face cast in shadows of doubt and uncertainty. But I needed her to talk. I needed her to make fucking sense.

“Tatum. What the fuck?” “I was supposed to go for my shot about a week before you…took me.” “You should have told me.” “I’m sorry—” her jaw tense, and lips taut “—I was too busy not to die for me to worry about birth control, Castello.” My heart and my stomach both fought for a way out my throat. My pulse raced, and every ounce of my blood had gone cold. Pregnant. Fucking pregnant. We were in the middle of a goddamn civil war and Tatum was pregnant? My mind started to reel, and I started to pace up and down. “This isn’t happening.” “I’m afraid it is. There were two pink lines, and I did the test…twice.” More pacing, more reeling thoughts. “How far along are you?” “Not sure. Doc is trying to arrange an ultrasound. Then we should know how far along I am.” I stopped and pinned my stare on her. “Have you…” “No. Not since Carlo. There was no one else. Just you.” With my hands in my hair I dropped an entire vocabulary of f-bombs. And then it occurred to me. “You drank champagne while you knew you were pregnant?”

“I pretended. I didn’t even take one sip.” I looked down at the floor, my hands now on my hips. Jesus Christ. “You let me do this to you. You let me tie you up and beat you with my fucking belt…and you’re fucking pregnant. Tatum, why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you stop me? And the tattoo.” Oh God, this was all just too damn much. With shame in her eyes she dropped her gaze from mine to the floor. “I didn’t know how to tell you.” “It’s pretty fucking easy actually. You just open your goddamn mouth and tell me.” Tears trickled down her cheeks when she finally looked at me again. “It’s not that simple, Castello. Nothing about you, about us is simple.” I stormed forward, anger fueling me, adrenaline pumping through my veins like venom. “It’s you who insists on overcomplicating everything!” She stood up on her knees, her shoulders squared. “Can you honestly say that nothing about this is complicated?” “Can you honestly say the only reason you kept this from me was because you didn’t know how to tell me?” I slanted my head to the side as I stared into her soul through the crystal blue of her eyes. “Or did you choose to keep this to yourself because you aren’t sure whether you want this or not?” More tears, more shadows of shame, her face

showing her every emotion. “Both,” she whispered. I knew it. I knew she kept it from me because she wasn’t sure. I stepped back, grabbed my pants and pulled them on. But I kept my gaze on her face. “Just a few minutes ago you said you didn’t blame me for everything that’s happened.” “I don’t.” She shook her head, and I smiled, a fake smile which I knew didn’t reach my eyes. “Then why would you doubt whether you want my child or not?” “That’s not what I doubted, Castello. I doubted whether you loved me or not. I doubted whether this would be something you wanted because you never tell me anything. It’s like you expect me to come to all these conclusions on my own.” “Don’t play games, Tatum. You knew how I felt about you, how things changed between us. You were just too scared to acknowledge it, to admit it.” She got off the bed, the collar around her neck glinting under the light, the ‘mine’ of diamonds taunting me. “If you had been through what I have, you would doubt everything, too. You would see deception behind every word as well.” I couldn’t take it anymore. My mind was on the brink of exploding. For the last ten minutes I haven’t been unable to form a single coherent

thought. My entire world changed within the blink of an eye and I had no idea how to deal with that. How to deal with the fact that I was no longer in control of anything. Irony, you son of a bitch. I changed her world within the blink of an eye, and goddammit, she just did the same to me. So I left. I turned around and stormed out the door, slamming it shut behind me. And then I locked it. I locked her inside the bedroom...again. I was losing control and I fucking hated it. This goddamn woman was causing me to lose myself. She was making me weak, unsure about everything, and right now I couldn’t afford that. I had Vico to worry about. I had the family business to worry about. I had Tatum to worry about. And now I have a baby to worry about. Frustration ticked in my jaw, anger simmered inside my veins as I pulled my fingers through my hair, suppressing the need to scream. Pregnant? What the fuck was the universe trying to do? How in God’s name did we manage to create a life when we were surrounded by death and lies from the start? All the plans I had for her, for us no longer mattered. A few simple words and everything changed. I leaned back against the door, and I could hear her whimpering from inside the room. The sound of her sadness tamed my anger, and for a second I

tried to think about how she was feeling. That’s what people do when they love each other, right? Of course she would be afraid to tell me. If it were me I’d be afraid too. This was a whole new world for her, a world I’ve been in all my life, and she’d only been here for a short while. And then finding out she was pregnant by the man that at first wanted her dead? I couldn’t blame her. I closed my eyes trying to imagine a baby—our baby. It wasn’t something I ever thought about wanting. A family. I’ve been living with a dark depravity inside me for so long, I didn’t think a family of my own would be possible for someone like me. But dear God, here I was with a woman I had fallen completely in love with, and she was carrying my baby. There was a life growing inside her, a life that was half her, half me. Jesus Christ. We were having a baby! “Fuck!” I turned, unlocked the door and stormed inside, kicking the door closed behind me. Tatum was sitting on the bed, still naked, and crying. She had loosened the ponytail in her hair, and golden strands covered her face like a veil. “You’re pregnant,” I stated the obvious. She nodded, her soft sobs filling the room. “You’re pregnant,” I repeated to myself. She looked up and when I saw her tear stained face, the emotional pain radiating from her crystal blue eyes, it pierced straight through my chest,

shattering my heart into a million pieces. I launched forward, pushed her down on the bed, pinned her arms above her head, and straddled her. I forced her to look up at me. “You need to listen to me very carefully.” I tightened my grip around her wrists. “This ends today. You will no longer dwell in the past. You will no longer think of yourself as a victim so you can have a reason to doubt me, to doubt how I feel about you. Yes, you’ve been through hell. Yes, I didn’t do right by you in the beginning. Yes, you lost something. But I’m trying my fucking best to make it right. And this—” I grabbed her arm with the tattoo, “—is a vow I had imprinted into your goddamn skin. This was my way of saying no more lies, just vows.” “Castello—” “Stop allowing the past to weaken you. Stop using it as an excuse to not trust what is happening between us. I love you. I love you so much it fucking hurts. Nothing will change that. You are mine, and you always will be.” I leaned down, allowing my hand to travel from her neck to her breast, all the way down to her belly. “And now that you’re carrying my child, you have no choice.” “I told you earlier, I choose to be here with you.” “You did. But now I can’t help but wonder, is it because you want to be here, or because I managed to plant my seed inside you?”

I watched as her throat bobbed, her chest rising and falling. Her crying had stopped, and determination replaced the tears. “No more lies?” I nodded, doubt momentarily rendering me incapable of breathing. She sat up on her elbows. “The moment you killed your mother to save me, that was the moment you ripped my heart from my chest and made it yours.” This time it was my turn to swallow hard, her words taking all the jumbled thoughts inside my head, forming one single, most important thought and decision of my life. No more lies. Just vows. “Marry me. Marry me, Tatum.” And then she knocked my feet right from under me. Without a single moment’s hesitation, she answered a loud and clear, unmistakable... “Yes.” With that one word she had managed to make me feel like the most powerful man in the world. I had all the money one man would ever need. I had all the influence I needed to build an empire, yet with a single word she made all of it seem irrelevant. I kissed her. I kissed her like a man in love. The need to possess her wasn’t there pounding against my ribs. The only thing I wanted to do was love her. I wanted my love for her to be present in the way I touched her. No toys, no whips, no chains or

knives…only me. I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to make her bleed. The only thing that was bleeding was my goddamn heart. The saltiness of her tears invaded our kiss, making me more determined to show her how she had managed to turn my obsession with her into a love that had the power to bring me to my knees. After all this time of me trying to own her, she was the one who ultimately ended up owning me. I moved, settling between her legs. My cock was ready—not to claim, but to forge our bodies into one. My lips travelled down her neck, my tongue dipping in the hollow below her throat. “Let me love you, Tatum. Let me love you for the rest of my life.” She weaved her fingers through the hair at the back of my neck. “Only if you let me love you back.” My mouth was back on hers the second those words rolled over her lips. A soft moan poured from her mouth to mine, our tongues dancing and seducing, refusing to stop. The way her hard nipples pressed against my chest, her skin like velvet against mine felt better than any whip or spanking. Better than any burn against my palm. I tore my lips from hers and stared down at her, crystal blue eyes staring up at me. And as I slowly

eased my cock inside her, I watched her eyes roll closed, her neck arching up as the pleasure consumed her. It was the best thing I’ve ever witnessed. Without taking my eyes off her beautiful face, I pulled out completely before gently sinking back in. This time I pushed deep, earning a moan that sounded like a melody coming from her lips. Her legs wrapped around my waist, her heels digging into my ass. “I love you,” I murmured, continuing the slow rhythm of moving in and out of her. “Say it, Tatum.” “I love you.” “No, I need you to say that I love you. I want to hear those words come from your lips.” She opened her eyes, her gaze pinned on mine. I didn’t stop moving. I couldn’t. “Say it.” I gave a hard thrust. “Say it.” “You love me.” “Again.” I pushed deeper. “You love me.” “Again!” I needed her to say it until she fucking believed it. “You love me!” She cried out, my rhythm increasing, my thrusts going deeper, harder. “This is my last and final rule for you, Tatum.” I traced my hand down her side, over her hip, wrapping my arm around her ass, and pushing her

up closer against me. “Never will you forget that I love you. Do you understand me? Never.” “Never,” she whimpered, her body trembling beneath me. “Your name is engraved on my soul…and not even the flames of hell will be able to erase it.” And then I lost myself in her. Two bodies became one, our hearts and souls melting together like priceless elements of the Earth. Everything shifted. Everything changed. Doubt and uncertainty got expunged with every thrust, with every touch. It was just us, and the love that had managed to bloom out of all this cruelty. I whispered the words one more time. “I love you, Tatum.” And then I felt her clamp down on me, gripping me tight. She cried out, and I buried my face in the crook of her neck as we reached our release together. My body trembled, my heart pounding like a jackhammer against my ribs. It was final. I loved her, and she loved me. And nothing in this goddamn world was strong enough to change that.

21

TATUM It’s been two weeks since I told Castello about the pregnancy. Two weeks since he asked me to marry him. Everything still felt surreal. Uncle Gino and Angelique were thrilled about the pregnancy, although I still think Angelique figured it out the night of the party when she took my champagne glass from me. As for other people, Castello didn’t want anyone else to know. With Vico’s twisted vendetta against his brother, Castello didn’t want to chance Vico finding out about me carrying Fattore blood inside me. Vico was a twisted son of a bitch, and even I knew Vico would raise seven sorts of hell if he had to find out.

The security around the house has tripled, leaving no hall, no room, no square inch without eyes and cameras. I’ve gotten used to seeing huge men with big guns patrolling the house and grounds of the estate. It was clear that Castello was a man on a mission, and that mission was protecting his family—me. I still wasn’t allowed off the estate. In fact, I could barely move around without having a shadow behind me. I didn’t like it, and I made sure Castello knew that. But it was like talking to a wall. There was no negotiating with him, especially when it came to me. And I couldn’t blame him, even though I yearned for a little freedom, just to go out in the world again. It was starting to feel like the entire world just consisted of us. That there was nothing or no one else but us, and Vico. Castello included me in more business discussions, allowed me to witness some of the initiations of new associates, as well as the executions of those who betrayed him—who betrayed us. The more I started to become part of the family, the more I embraced my place as a soon to be Fattore. And the more I realized how much power this family had, the more convinced I became that this is where my child and I belonged. The baby growing inside my belly would have everything he or she would ever want, the best of everything. And that’s what every mother wants for

her child. It was clear that Vico was building an army, plotting against Castello. He was power hungry. He wanted to rule, and while Castello was still alive Vico would never have it all. And then there was also the threat of Vico’s bloodlust…for me. Even though Castello had pulled the trigger that killed their mother, Vico blamed me, and he would not rest until he had his revenge against me—which was why I accepted the fact that these walls would hold me prisoner for a very long time, at least until the war with Vico was over. I placed my hand on my belly as I walked past all the painted canvases. I’ve spent a lot of time in my studio, painting, thinking, daydreaming of what the future held in store for us. Since I wasn’t allowed off the estate, Castello gave Doc orders to have everything he would need to assist in me having a healthy pregnancy brought to the house. An entire room was fitted with medical equipment so it wasn’t necessary for us to go into town. The ultrasound confirmed I was only a few weeks along, but so far everything seemed fine with the little blip on the screen. It was daunting to think that the little shape with a pulsing line on a black and white screen would turn into a fully formed, perfect human being. Castello had changed. Sex had changed. He was

afraid to let out the darkness that brought us together. He was afraid it would somehow affect the pregnancy. At first I thought it would change the bond between us, but it didn’t. Making love was just as powerful. In fact, every time we worshipped each other, it felt like we only grew closer, forming something so strong, something no one would ever break. But as soon as it was done, he would cradle me in his arms and whisper, “Soon, little mouse.” Those words would set free a thousand butterflies inside my stomach, my core tightening, my soul yearning for “soon” to come. He made it clear that once our baby was born, he would possess me again. He would give me the relief I craved by allowing it to flow out of me in tears of crimson. He knew I needed it, and that it was something I would always need. And he vowed to give it to me, promised me I would never need to do it to myself again. But he made me swear that for the duration of the pregnancy we would not take chances, we would not allow our mutual darkness to touch the life growing inside me. The door opened, and I immediately knew who it was. True to his word, no one was allowed inside my studio without permission—not even him. The only problem was, Castello didn’t know how to knock, and he definitely didn’t like the idea of him asking for permission to have access to me…his queen.

“Still not knocking, I see.” I smiled, my back turned to him. “I regret not excluding myself when I said no one could enter your studio.” The way my spine started to tingle all the way up to my neck, I knew he was standing really close to me. “All you have to do is knock.” “Knocking is like asking permission.” His fingers folded around my hips. “And when it comes to you there’s not a chance in hell I’ll ever ask permission.” He pulled me closer, and I closed my eyes loving the way his body felt against mine. “Since you walked in—yet again—without permission, I guess I should address you as master.” He stiffened, and his cock reacted almost immediately as it pushed against my ass. He tightened his grip on my hips. “Do not tempt me, woman.” “It’s only my master who doesn’t need permission when it comes to me.” A low growl rumbled from his chest, his fingers digging almost painfully into my flesh. “You know it’s hard enough as it is, little mouse, to keep the beast inside me contained. Why would you tempt me?” I swayed my hips, rubbing my ass against his cock, and it earned me a moan from his lips. “What

if I need you to be my master right now?” “Tatum, don’t.” I moved my body against his before placing my palm over his hand. Slowly I removed his grip on my hip and moved his palm up my body, over my belly, gently brushing it against both my breasts. He started to rock behind me, rubbing his cock against my ass, and as I placed his hand around my neck pushing his fingers into my skin, he groaned and bit my shoulder. He needed no guidance from me as he began to squeeze my throat. I loved it. My body hummed with desire, the blood in my veins intoxicated with adrenaline and lust. Soft lips traced all along my neck before sucking my earlobe into his mouth, letting it go with a pop. “Do not tease me, little mouse.” His grip around my throat tightened, and my core clenched tight. The need to have this, to experience the darkness with him again had my lust pooled between my legs. “Please, master.” It happened so fast I didn’t have time to realize what was happening until he had me bent over the table, my paint supplies falling all around us. He took both my arms and pinned them behind my back, forcing my face down on the cherry wood table. He leaned over me, his cock pressing hard and heavy against my ass. “I told you, not until my

child is born. Only then will I let the beast come out to play. So I suggest you stop teasing me, for when the day comes that I no longer have to share your body with my child, I will have my way with you, little mouse. And you will bleed for me once again.” He gave a hard thrust against my ass, causing me to moan before letting go of me and stepping back. My wrists hurt, the skin of my hips sensitive, but I fucking loved it. I straightened and watched as Castello adjusted his pants, his cock pressed hard against his zipper. “It seems that you need help with that,” I teased. He slanted his dark brows inward, the scar moving along his eyes. “It seems that I do. But unfortunately, I have some other pressing matters I need to attend to, which is why I was looking for you. I have a meeting I need to go to, so I won’t be around tonight.” I stiffened. Ever since we got here Castello had never left the estate, never left me. He arranged all his business meetings to take place here, so why would he not do the same with this meeting? “Where are you going?” My voice was soft, lacking confidence since I wasn’t sure if I had the right to ask that question. He straightened his suit jacket sleeves. “The meeting is taking place at one of my clubs.” “Your clubs?”

“Yes.” “You own clubs?” His lips curled up at the corners. “I’m not just a mobster, Tatum.” My mind reeled. “It just never occurred to me —” “What? That I had other interests that weren’t illegal?” “Well…yes.” Casually he placed his hands in his pants pockets. “When my father and brother were still alive I never thought I’d take over the family business, so I created my own.” I leaned back on the table. “How many clubs do you own?” “Four.” “Strip clubs?” An amused grin crossed his face. “Night clubs.” “Why didn’t you tell me?” He moved toward me. “It never came up.” “It never came up because you never told me.” Dark eyes searched my face. “I’m sorry. I was too busy trying to keep you from being killed.” I narrowed my eyes at him, not amused by the fact that he tossed my own words back at me. I slanted my head to the side. “Oh right, that was after you actually tried to kill me.” “Correction.” He held up his finger. “I never tried to kill you.”

“Well you planned to kill me.” He feigned a look of thought. “True.” His gaze found mine as he reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear. “But never make the mistake of thinking that I’d have to try to kill you, little mouse. If I wanted you dead, you would be.” And there he was. The charismatic, deceivingly dangerous mobster. The man who captivated me in more ways than one. The man who gave me no choice but to fall in love with him. There was still something about him that scared me, but that was the part of him I loved the most. Unpredictable, yet thrilling. Unsafe, yet magnetic. With squared shoulders, and my gaze pinned on him I stepped up leaving only a few inches between us. “I want to see it.” “See what?” “One of your clubs. Take me with you to this meeting of yours.” He moved back, his face showing me what the odds were of him taking me with him. Zero. “No.” His tone set the finality in his answer. “Why not?” “You know why.” “I need to get out, Castello. I’ve been within these walls for weeks, and it’s starting to drive me crazy.” “Then I’ll arrange for a therapist to come and see you, help you with the crazy, because you are not

setting foot off this estate.” He turned his back on me and walked to the door, opening it. Desperation made tears prickle my eyes. “Please,” I called out after him, and he paused. “Please, Castello. Just once. I won’t ask you again.” “I can’t allow it, Tatum. I will not risk you or our child.” “I’ll agree to any condition you have. Please.” A few seconds went by with him just standing there, his back toward me. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew the odds were against me. He slammed the door shut before turning around to face me. “You and our child are the most important parts of my life. If anything had to happen to you or our baby, I don’t know what I’d do.” “Nothing will happen. I just want to get out…just for a little while.” I could see how conflicted he was, how he was struggling with his need to protect me against his need to give me what I wanted. It was probably selfish of me to put him in such a position, but I was desperate. His eyes grew even darker, worry lines forming on his forehead. “Do you know what you’re asking of me?” I walked closer to him. “I do. And forgive me.

But I can’t stay between these walls any longer. I swear I won’t do anything that would put me or our baby at risk. I swear.” He searched my face, his jaw taut. “Just this once.” My body literally sagged with relief, excitement causing my heart to race. “Thank you, Castello.” “You will not leave my side, not for a second. And whatever you do, do not let anyone suspect that you might be pregnant. Do you understand?” I agreed without hesitation. “I’m serious, Tatum. Give me one ounce of grief by defying me and I will haul your ass back here so fast you’ll have vertigo for a month.” “I won’t. I promise.” He let out a sigh. He wasn’t happy, I knew that. But honestly…I didn’t care. All I cared about was having just a few hours of freedom, to not feel like we’re alone in the world. I needed city lights and the buzz of life around me. I wanted to hear the sound of traffic, and laughter echoing from crowds of people rushing through the streets. Castello pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. “I need you to double the security at The Capitol, and make sure the VIP lounge is clear. Have men waiting by the back entrance, and scout the entire block. If you see anything that looks remotely suspicious, you call me right away. And Giovanni…don’t fuck up.”

He hung up and placed his phone back in his suit pocket. “I’m not happy about this. Just so you know.” His eyes were dark, and he didn’t even try to hide his annoyance and disapproval of what we’re about to do. But bottom line, he was giving me what I wanted. “Thank you.” I got up on my toes and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. The familiar scent of amber and peppermint that once created fear in me, now soothed me, calmed me. He placed his hand around my waist and pulled me tighter against him. “You’ve got a lot of appreciation to show once we get home.” I smiled. “Yes, master.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I loved how it affected him whenever I called him master. I might be his queen, but he preferred me as his slave, on my knees and at his mercy. So did I. Both of us went up to our bedroom to get ready. When I got out of the shower Castello was waiting for me by the closet holding a black sleeveless cocktail dress. I tossed the towel on the bed and placed my hands on my hips. “I want to choose my own dress.” “No.” My eyes narrowed, my lips pursed. “My appreciation will double if you let me choose my

own dress.” I gave him a suggestive look, and he cocked a brow as he stared back at me. “Fine,” he conceded before placing the dress back in the closet. I sashayed my way over to him, loving the way his eyes travelled all along my naked body. At first I hated the way he looked at me. It made me feel dirty. Not because of him…because of me. Because I liked it too much. But now, his lewd, suggestive looks made me feel powerful, knowing that a man like him desired me, lusted for what only I could give him. I brushed past him, and while I searched through the wardrobe, I moved my ass from side to side, making sure I had his full attention. “You’re a tease.” I smiled. “Am I?” “Do you know what I do to a tease?” “No. But do tell.” A loud crack filled the room right before I felt the burn on my naked ass. At first I moaned, then whimpered as he leaned in closely. “I punish her.” The burn on my skin made desire flare. The way his palm lingered on my scalded flesh, I anticipated him to spank me again. And just the anticipation of it caused everything south of my navel to throb, my body primed to welcome him inside me with ease. Here I was trying to seduce him, and now I was the one who was mere seconds away from begging him

to fuck me. Slut. As he stepped back, I took a deep breath in a bid to gain control over my needy body. By the sting on my ass I knew there was a big, red handprint blooming for Castello. I grabbed the dress and turned. “I choose this one.” Castello looked at the dress, and then turned his unamused gaze at me. “Funny.” I shot him a sly grin while I held the exact same dress he had chosen for me originally. I was starting to love this game.

22

TATUM I stood by the front door, and I was nervous. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why I would be nervous. It’s been months since I’ve seen the outside world. The trip here to Uncle Gino’s estate the day all hell broke loose at the Fattore mansion was all just a blur. I didn’t remember seeing anything, just hearing the screams, and the echo of gunshots resounding over and over inside my head. And then the memory of my father’s lifeless body, everything in black and white except the red that seeped through his clothes, pooling around his feet. That was the only thing I remembered clearly from that day. Everything else was just flashes and blurry images.

“At my side the entire evening, understood?” I glanced up at Castello who stood next to me. I nodded. “And you keep your mouth shut. You only speak when spoken to.” It was amazing how he could go from gentle, passionate, and caring, to a controlling, fierce, and demanding boss. But I’ve come to love both sides of him. He was ferocious, intense, and strong when he needed to be. But gentle, compassionate and attentive when I needed him to be. The way he controlled his need to rule every aspect of my life, and allowed me more freedom little by little was enough for me to know that he loved me. Men like Castello Fattore didn’t give up control for anything. They didn’t change for anyone. Yet Castello had changed for me. There were three black SUV’s lined up at the front. Castello guided me down the steps with his hand at the small of my back. A security guard dressed in a black suit opened the door of the SUV in the middle, and Castello towered over me from behind as I climbed in. Castello moved in next to me, and the second his door closed, the SUV pulled off. Two men sat at the front, both wearing earpieces and looking scary as hell. Castello seemed tense, edgy, his fingertips tapping anxiously on his knee. Maybe this wasn’t

such a good idea. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked to come along. He had made it clear that I was his weakness, and now I could see how it affected him. Inside the walls of the estate he had more control. Outside, not so much. We drove in silence. It was dark outside, and the heavily tinted windows made it impossible to see anything. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, adjusting the short skirt of my dress. Then Castello reached out a hand and placed it on mine. “By my side at all times.” I smiled. “I promise.” He gave me a half-hearted smile just before the guy in the passenger seat turned around. “Sir, we’re almost there.” Castello nodded, and his fingers wrapped around my hand, squeezing tight. I turned to look out the window, but all I saw was the vague flashing of city lights through black windows. The car stopped, and the door on Castello’s side flung open. He didn’t let go of my hand and pulled me out behind him. Everything happened so fast. Security guards cocooned us in and I was literally dragged in to one direction. It was insane. Within seconds we were led inside a building and once the door got shut behind us the frenzy seemed to calm. “That was insane,” I said to Castello as I fell in

to step next to him. “Get used to it. That’s how it’s going to be every time you go out.” I glanced up at him. “So there will be a next time?” He glowered at me. “Don’t count on it, little mouse.” But the tiniest hint of a smile on his face told me otherwise. As we walked down a hall, music started to become louder and louder. I followed Castello up a flight of stairs, two guards walking in front of us, and two behind. I felt like a fucking celebrity—and not in a good way. At the top of the stairs we reached huge double doors. The two men in front opened the door and gestured for us to stay put. When they came back out, they nodded toward Castello and he visibly relaxed, still holding my hand as we walked inside. I didn’t know what I expected to see, but what I saw wasn’t it. When Castello said he owned nightclubs, I imagined nightclubs. Dark, gloomy, hard to breathe, loud music making your chest vibrate. But that wasn’t it at all. We walked into a huge, well-lit lounge. There was a round bar right in the middle, two men wearing bow-ties working behind it. Black and red leather couches were placed throughout, with glass tables and granite statues of dragons that decorated the room. There were four pillars around the bar

which were fish tanks, blue lights accentuating the colors of the tropical fish that swam through the bubbles in the water. The floor was pitch black with shiny tiles, and the walls on either side of us were mirrors, yet the wall behind us red, and in front of us were floor to ceiling windows. Blue, red, and yellow lasers flashed through the window, and I walked across the room. Castello was right behind me, I could feel it. As I reached the windows, I looked down, and then I saw the nightclub I had imagined. Dark, gloomy, hard to breathe. From here you could see every corner of the club. The DJ box was set to the right, two guys jumping around as they created magic with the world of sound. I couldn’t hear the music anymore, but I saw what looked like thousands of people dancing, entranced by the vibe and music. “What do you think?” Castello moved in next to me. “I think you’ve managed to create your own world here in The Capital.” I turned to face him. “It’s amazing.” With his hands in his pants pockets he stared out the window like he was observing his own kingdom. God knew he looked every part of a King. “This was my home away from home. Like you

said, my own world.” “Was?” He looked at me. “I found a different home now.” The way his gaze was pinned on me, his dark irises staring at me like it willed me to understand what he was trying to say. I was his home now. I smiled, my heart momentarily swelling on the inside of my chest. “This is the VIP lounge.” Castello turned around to face the room. “Some nights it’s used for entertainment purposes. And nights like these, it’s used for business only.” I raised a brow. “What kind of entertaining purposes?” A sly grin crept up at the corners of his mouth. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” He turned to face me. “Listen, whatever is about to happen tonight, you need to keep an open mind.” “Castello, I think I’ve been about as open minded as I can be when it comes to you and your business.” “I’m serious. I’m about to meet with our biggest supplier.” “The guy from Mexico?” “Yes.” “Okay.” He stepped closer, folding his fingers through mine. “There’s a certain way we do business, and I

need to act in a certain way, be someone you might not like very much.” The gentle, almost remorseful tone in his voice scared me. It sounded like he was already apologizing for something he had yet to do. I met his gaze and tried to sound as confident as possible even though I was nervous on the inside. “I think I’ve seen the worst of you, Castello.” “Don’t be so sure.” I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but the big double doors opened and a crowd of people walked inside. The security that stood scattered around the lounge didn’t react, which told me these were welcome guests. Castello turned and softly murmured, “By my side at all times.” Just as he turned a man emerged from the sea of huge evil looking guys who seemed like they were itching for a reason to pull the triggers of the guns they didn’t even try to hide. “Jorge.” Castello reached out and shook the hand of a middle-aged man with dark hair and dark eyes. I expected a big bellied gross looking criminal, but instead Jorge was a well-groomed, handsome man who didn’t seem like the hardened criminal type at all. “Castello. It’s been a while since we’ve met face to face.” “Indeed it has. We should try to meet on more

joyous occasions rather than wait until shit hits the fan.” Jorge grinned. “In this case the shit you are referring to is your little brother.” “He’s always been a little shit to me.” Jorge laughed, and then his gaze fell on me. “Who is this beauty?” Castello wrapped his arm around my waist, his fingers digging into my hip. “This is Tatum Linscott.” Jorge’s eyes grew wide, his lips twitching at the corner. “The Tatum Linscott?” Castello and I both stiffened, but I gathered all my courage and smiled as I held my hand out to Jorge. “It seems like my reputation precedes me.” Jorge took my hand gently. “It certainly does.” Jorge turned to Castello. “I can see why you chose her.” Castello smiled a fake smile. “She is quite the woman.” He glared in my direction, and I swear I could hear him scolding me because I had spoken what he would deem as out of place. More people came walking into the lounge. Mostly half naked women, and a few suited men. They were all laughing and talking, obviously looking to have a great time. Castello noticed the crowd. “I see you brought quite the entourage.” “You know me, Castello. I love a huge crowd

eager to have some fun.” Jorge winked suggestively, and I was immediately grossed out by him. “Come, let’s have a drink.” We walked over to a set of leather seats at the corner of the lounge. Jorge sat down opposite us, his eyes darting between me and Castello as if he were amused with us somehow. “You know your brother wants her dead?” The way Jorge said it sounded like he wanted to discuss the damn weather. Castello didn’t even flinch, but my heart felt like it wanted to rip out of my throat. “My brother has always had a problem with the women in my life.” Castello’s reply was smooth, unfaltering. “It seems he has some trouble finding his own.” Jorge snorted. “It’s different with this one, Castello.” This one. As if I wasn’t even there. “Word on the street is there’s a hefty reward for the one who brings him her heart.” “Word on the street is that Vico is in way over his head.” Castello’s demeanor remained unchanged, unaffected by the direction this conversation was going. Jorge and Castello stared at each other for a few more seconds before Jorge clapped his hands together. “Okay. So, before we get to business, we need to start the evening off right.”

Castello stiffened, yet he didn’t take his eyes off Jorge. Jorge summoned one of the men standing behind him. The man scurried around the couch and the little plastic bag in his hand caught my attention. I watched as he poured white powder onto the glass table in front of us. White powder? Cocaine. Jesus. The man sliced through the powder with a thin rectangular blade, moving so fast that it was clear this wasn’t his first rendezvous with this stuff. Jorge looked at me, holding out a rolled up one hundred dollar bill. “Ladies first.” My heart was no longer in my chest. It was in my belly trying to tear its way out of me. Castello leaned forward. “I’m afraid she won’t be using tonight.” Jorge lifted a brow. “May I ask why not?” Castello grabbed the rolled up bill and leaned down toward one of the white lines. “I prefer the women I feed my cock to, to be sober.” And then he snorted up an entire line. An entire line of cocaine. Jesus Christ. He sat back up, sniffing and snorting, acting like I wasn’t even there. Good God. Castello was using drugs. What the fuck was this? Jorge sniffed up two lines before sitting back. “That’s where we differ, Castello. I prefer my

women drugged up and willing, rather than sober and stupid.” They both laughed and clanked their glasses together with loud cheers. Castello was right when he suggested that I hadn’t seen all sides to him. Never in a million years did I think he would use drugs. I was shocked to the core, even though there was a little voice inside my head saying, “Really? You’re shocked because the man who kidnapped and tortured you is using drugs? Get a clue.” Jorge casually leaned back in his seat. “So, let’s talk business.” Castello gulped down the last of his drink and held out the empty glass to the waiter. “I know Vico approached you. I know my little brother is eager to get his hands on your supplies. And I want to make sure you won’t be easily swayed.” Jorge smiled. “I’ve done business with your family for years, Castello. And I have to admit, it’s a little weird now that the Fattore family has been split in two.” “It shouldn’t be weird for you at all, Jorge. Just continue supplying me with what I need and all is well.” Jorge stretched his arms out over the couch. “You should know that Vico presented me with a very good deal.” Castello’s jaw ticked. “And you think my little

brother can be trusted?” “It’s not about trust in our line of business. It’s about money.” I watched as Castello leaned forward, annoyance casting lines on his forehead. “You know that whatever my brother offered you, I can double. Vico doesn’t have the amount of support I do. I have more than half of the Fattore associates behind me. All Vico has is ambitious, reckless fuckers that have no idea how things work.” Jorge shrugged. “That might be true, but you know money talks in our line of business.” “And loyalty is everything.” Castello glared at Jorge, his stance intimidating and threatening. I knew Castello had a gun tucked behind his back. I also knew there were probably more guns than men inside this lounge. But there was something in the way Jorge stared at Castello. It was like he knew he couldn’t go up against the rightful Fattore heir. It made me wonder if Jorge was just trying to play a hand, pretending he held all the cards when in fact…he had nothing. Jorge slanted his head to the side and snapped his finger at the guy behind him. Within thirty seconds there were two more white lines on the glass table in front of us. My gut was starting to sink all the way down to the soles of my feet. Jorge leaned forward and sniffed up a line before snorting and wiping his nose. “Stop worrying,

Castello. You know I would never betray you by doing business with your brother.” “I hope not. I’ve buried enough men the last few weeks because they made the mistake of underestimating me.” The threat was there, loud and clear in the menacing way his words left his mouth. Castello was alarmingly intimidating and confident, but I would lie if I said it didn’t make my spine tingle, seeing the way power exuded from him like rays from the sun. I felt proud. Proud that a powerful man like Castello loved me, protected me, and cared only for me. Castello leaned forward and sniffed up the last white line on the table. I could do without the knowledge that he used drugs, without the images of him snorting cocaine. But I knew him, and Castello wasn’t a man who did things without having a fucking good reason. I had to trust that he knew what he was doing. Besides, he did warn me. When he sat back he placed his arm around my shoulders, his focus still on Jorge. “Now that we know where we stand, I suggest we make use of the opportunity and enjoy our evening.” Jorge clapped his hands together. “I couldn’t agree more.” More rounds of drinks passed, and I sat in silence watching Castello and Jorge act like they were

longtime friends who used to play football together in high school. Not once did Castello include me in their conversations, and the only acknowledgement I got from him was the occasional hand on my knee, and the subtlest touch of his fingers on my shoulders. But at least I knew that even in his intoxicated state he was still aware of me. The music was starting to play louder and louder, and the lighting dimmed. The pillar fish tanks looked amazing under the low lights. Exotic looking lava lamps shined throughout the lounge, and everyone was seemingly having a great time. It’s like the atmosphere of the nightclub that pumped downstairs had spread to the lounge. But through the semi-dark, I could see Giovanni and his security guards patrolling, scanning, searching. It made me feel safe between the crowd of strangers. Castello leaned into me. “Are you doing okay?” “Yes. I’m fine.” He placed his fingers on my cheek and turned my face toward him. His eyes looked different. His face looked different. It was the mix of alcohol and drugs, turning him into someone I didn’t know. But when he placed his mouth against mine, his tongue gently passing my lips, I recognized him. He might be someone else tonight, but his kiss was still the same. His taste, even though tainted with bourbon, was still the same. He was still my Castello. But he was a man who had to wear a lot of different faces,

I understood that. Just as long he never wore a mask when it came to me. He pulled back just an inch, his dark eyes, focused solely on me. “I told you.” “Told me what?” “That you would see a different side to me tonight.” I placed my palm on his cheek. “I get it. This isn’t who you want to be. This is who you have to be.” He reached out, weaving his fingers through my hair before tightening his grip. He pulled my head back, forcing my lips up toward his. Wild eyes gazed at me, the smell of bourbon on his breath filling my nostrils. “I need to be inside you.” I licked my lips. “Then let’s go home.” “I need to be inside you right now.” “Not here.” His gaze was now fixed on my mouth, his tongue darting out of his. It was written on his face, the lust, the desire, the hunger. And it was pulling me in, waking up the same feelings inside me. I shuddered when his hand moved up my inner thigh. “We can’t leave now.” My body started to quiver, my legs opening on their own accord as his hand moved up…and up… and up. “Then we’ll just have to wait,” I murmured. Just as his hand was about to reach the part of

me that ached for his touch, he stopped. “If I wasn’t as possessive as fuck over you, I would have torn through these flimsy panties of yours and fucked you on this couch in front of everyone. I would have shown all these people what my cock could do to you.” He traced his tongue all the way up my jaw. “But I will never share you with anyone. Your body is mine to worship, mine to desecrate. No one else.” He pulled back, and I had to take a deep breath to try and get control of my body. Sweat started to bead on my skin, the loud music vibrating through my chest. “I need to go to the bathroom.” Castello snapped his fingers and Giovanni seemed to appear from out of nowhere. He leaned down and Castello said something to him before looking at me. “He’ll go with you.” I cocked a brow at him. “Are you serious? I just need to go to the bathroom, Castello.” “Giovanni will go with you.” “He will not.” “Tatum—” “Castello, do not make me defy you in front of all these people. I refuse to be chaperoned to the goddamn bathroom. It’s embarrassing.” I got up and glowered down at him before shooting a warning glare at Giovanni. Castello held up his hand, and Giovanni stayed put. Good.

As I made my way to the other side of the lounge it seemed like the crowd had doubled. How many guests did this Jorge invite? Women were drinking and dancing while the men smoked cigars and laughed. Eventually I made it to the door with the bathroom sign on, and opened it. The hall stretched out in front of me, the men’s room to the right, and the door to the ladies right at the end. When the door shut behind me, my ears welcomed the muffled sound of the music. Two girls came walking down the hall, and when they saw me they leaned closer whispering to each other. About me, no doubt. Once inside the ladies room I looked around. Mirrors decked the walls, black and white checkered tiles on the floor with white marble countertops and elegant looking taps hanging over the basins. It was clear that Castello spared no expense when he had the VIP lounge designed. It had money and elegance written all over it. I walked to a stall and closed the door just before hearing women coming into the ladies room. “Did you see her?” “Who?” “Tatum Linscott.” “Oh yeah, the little princess who has been glued to Castello’s side the entire night. She looks like such a stiff.” I remained quiet while I listened to the women.

“She’s so…plain. I can’t believe that this entire war between the Fattore brothers is because of her. It’s not like she’s that pretty.” “I know. I’m telling you, I don’t know what it is Castello sees in her. He’s so fucking hot, he could have any woman he wants. Like me.” The woman giggled like a tramp, and my blood started to simmer. “Yeah. I don’t get it, really. She’s nothing but a rich American girl who will never know how to satisfy a powerful man like Castello.” And that’s when I had enough. I stormed out of the stall, and when they saw me their eyeballs almost popped out of their small little heads. I stopped a few feet away from them. “Hello, ladies. Having fun?” Sarcasm dripped off my words. “I couldn’t help but overhear your little conversation. You two seem to have me all figured out.” They glanced at each other, confusion and panic peeling away at their heavily made-up faces. I narrowed my eyes. “Instead of wondering what it is Castello sees in a plain, rich American girl like me, what you should be thinking of is if I could turn two brothers from one of the city’s most powerful families against each other…what else am I capable of?” My hair fell over my squared shoulders as I tilted my head to the side. The threat in my voice carried

over loud and clear as their faces fell with fear. I mustered up a fake smile. “Now you two ladies go and enjoy yourselves.” They scattered out of the ladies room like two stray cats with their tails between their legs. The adrenaline that rushed through my veins was euphoric. I loved the power I had just because I was linked to the most influential man in the underground…my man. The more people associated me with Castello, the more people would respect me…fear me. I washed up, pulled my hands through my hair fluffing it up a bit before walking out. I balked when I noticed the lights in the hall had been dimmed…a lot. Straight ahead stood a figure of a man…a familiar man. As he moved closer, I recognized him in the way he walked, his broad shoulders and daunting figure. The outline of the scar on his face was barely noticeable under the shadows. “Castello, what are you doing?” He didn’t reply. He just kept on approaching me step by step. The dim light cast a shadow on the side of his face, making him seem more magnificent, more mysterious. I could see in the way his gaze pinned me on the spot that he was consumed with the need to devour me. Anticipation caused my stomach to clench, my skin starting to burn with the need to be touched by him.

“Castello, we agreed to wait ‘til we got home.” But before my words were even cold, he grabbed my arm, spun me around and pushed me face first into the wall. With a gentle swipe he moved my hair over my shoulder. “I’ve waited long enough,” he whispered against the skin of my neck. My breathing was already affected by the desire that had me trembling against him. Softly he moved his hands over my shoulders, easing his fingertips down my arms. “Castello—” “Shhhh.” Weaving his fingers through mine, he lifted my arms and placed it against the wall above my head before dragging his palm down my arms again, my body shivering as it moved down my sides. As he reached the hem of my dress, he started to wind the fabric up. “Word has it you like it rough.” “You would know.” He slipped my dress over my ass. “Would I?” His breath no longer had the sweet scent of bourbon, but a more distinct smell of alcohol…like tequila, with a hint of lemon. It was so strong it completely overpowered my senses, and I couldn’t smell his distinct scent of amber and peppermint anymore. It felt different, he felt different. The drugs and alcohol affected him, altered him in a

way that made everything about him seem less intense. But right now, I didn’t care. I wanted him. I needed him. Like a good little pet I kept my arms in the air, allowing his hands to explore my hips and ass. He twirled a finger around the string of my panty, and with a tug he tore through it, letting it fall in tatters around my feet. “Spread your legs for me.” And I obeyed without hesitation. Truth was, I didn’t care that we were in a public place. All I cared about was having this man inside me. I wanted to be consumed by him, entranced by the spell he had over my body. “You’re a good little girl, aren’t you?” “I’ve been taught by a good master.” He dragged his finger all the way down the slit of my ass, my skin erupting in chills, my hips pushing out, eagerly awaiting his touch. When his finger slipped through my wet folds, he moaned against my shoulder. “I’ve missed this pussy.” I pushed my ass out even more. “Then what are you waiting for?” I whimpered when I felt the head of his cock drag against my ass. “You’ve turned into a greedy little slut, haven’t you?” My mind reeled with lust, my pussy begging to

be filled. He called me a slut…and I loved it. His hand rounded my hip, his finger finding my clit. As he started to move in circles, I moaned. “I can’t wait to feel you come on my cock again.” And then he was inside me. With one sharp, powerful jab he penetrated me with such force, I cried out as pain moved up my spine. It was unexpected, the strength he used. His hand moved away from my clit, and he grabbed me behind my neck pushing my face harder against the wall. With his other hand he dug his fingers painfully into the flesh of my hip. “If only I had known.” He panted as he kept on thrusting relentlessly into me. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t the same. Castello high on drugs changed everything, as if the dynamic between us had been altered. But nevertheless, my body demanded more and I welcomed every thrust with eager and vigorous anticipation. “No matter what my brother does, he will never erase…us.” He was right. Vico would never have the power to take away what we had. More and more he plunged inside me, going deeper every time. He flexed and fucked me so hard, he lifted my feet off the ground with every thrust. “Oh God.” I moaned, feeling the start of my orgasm blooming between my legs, about to move

up my spine and crash against my core. Harder, faster, our moans slamming against the dark walls around us, and finally my release flooded through my body, thundering against every bone. Castello pulled out, and I felt warm liquid spurt onto my ass. It was the first time he had pulled out of me before he came. With slow circles of his palm he rubbed his cum all around, coating my skin. Somehow I wish it was inside me…I wished he was inside me. He leaned forward, his lips against my ear. “Soon.” And then he was gone. ***

CASTELLO Our drive home was agonizing. The silence kept gnawing at me, my mind listing all the reasons Tatum had to be pissed at me. But I warned her. I told her she hadn’t seen all the sides to me. She didn’t know what I was capable of, what needed to be done to secure the success of my family—our family. Drugs weren’t my thing. The only time I used was with Jorge. If there was any kind of business contract between us, snorting cocaine would be

stated in the fine print. Had I not followed our regular routine, Jorge would have gotten suspicious. He would have doubted my commitment to our business deal, and I couldn’t have that. And then the party spiraled out of control— drugs, alcohol, Tatum. The more I used, the more I drank, the more I felt like I needed to let go of all the shit that had surrounded me for months. But I’m a grown man, and I’m big enough to admit that I fucked up. I reached out and took her hand in mine. “You okay?” She snorted. “That’s the second time tonight you asked me that.” “Answer the question, Tatum.” “I’m fine.” “You’re lying.” She turned in the backseat to look straight at me. “Is my body giving you a different answer? We both know, my body can’t lie to you.” I studied her, swept my gaze across every inch of her beautiful face. She looked…okay. I nodded, accepting her answer. I still felt like shit though. I should have known better than to give in, allowing her to come along. But goddammit, it was getting increasingly difficult for me to say no to her. “Can I ask you one favor?” Her blue eyes locked with mine. “I know I asked to come along, and I

should have heeded your warning when you said I would see a different side of you. But can we not ever speak about what happened tonight? I know you have all these layers of personas you need to take on in order for you to do what you do. But I prefer the Castello you are when we’re alone, the Castello who can make me love and hate him at the same damn time.” I couldn’t help but smile. My little mouse was getting stronger, wiser. She was adapting better than I thought she would. I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed her skin softly. “Deal.” The rest of our drive home the silence didn’t feel so heavy. She had leaned into me, and eventually I could feel the rhythmic movement of her chest. She had fallen asleep, and my heart swelled, threatening to burst. Even though saying we loved each other got easier with every day that passed, I sometimes caught myself doubting how such a perfect creature like her could love something as imperfect as me. But it wasn’t my place to question fate. We arrived at the estate, and I carried Tatum to our room. I wasn’t surprised she was exhausted after everything that had happened. I gently placed her on the bed, the promise of her showing me her appreciation still sitting in the back of my head. I could be a selfish asshole and wake her, remind her of what she had promised, and if it

was a few weeks ago I probably would have. But she was carrying my child, the vessel for the life we had created. It was no longer about my selfish needs. It was about her, the baby…about us. Gently I removed her shoes, and pulled the sheets over her. She looked angelic under the dim lights of the bedroom, her golden hair splayed across the silk sheets. After everything, it felt amazing to know that she was really mine. Not because I forced her to be, but because she wanted to be. It was surreal to think that after all the pain I’ve caused her, after everything she’d lost because of me and my family, she still loved me. Yet now as I stared at her beautiful, innocent face, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever be able to be good to her, to our child. I was a fucking monster who liked to see the woman I loved bleed. I’ve tortured and killed more people than I cared to remember. How could I think for even a moment that I was worthy of this woman’s love, worthy of being a father? Two weeks ago I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. But with everything going on, Vico meddling with my business, growing the threat he presented toward me and my family, we never got around to talking about any sorts of wedding plans. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe that was the universe’s way of telling me I was being a schmuck by thinking I could have a normal life with a

woman. I was never meant to have a normal life. To live the American dream, and have a house with a white picket fence. I’ve tried to convince myself that everything would work out. In the end everyone has a happily ever after, right? Wrong! Tonight I proved to her and myself that I wasn’t worthy. Not of her. Not of our child. All this time I refused to even think about a life without her. I locked her in our goddamn bedroom, for Christ’s sake. On the inside, I had a twisted obsession with her, wanted to consume her. But that obsession had somehow turned into love, and because of my love for her, I had to think about what was best for her and our child. And that wasn’t me. I traced the back of my hand down the side of her face, her soft skin feeling like velvet against mine. I knew her. She was strong even if she thought she wasn’t. There was no way she would just walk away from me, especially now that she was carrying my child. But for once in my life I had to try and do the unselfish thing. I had to put the well-being of my family first…I had no other choice but to force her to live a life without me.

23

TATUM I woke up in an empty bed. It was still dark, but the bathroom light was on. I was still wearing my cocktail dress, so I must have fallen asleep in the car. I got up and walked to the bathroom expecting to find Castello there, but he wasn’t. It wasn’t unusual for him to be up in the early hours of the morning. In the beginning I hated waking up to him not being next to me, but I quickly got used to it. The safer I started to feel in the house, the more secure I felt in our relationship. Yet now, I didn’t like it. There was this slight chill that ran up my spine, the back of my neck prickling with warning.

I pulled on my nightgown and decided to go look for him. It was the only way for me to calm the paranoia slowly eating at my brain. The halls were dimly lit, and I started with the study. Usually I would find Castello in his uncle’s study taking care of business. When he worked in the middle of night, he would sit behind the desk wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt. But whether he wore a five thousand dollar suit, or pair of faded denim jeans, he always looked the part of a boss, of a confident business man. Castello wasn’t there. I searched the dining hall, the kitchen, even went to the living room to see if he wasn’t sitting outside on the deck. He was nowhere. And what was even stranger was the serious lack of muscle and ammo around the house. In fact, I hadn’t seen one security guard while I was searching for Castello. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it in my gut, slithering all the way up my spine. Deciding it would probably be safer in the bedroom, I made my way back up the stairs. But then my eye caught sight of a dim light shining underneath the door of my studio. Would he? Even after he promised me that no one would go in there without my permission? As I got closer to the door, I noticed it wasn’t closed properly. The hinges creaked eerily as I slowly opened it, finding Castello standing in front

of the table, his back turned toward the door. “What are you doing here?” I closed the door behind me. He didn’t turn around. The only light in the room was the table lamp in the corner, shadows creeping all around us. “Castello? Is everything okay?” “That’s a funny question,” he replied without turning around. “Why is it a funny question?” Slowly I moved toward him, and as I reached him he stepped forward staring out the window into the belly of darkness outside. “I just think it’s a funny question to ask when you know that everything is not okay.” “Is it about what happened at The Capitol?” The broad expanse of his back moved under the white dress shirt as he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s about everything. You. Me. Us. My family. I narrowed my eyes, not liking the way he sounded or his choice of words. “Castello?” He turned slightly and glanced at me over his shoulder. “Nothing has been okay since you walked into my life.” My heart started to race, panic slowly creeping up my throat. “What are you saying?” He turned around, and when I saw his face I knew everything was about to change. Shadows fell

across his face, his eyes hard and cold. Even the scar along his eye seemed more prominent, angry. “What is going on?” My voice quivered, my spine tingling. With his hands in his pants pockets, he stood firm in front of me, his eyes as stone cold as the expression on his face. “I’m sorry, Tatum. It has to be done.” “What are you—” Two strong arms came up from behind me, fabric being shoved in my face. And then there was…nothing. *** My head pounded against my skull. My mouth and throat felt like I swallowed sandpaper. I moved, and my muscles protested with an ache that moved from my arms, down my spine to my legs. Confused and disorientated I sat up and tried to open my eyes. Heavy eyelids caused me to blink a few times before I was able to open them. I wiped at my eyes, trying to get rid of the fog in my vision. Dear God, I wish I hadn’t done that. The second I saw where I was, my heart crashed to the soles of my feet, my stomach turning upside down inside my gut. This is not happening. Gray, unpainted cement walls surrounded me, the cold seeping through my skin causing my bones

to shudder. The sheets beneath me scratched my skin while my mind reeled, unable to make sense of all the panicked thoughts rushing through my head. Then I heard it. The god-awful sound, the familiar sound…of air escaping a tube. I was back. I was back inside the room where I woke up months ago only to find out that my life would never be the same again. The room where I first met Castello Fattore. My chest felt like it had cracked wide open, my insides turned and squeezed with barbed wire. The panic, and the fear that took hold of every bone in my body caused me to breathe rapidly. The wall moved, and I scurried back, pressing my body against the wooden headboard. Only then did I realize I was wearing an exact replica of the rag I was clothed in when I woke up in this god forsaken room for the first time. Please God, this is not happening. As the hidden door opened I held my breath. I was reliving this entire nightmare from the start again. Every image, every memory forced its way into my mind, and I couldn’t stop the panic from choking me. “Hello, Tatum.” My heart stopped. My throat closed. And my blood turned to ice. It was him. I shook my head. “No.”

He walked closer, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “Yes.” I kept on shaking my head, denial keeping my mind from making sense of what I was seeing. He cocked his dark brows. “Cat caught your tongue?” “Why?” I breathed out the word, unable to find my voice. “Why? Now that’s an interesting question.” My blood boiled. “Why?” I shouted, and he pinned his dark gaze on me. “Because this is how it was supposed to be.” I shook my head again, my heart nothing but splinters and daggers piercing and breaking through my ribs. “Castello.” His name came out of my mouth in nothing more than a whimper. My eyes struggled to convince my mind that what I was seeing was real. “What are you doing, Castello?” He placed his hands in his pockets, his eyebrows slanting down. Everything about his face was dark and cold. Even the scar around his eye seemed different. “I’m doing what needs to be done.” I stared at him with disbelief, my heart barely beating inside my chest. “What exactly is it that needs to be done.” “You need to learn.” “Learn what?”

He smirked. “Your place. Who you truly belong to.” “I belong to you. I know that, and so do you.” Then he started to pace leisurely in front of the bed. He looked the same, but seemed completely different. Determined. “I’m afraid you’re wrong, Tatum.” Confusion made my mind spin into a thousand different directions. “Castello, please. You’re not making any sense. Why are you doing this? Why am I here?” He stopped and glanced at me. “Oh, poor Tatum. You really have no idea, do you? Can’t you see? You thought you had me all figured out. You thought you knew the truth.” He walked closer and stopped right next to me on the bed. “But the truth is you know nothing.” I hugged my knees against my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. “I know that I love you, and you love me.” He snorted. “God, you’re even more naïve than I thought.” Anger and panic swirled together, a slither of courage forcing its way through my veins. “Naïve? Fuck you, Castello.” I jumped off the other side of the bed. “Tell me right now what the fuck is going on! Have you been playing me all along? Was this all part of your plan? To make me fall in love with you so you can break my heart along with my

soul?” Dark eyes stared at me, the expression on his face unreadable. It seemed like he was actually thinking about what I had just said. He rubbed his chin, and then replied, “Yes. That is exactly what I was doing.” Even though I still refused to believe a word that came out of his mouth, I heard the amusement in his voice, like this was all just a game for him. I placed my hand on my belly. “And this? Was this part of your plan as well?” His gaze dropped to my hand, then narrowed as he looked back at my face. “Was what part of my plan?” “Our baby. The life growing inside me. Was that part of your fucking plan?” Dark eyebrows slanted inward, his eyes narrowed as he stared at me with confusion. “You’re…” His voice drifted off, as if he couldn’t form the words. “What is going on with you?” I braved a few steps closer to him, my soul crying for this all to be just a huge misunderstanding. Seemingly dumbstruck, Castello held up his hand, stopping me in my tracks. He rubbed his chin as he started to pace, mumbling incoherently. “Castello?” I couldn’t take it anymore. The fabric of the rag I was wearing irritated my skin, the room making me feel like the walls were closing in

on me. “Castello, please. I don’t know what is going on, but please stop. Stop whatever this is.” Tears threatened to escape, my face flushed with panic. He stopped, and fixed his gaze on mine. “This changes everything.” “What? What are you talking about?” His gaze dropped to my belly, and then he let out a maniacal laugh. “Oh God, I can’t do this anymore,” he said between laughter. “This is just too fucking insane…and funny.” He reached inside his pants pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth. “I wanted to drag this out a little more, but I’m a little gobsmacked to be honest. I really didn’t expect this.” I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t move. My blood was ice, my bones frozen. He held the cloth to his face, then smiled before wiping at his scar. Amused, dark eyes stared back at me while I watched the scar next to his eye disappear with every wipe. What the fuck? The smile remained on his face, a flawless face. “What is this?” The words burned my throat. He held his arms out wide. “Oh, come now, Tatum. Is that any way to greet your longtime lover?” I stumbled backward, my mind refusing to make sense of what I was seeing. It took me a few

seconds before I could manage to find my voice. “Carlo?” His smile grew wider. “In the flesh.” Chills erupted from my neck down my spine. “You’re dead.” “Nope. I’m very much alive.” “How?” “I see you let the cat out of bag sooner than planned.” Vico came walking in, and out of pure instinct I rushed to the wall. Vico grinned. “I see she’s taking it well.” Castello…no, Carlo smirked. “She’s a little lost for words, yes.” Vico stepped in next to him. “I always knew the cunt never had a backbone.” Abruptly Carlo snapped his arm toward Vico, grabbing him around his throat. The way he squeezed, the veins in his hands bulged. “Don’t call her that.” Vico grabbed Carlo’s hand that kept on tightening around his throat. “What the fuck, man?” “Call her that again and I’ll crush your goddamn windpipe.” Carlo let go of Vico, shoving him backward. Vico coughed. “What is it with this woman that she managed to get yours and Castello’s balls in a twist?” Carlo stared at me, almost dreamlike. “She’s a

very special woman.” “I don’t fucking see why.” Vico rubbed his neck. The sight of him made my stomach turn, every hair on my body standing up. He was still every ounce of evil I remembered him to be. He was shorter than Carlo, than Castello…oh God, Carlo was still alive. “How are you still—” “Alive?” He smiled, then looked at Vico. “Should we tell her?” “Sure. Why not. It’s not like she’s going to live long enough for her to wrap her head around what’s really happening.” Carlo shrugged, and all I could do was stand as silent as a mouse, staring at the two men in front of me. Carlo gestured toward the bed. “Sit down, Tatum.” “I prefer to stay right here.” “You sure? It’s a long story. I wouldn’t want you to exert yourself, you know, in your current condition.” “Condition?” Vico looked at Carlo questioningly, and then my heart tried to make its way up my throat. Carlo waved his hand in my direction as if what he was about to say was no big deal. “The cunt, as you so eloquently called her, is, in fact…pregnant.” My survival instinct started to kick in as I

watched Vico’s expression turn from stoic, to feral. “Pregnant?” His voice boomed through the room, and I closed my eyes as fear erupted inside me. “The bitch is pregnant?” “She says so.” Carlo smiled, and I hated it. I hated the look on his face, the way he stared at me. It was hard to believe that I walked around for months with a broken heart because of him. I couldn’t see it then, but I saw it now…the look of deception, lies, and pure malice. It was easy to believe he and Vico were brothers. That the same blood ran through their veins. I wrapped my arms around my belly, and Vico glared at me. “Castello knows this?” I refused to answer him, my glower the only kind of response he would get from me. Vico snorted. “And I bet the fucker is real glad about it too.” “Now, now,” Carlo walked up to Vico. “He’s still our brother, Vico.” “Who betrayed his own fucking family. Who shot his own goddamn mother!” Carlo remained eerily calm, as if nothing could rattle him. “That’s true.” “Where is he?” My voice quivered. “Where is Castello?” Oh God, they did something to him. How else would they have managed to get to me if they didn’t take Castello out first?

“Truth is, we don’t actually know where he is.” Carlo walked closer stopping a few feet away from me. I could not believe he had me fooled earlier. Now that I looked at him, really looked at him, I saw the difference. Besides the fact that he lacked the very prominent scar, his face was a little longer, his eyes slightly more apart than Castello’s. Amazing how I didn’t spot the difference when I first saw Castello, but now that I knew Castello’s face better than the back of my hand, I could see the man in front of me was not the man I had fallen in love with. He slanted his head to the side, staring at me, his gaze studying my face. “Last night when I entered my dear uncle’s estate, pretending to be my brother —which was incredibly easy, by the way—the security guard at the gate seemed quite surprised to see me…well, him. My brother. He said something about me being back so soon, asking if I forgot something.” His lips curved up at the sides. “I have to admit, I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better. Even though I had my brother’s head of security, what’s his name?” I gasped. “Giovanni?” “That’s the name, yes. Giovanni. Even though I had him on my payroll, I didn’t need him actually. Although, he did come in handy by giving most of the security guards the night off.” Betrayal stung my insides. “Giovanni helped

you?” He reached out and traced his finger down my face. “Ah, my dear, innocent little Tatum. You still have no idea how things work in our world, do you? Money talks, baby. In our world money can buy anything, even loyalty.” I jerked my face away from his touch, and for a moment it seemed like he was hurt by it. But I didn’t care. “Does Giovanni not know where Castello is? Where he went?” “Don’t tell me you’re worried about my twin brother.” “Of course I am. I love him.” Carlo’s face grew taut, his jaw ticking—just like his brother’s would do. He scrunched up his nose, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of a thought. “Do you love him the same way you loved me?” “I never loved you!” He cranked his neck from side to side. “If you didn’t love me, then why did you act all broken hearted after I left?” What? “You watched me?” “Of course I watched you. You were a major part of this plan. I had to keep my eyes on you.” I stared into his eyes, and the absence of an elongated pupil caused my heart to crack. Where was he? Where was Castello? Carlo leaned closer, placing his hand next to my

head on the wall. “I bet your little brain is about to go into overdrive trying to figure all this out.” “Just tell the bitch so that we can move on,” Vico chimed in from the other side of the room. Every time he spoke, my body shuddered. Carlo turned and glowered at Vico over his shoulder. “I think you should give Tatum and me some time alone.” Dear God, no. As much as I hated Vico, I didn’t want to be alone with Carlo. Vico shrugged. “Whatever. And don’t let the fact that she’s breeding a bastard child fuck with your head. It just has to die with her.” “No!” My survival instinct kicked in, and I glared at Vico, wishing I could skin him alive. “You are not going to hurt my baby.” “Sorry sweetheart, we plan on hurting you so the baby will be collateral damage.” “What do you want from me?” I bit out between clenched teeth. Carlo stood up straight and moved back. “Let me explain exactly what’s going on here. You sure you don’t want to take a seat?” “Fuck you.” “Ooh, I see my twin brother turned you into quite the feisty one.” His eyebrows lifted, an amused look on his face. “Okay then. So here’s the story.” He started to pace again, but I decided that my attention needed to be on Vico. He didn’t leave

as Carlo requested, and he was the devil I needed to fear. Carlo clapped his hands. “So, where do I start? Okay, so I’m not dead…obviously.” He snorted, and I just glared his way for a second before turning my attention back to Vico. “See, when I found out about the hit your father had put out on me, I decided to use it to my advantage. I let my family think I was dead, except for Vico here, and my mother.” He cringed. “Unfortunately none of us figured dad’s heart would stop. Oh well, we would have killed him eventually if he didn’t die. So I guess it worked out great.” He smiled, and when he noticed neither Vico nor I were smiling with him, he pulled his face straight. “Anyway, as you know, Castello was supposed to kill you, and your father. But we all know how that turned out. I always knew he was the weakest link in this family.” “So you faked your own death. And what did you hope to accomplish with that?” Carlo walked up and down the room. “The plan was to kill you and your father after he paid the ransom, and then once all the dust settled, Vico here would have driven a knife through Castello’s heart, and I would pretend to be him.” He gestured to the side of his face. “I even had a fantastic make-up artist in the bag, or should I say in my bed, to help me look like my brother. I would have

eventually pretended to have the scar surgically removed. But yeah, it never got to that because you managed to hook your claws in my twin brother.” I shook my head. “You’re not making any sense. Why would you want to pretend to be Castello? You were the rightful heir anyway.” He placed his finger on his lips. “True, but see… our worthless father and his gambling addiction put me in a position where I had to step up. If I didn’t pretend to be dead, Castello would never have wanted revenge. I knew your father wouldn’t give me the money I had asked for in order to assure I stayed away from you, so this was our only option to get our hands on your family’s money. I pretend to be dead, my twin brother demands revenge, we get paid, kill my twin brother, and then I rule. It’s simple.” I swallowed hard. “Why did you need Castello to kidnap me? Why couldn’t you have just done it yourself since being a stone-cold, lying son of a bitch is your forte?” That goddamn annoying smile that seemed like it was permanently plastered on his face grew wider. “God, I have to say, I love what he did to you.” Vico snorted, but remained still. Carlo sat down on the bed, his elbows on his knees. “You see, Tatum, if I had to just kidnap you, hold you for ransom, and in the end kill everyone in your family, what would that say about me?”

“The truth.” He cocked a brow. “And that is?” “That you’re an evil, manipulative bastard.” He shook his head. “You see, that is your perception of me.” “It’s the fucking truth.” “That’s it. I’m slitting her fucking throat right now!” Vico stormed toward me, eyes wide and evil. The look of hatred on his face should have scared me, it should have intimidated me. It was probably his intention to create fear inside me. But he didn’t know that Castello helped me conquer my fear. He made me envision Vico’s face and feel rage, and power rather than panic and dread. I squared my shoulders, made myself taller and kept my glare on him. I refused to cower. But as he rushed forward, Carlo jumped up and grabbed Vico by the arm. “Did I not tell you to leave us?” “I want her dead.” “I don’t care what you want. I call the shots.” Vico clenched his jaw. “She killed our mother, Carlo. If it weren’t for this bitch our mother would have been here to see this plan through with us.” “I get that. And Tatum will be punished in due time.” Vico leaned closer to Carlo’s face. “Funny, that’s exactly what Castello said, and look how that turned out.”

Even as determined as I were to not show fear, shivers spread along my body. But I tried my best to remain still as I watched them. They stared at each other in silence, Vico’s face clouded with anger while Carlo’s face remained stoic, yet firm. “Leave us.” Carlo let go of Vico’s arm, and Vico straightened his suit jacket. He glared my way. “I don’t know what the fuck it is about you, but I’m starting to think you have unicorn pussy.” His eyes were black as he licked his lips, slowly approaching me. “But before you die, before I slit your fucking throat, I’ll taste that cunt of yours to see for myself if it’s really that good.” He stopped in front of me, his face inches from mine…and then I spat right in his face. The blow that followed happened so fast. His hand collided with my face, my cheek instantly on fire, and I tasted blood in the corner of my mouth a second later. Vico seethed. “That little stunt just earned you a slow, painful death, bitch.” The hate that coated each and every word sunk straight down to my soul. Every bone in my body felt it. Even after he left, walking out the door, I still felt his loathing for me. It was toxic, threatening to break the courage I was so desperate to cling on to. “Okay, now that he’s gone, let’s continue.” Carlo turned around, his entire demeanor calm and under

control. He looked at me with a cocked brow. “Dear God, Tatum. Seeing this fire in you is making me so fucking hard right now. No wonder my twin brother chose fucking you above loyalty to his own family.” My nostrils flared as my anger only continued to rise, causing me to take quick, shallow breaths. Carlo adjusted his filthy cock in his pants. “So, as I was saying, I …no, we needed a real good reason for us to want to take out your family. Despite what you might think, we can’t just go around killing people in cold blood with no reason. We had to make it seem like we had the right to kill the Linscotts. We couldn’t risk an uprising against our family because we started killing people for money. Besides, being bankrupt is not something we wanted the entire world to know.” I wrapped my arms around my waist. “So what now? Obviously your plan didn’t work.” “Because my brother thought with his dick, and not his head.” “Nevertheless, your family has been torn in two. Everyone thinks it’s war between Vico and Castello. How do you plan on re-entering the world with…” And then it all came together. Everything clicked, my mind finally piecing together the puzzle. “You still plan on killing Castello. Still plan on pretending to be him.”

Carlo started to clap his hands, his eyes beaming with pride. “My, my, but you are a clever one.” “But you don’t know where Castello is. No one does.” “Oh, I assure you, news has a way of traveling very fast in our world. And once word gets to Castello that Vico has you, he’ll come rushing back. Believe me, I’ve tasted that pussy between your legs. Men would kill—or die—for it.” My insides coiled tight, my body cold as ice, yet I refused to show it. “What are you going to do?” Carlo stalked toward me, and I pressed my back hard against the wall when he leaned into me his scent making me nauseas. “I’m going to kill him.” Again he traced his fingers down the side of my face, his touch making me sick. “But first, I’ll fuck you in front of him, show him that my cock can make you scream louder than his.” Bile rushed up my throat as he kept on touching my face, but I swallowed hard before spitting out the words, “I know from experience you don’t have what it takes to satisfy me.” A huge smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Oh, Tatum. It certainly didn’t sound that way last night.” I stiffened. “What are you talking about?” He leaned down, the tip of his tongue dragging all the way up my cheek my body on the verge of convulsing. He moaned softly before whispering in

my ear, “It was me.” He stood up straight, his eyes searching my face. I couldn’t…dear God. “You?” “It was me, Tatum.” Denial shook me at the core. “No.” “Yes. Last night, at The Capital, you came against the wall…and it was my cock inside you. Not my brother’s. Mine.” I vomited. I coughed and gagged as images of the night before flashed through my mind like a goddam Powerpoint presentation. Carlo laughed while he stood to the side, watching me throw up. The more I thought about it, the more my stomach churned…yet the more it started to make sense. That’s why it felt different. Not because of the drugs…because it wasn’t Castello. “I’ve missed this pussy.” “No matter what my brother does, he will never erase…us.” He wasn’t talking about Vico. He was talking about Castello. Carlo’s laughter sounded like the squeals of demons as it echoed through the room. I kept vomiting until there was nothing left inside me. Tears streamed down my face as I wept, sobbing while everything started to sink in. Everything hurt. My soul cried while my heart withered into nothing but dust. The pain, the

betrayal, the lies. All of it came crashing down and choked the life out of me. I didn’t even realize that Carlo had left the room until I heard the familiar sound of air escaping a tube, and the door moving into place, camouflaging itself within the walls. I was alone. I was hurt. And I knew nothing would ever be the same again.

24

TATUM I didn’t know for how long I’ve been sitting here huddled in the corner. Time stood still. My mind had gone completely blank as I stared out in front of me. Nothing mattered anymore. There were so many lies, so much deception, it felt as if I could no longer distinguish the difference between what was real and what wasn’t. Castello was gone. No one knew where he was. Would he find me? Would he manage to save me, see through his brother’s lies? And what if he did? What if he managed to save me, to rescue me and hold me in his arms again? What would he do if

he found out about what Carlo and I did? Would he believe me when I told him I thought it was him? And what kind of woman would that make me? What kind of woman didn’t realize the man buried inside her wasn’t the man she had claimed to love with all her heart? The father of her child. Castello would never forgive me. Even if he saved me, he would leave me as soon as he found out the truth. I knew him. I knew that knowing another man was inside me while I claimed to be his and only his would ruin him. Every time he looked at me, he would see me getting fucked by another man. The thought alone killed me. God, it killed me softly, slowly, turning my soul into nothing but shards of brokenness. The door opened, and the sound brought me back to reality, back to the dreaded room I saw in my nightmares for so long. “Right where I left you, I see.” Carlo came strolling in with Vico, and another man I didn’t recognize. “You’ll be happy to know that word about your kidnapping has reached my twin brother. I suspect it’s only a matter of time before he comes rushing here, guns blazing.” My heart skipped a beat when I heard that Castello might be on his way. But it also made my soul weep, thinking the truth would ultimately kill what Castello and I shared.

I remained silent, and watched with nervous curiosity as the unfamiliar man started to move around the bed. Carlo came to stand in front of me. “I’m afraid that you being pregnant wasn’t part of the plan.” I looked up at him. “What plan? Killing me?” He crouched down and took my chin between his fingers. I jerked my face away from his touch. “The plan changed,” he said simply. “How?” He placed his arms on his knees. “I’m not going to kill you, Tatum. It took some convincing for Vico, but eventually we came to an agreement.” “What agreement? What are you going to do to me?” He reached out and tried to touch me again, but I jerked to the side. “What are you going to do to me?” He stood up straight. “I’m going to keep you.” “Keep me?” “Yes. Despite what you might think, I did have feelings for you, Tatum. I still do. It just wasn’t in the cards for us to be together back then, but now it might be.” “You’re delusional,” I spat out. Vico stepped closer, and I glowered at him. “So what was the deal you made with your demon brother?” Carlo loosened his shoulders, rolling his head as if he were wound up tight. “Just let me say I’m not

happy about it. But in the end, I do get you, so I’m willing to make the sacrifice.” “What sacrifice?” Carlo bit the inside of his mouth, his lips pursed before he glanced in Vico’s direction. “My brother seems to have a score to settle with you. He requested to have fifteen minutes with you… alone.” I choked on my own spit. “What does he want to do to me?” Carlo shrugged. “I don’t know. As long as he doesn’t cause any permanent scars, and doesn’t kill you, I don’t care.” “No.” I started shaking my head, fear pulsing like poison through my veins. “No. Carlo, no.” Carlo held up his hand silencing me. “That’s not all. My brother here has agreed that I can keep you…as long as we get rid of that…that thing growing inside you.” “No, no, no, no.” My stomach twisted, my body numb while my mind decided whether I wanted to cry or scream. Carlo reached down and pulled me up. “And I have to agree with my brother. I’d prefer that thing out of you as well.” One shove, and he pushed me backward on the bed. Before I could even try to right myself, two hands grabbed me and forced me to stay down. Vico. Vico was holding me down while the

unfamiliar man started to strap my arms to the bed. “Please! What are you doing?” The man strapped my legs to the bed before Vico finally let go. I thrashed and screamed, cried and begged, trying to get free. But it was no use. The straps around my arms started to gnaw at my skin, but I didn’t register the pain. All I wanted was to make them stop. “Calm down, Tatum. This time tomorrow it will all be over.” “What? What will be over? What are you doing? Please don’t hurt my baby!” I was irrational, my mind spinning out of control as fear and panic took hold of all my nerve endings. “Relax, Tatum. You’re only going to make it worse.” “Please, Carlo,” I pleaded. “Shhh, baby.” He placed his hand on my forehead. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.” The strange man handed Carlo what looked like four tablets, and a pair of gloves. Carlo tossed the plastic gloves to the floor. “I’ve been inside that pussy more times than I can count. I don’t need gloves doctor.” The man nodded, then stepped back. Carlo looked at me. “This is a doctor by the way. I don’t want to risk anything happening to you, so he’ll be here to make sure everything goes as planned.” Tears streamed down my face. “Please don’t do

this.” Carlo dragged his fingers down my body, and it literally ached everywhere he touched. He sat down next to my legs and slowly started to wind up the rag. “It’s actually amazing if you think about it.” He continued to move the fabric up my legs. “They say humans are powerless when it comes to God, yet, we have the power to take away the life he placed inside you with just four little tablets.” I tried to sit up, tried to see what he was doing. But I couldn’t. “Carlo please, I’ll do anything you want. I’ll stay with you, I promise. Just don’t do this.” As if he didn’t hear me, he continued, “Once I put these inside you, your cervix will soften and your body will expel the pregnancy.” “Oh God!” I screamed, trying to pull free from the restraints. “It will take a few hours, but it’s not like you have anywhere to go right?” He smirked. “Vico, could you give me a hand?” I tried to force my legs closed, pulling and tugging, going completely crazy on the bed. Vico forced my legs down, keeping them spread and still. “Please!” I screamed. “God, please!” “It will all be over soon.” And then I felt a finger prod at my entrance. “No!” I cried. I cried so hard, my spine wanted to break in half. As his finger entered me, I pushed.

I tried to push it out of me, and the warmth of my own urine spread beneath my thighs. “Stop. Please stop!” “Oh, Tatum. You pissed yourself. Such a dirty girl.” He pushed his finger all the way inside me, and I screamed as I refused to stop fighting. My head jerked from side to side, and I forced my body to move. Anything just to make them stop. Carlo stood up and placed his hand on my stomach pushing me down, forcing me to keep still. His finger slipped out, and within two seconds it was back inside me. It hurt. He pushed so deep into me, it fucking hurt. And then his hand was gone the same time Vico let go of my legs. I kept on screaming, pushing, trying to force out whatever it was he pushed inside me. “Stop fighting it, Tatum. It’s done. There’s nothing you can do now.” Carlo stood next to me, trying to wipe away some hair that stuck to my face. But I jerked like a wild fucking animal, feral and insane. “Fuck you!” I screamed at the top of my lungs while tears streamed down my face. “Fuck you!” Carlo gestured toward the doctor, and he stepped up holding a syringe. “What is that?” I demanded. “It’s just something for the pain. It’ll calm you down as well.” Carlo replied, his voice soft, almost

compassionate. I didn’t even feel the needle, I was too busy screaming and crying. The pain felt like my chest had been ripped wide open. My heart was bleeding, dripping onto my spine while my soul was being torn to shreds. My baby. My baby. Jesus please, my baby. I wanted to wrap my arms around my waist. I wanted to at least try to protect my baby. But it was no use. The poison was inside me, and it was already killing my baby, killing me. I started to feel woozy, my head, my mind, everything fogging up. It felt surreal, like nothing more than a bad dream. Further and further my mind drifted. “Please don’t hurt my baby.” I could barely hear myself. There was a subtle touch on my cheek. “Soon it will all be over.” And then…my soul died.

25

CASTELLO I sat silently in my car, staring at the gates of my old home. The gates of hell. I wasn’t the type of man to regret decisions I’ve made. No matter if the decisions were right or wrong, I would twist the consequences in such a way that it would suit my needs. I had the power and the means to do that. In my world there was nothing that couldn’t be fixed, that couldn’t be manipulated…until today. I left her. I walked out of the bedroom, and out of the house without looking back, and I left her. It was the only way. My decision was based on the fact that Tatum and my child would have been better off without me. I was nothing but a bad habit, and I knew I had to erase my existence from

their lives. It was the most difficult decision of my entire life, and I had weighed up all my options, carefully considered every outcome. And it all came down to them being better off without me. Uncle Gino would have taken care of them. I would have made sure that they had everything they needed, but I would have done it from the shadows. Kept them safe without being a part of their lives. Fucking idiot. I wasn’t even gone for twelve hours before Uncle Gino got word to me that Tatum had been kidnapped. She was taken out of the house without anyone noticing. How the fuck did that happen? The only conclusion was that there had to be someone on the inside. Someone with authority, with influence. Someone who knew the security system like the palm of his hand. Giovanni. I glanced next to me. Giovanni had told me everything before I sliced my blade across his throat. Now the fucker was bleeding all over the upholstery of my Aston Martin. It wasn’t that hard, to make him talk. It appeared that the big ass motherfucker who had been the head of my security didn’t like pain. Especially after I injected him with a special mix of muscle relaxants, of which one was a little bit of curare. Incredibly hard to come by. But not for me.

So while the fucker was unable to move, yet feel every sensation, every ounce of pain, I made him scream out the truth. I made him cry while he told me everything. While acid burned his retinas, I listened carefully to every word he screamed out. Pulling out one nail at a time, I listened to him telling me my twin brother wasn’t dead. That the coffin we buried that day alongside my father was fucking empty. Blood dripped down Giovanni’s face as I carved two deep slits down the side of his nose, creating tears of blood. He sobbed like a motherfucking baby, begged like a damn coward. He couldn’t do anything while I cut his dick off, slowly, painfully, edging the knife through his skin inch my inch, dragging it out. They had no idea what I would do for her. What I was capable of when it came to my woman. If I weren’t so desperate to find her, I would have taken two minutes to try and digest the fact that my twin brother was still alive, they had been using me, plotting against me all this time. But they underestimated me…and they would pay for it with their lives. I got out of the car, and heard the slamming of car doors behind me. Uncle Gino refused to let me do this alone, and brought an army of his own. I walked up to the gate, and the security guy approached me.

“Mr. Fattore.” I aimed my gun and pulled the trigger before he could say anything else. As his lifeless body dropped to the ground, I grabbed his security tag that hung around his neck and opened the gates. I held the gun out, aimed at the security camera, and shot it into pieces. Rain started to pour down, rumbling thunder echoing far away in the distance. Not even the storm raging above us was any match for the anger that raged inside me. They chose the wrong fucking woman, the wrong man to fuck with. The sound of footsteps smashing in the rain that pooled on the asphalt sounded behind me. I was thankful for the support, but even without them, there was no way I would leave this goddamn house without Tatum. I walked up the stairs, and knew there were two men standing on the other side of the door. I knew the security layout of this goddamn house better than anyone. As I reached the top of the stairs, I pulled out a second gun. One kick and I broke the door down, two gunshots going off at the same time, and I didn’t even look at the bodies that fell to the ground. Within ten seconds more security came rushing to the foyer, but with the amount of ammo I had behind me, they didn’t stand a fucking chance.

Bodies fell like flies, but I didn’t give a fuck. All these motherfuckers deserved to die. I stood in the foyer, gripping the guns in my hand tight. The men behind me searched the area before they flanked me with their guns aimed, ready to shoot on sight. There was no fear, no panic. Just sheer determination to get back what was rightfully mine, and to end this war once and for all. “Carlo!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, my anger bouncing off the fucking walls. “I know you’re here you son of a bitch!” Silence. “Carlo!” “Hello brother.” I looked up, and true as God, there he stood. The spitting image of me. “Where is she?” “Is that any way to greet your dead brother?” “Where is she?” He leaned on the banister, showing off the gun he held in his hand. Stupid fuck. He didn’t scare me. “She’s no longer yours, brother. She never was.” I moved, and he straightened, holding out his gun. I paused, then started to slowly make my way up the stairs, indicating for the rest of the men to stay put. “The way I see it, you can either tell me where

she is and then I kill you, or, you can tell me where she is, and then I kill you.” He let out a mocking laugh. “Very funny. You’ve always been the stupid one, haven’t you?” Step by step, slowly moving closer to my brother. “I really don’t give a shit that you, Vico, and Mother lied to me. Plotted against me. I don’t even care that you’re not really dead. All I care about is her, and I will slit the throat of every man inside this goddamn house in order to find her.” Carlo stood at the edge of the stairs, never taking his eyes off me. “Is that a threat?” “You can bet your resurrected ass it is.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, the nozzle of his gun sticking out from under his armpit. It was just a way to show me he didn’t fear me or the two guns I held in my hands. Well, fuck you, motherfucker, you don’t scare me either. I reached the top of the stairs, and my brother and I came within inches from each other. He cocked an eyebrow. “I always knew it would one day come down to me or you. It was enough that we shared a womb together. There was no way we would have been able to share this world as well.” “Where is she?” I didn’t care about anything else. Then he smiled. “I’ll take you to her. But I can guarantee you you’re not leaving here with her. In

fact, you won’t be leaving here at all.” “Shut the fuck up and lead the way.” He smirked, then turned his back to me. Just another way to show me that he thought his balls were bigger than mine, that he didn’t think I had it in me to kill him. Fucker should go have a chat with Giovanni. I followed him as we walked down the familiar halls of what once was my home. I never took my eyes off him, alert and anticipating anything and everything. When we stopped in front of the door I recognized immediately, he grinned. “She was less than…thrilled to be back.” “Just open the fucking door.” “You know, I really thought our reunion would have been a lot more pleasant.” My hand itched, the gun begging me to pull the fucking trigger. “Open the door.” He opened the door and gestured for me to walk first. I did. I figured if he wanted to kill me I would have been dead already. And knowing him and Vico, they probably had a big masquerade planned before they put a bullet in my brain. I walked straight across the room and pressed the red button on the wall. It was the same button I had pushed when I held Tatum prisoner. Just thinking about what she had to have gone through just by being back here made my insides churn, and my

head feel like it wanted to explode. Air swooshed, and the door opened. Even though I came prepared with knives and ammo, unfortunately I didn’t come prepared to see the picture in front of me. Blood. So much blood. I stopped breathing as I stared at the crimson seeping through the sheets. On the inside the monster roared, my blood searing my veins as it turned into liquid fire. My soul screamed in anger, and I was suddenly demon-possessed. I grabbed Carlo’s arm, twisted it behind his back, and shoved his face straight into the goddamn wall. “What the fuck did you do to her?” Vico appeared out of fucking nowhere. Or he was there, I just didn’t see him as I stared at the red tainted sheets. The fucker aimed his gun, but before he could pull the trigger a shot went off, and I jerked my head to the side, only to see Uncle Gino holding the gun. Carlo cursed, and Vico fell to his knees clutching his chest, blood seeping through his fingers. I felt nothing. I felt absolutely nothing as I watched him fall face first to the floor. Dead. Not exactly the way I envisioned ending this war. I thought I would have at least gotten a decent fight out of it. But it just proved I was right about my little brother. He was all bark, and no bite. “I wish you hadn’t done that,” Carlo muttered.

I tightened my grip on his arm, dangerously close to dislocating his fucking shoulder. I looked over at Tatum. She was on her side, soft moans coming from her direction. It was obvious she was in pain. “What have you done to her?” Carlo let out a laugh. “Let’s just say, you’re no longer going to be a father.”

26

TATUM His voice. “Castello,” I whispered, my mind completely fogged. I tried to move past the haze. I tried to focus, but I couldn’t. “Tatum.” There. It was his voice again. “Tatum. Wake up.” “Castello.” My mind grew clearer and clearer, reality forcing its way back in. But the more I remembered, the more I wanted to forget. “Tatum.” I opened my eyes, and for a moment panic shot through my body like an electric current. “It’s me, Tatum.” He grabbed my hand and

placed it against his scar. “It’s me, Castello.” All I saw was Carlo’s face. The face of the fucking devil that ripped my baby from my body. The demon that murdered my soul. I moved my legs, and the cold, wet sheets made my whimper. I felt it immediately. The loss. The emptiness inside me. I could feel it was no longer there. The life. The baby. The two pink lines. Gone. “Tatum?” The face next to me drew my attention. And even though I felt the scar beneath my palm, I saw Carlo. I started to shake, screams escaping my throat like squeals straight from hell. I closed my eyes, thrashing violently on the bed. I was dead. My soul was dead. I was no longer a human being. “Tatum, stop!” I didn’t. I couldn’t. The pain was too much. The pain I felt on the inside was too fucking much. Two hands gripped my head tight. “Look at me.” I tried to jerk my face free. “Look at me, little mouse!” And then I stilled. Two words. Two words that managed to reach through my soul, touching my heart. Little mouse. I opened my eyes and stared at the face in front of me. And when I saw the elongated pupil, the only thing Carlo couldn’t fake…I cried. Tears

streamed down my face, and my cheeks burned with every drop. “Castello,” I sobbed, and he pulled me hard against his chest. “I’m here, baby. I’m here.” He hugged me so tight I could hardly suck in a breath. But I didn’t care. I didn’t want to breathe. It hurt too much. I wanted to go back in time and change everything that happened. I want to go back and have that life back inside me. “Shhhh,” he cooed as I cried into his chest. “It’s okay. I’m here.” I cried so hard. Grief and pain possessed me. “You left.” “I know, and I’m so sorry.” And then anger. “You fucking left!” I slammed my fists into his chest, crying, screaming, “You fucking left! You left!” I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop hurting him. I wanted him to feel my pain, my hurt, and I kept on hitting him. All he did was sit there, allowing me to take out every ounce of rage I had in me. He let me hit him. He let me hurt him until I had no more strength left. I sobbed, I wept like all hope in the world had been lost. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispered as he pulled my face back to his chest. My body shook, my insides torn apart. I never knew something could hurt so much.

“Someone get me some warm water and a towel.” He brushed his fingers through my hair. “Tatum, I need you to do something for me.” He leaned back so that he could look at me. “I need you to close your eyes. And no matter what, do not open them. Can you do that for me?” I nodded. Deep down I knew why. “Good.” He placed a kiss on my forehead. “Now close your eyes.” I closed my eyes, and he moved away. My heart pounded and my broken soul sobbed as I felt Castello move around the bed. I felt him pull the sheets from beneath me, and in my mind I imagined what the sheets had to look like. I wasn’t far along. Only a few weeks, so it couldn’t have been more than just blood and clots. Two pink lines. Tears continued to move down my cheeks. “I need you to open your legs for me, okay?” I hesitated. Soft moans and whimpers escaping me. Two pink lines. “Please, Tatum. Let me take care of you.” Slowly I opened my legs, and when I felt the wet towel I sucked in a breath. For the entire time Castello cleaned me, I bit down on my tongue, trying to choke back sobs. His touch was so gentle, so soft as he continued to clean my inner thighs, my legs, my behind. But the pain was still there, eating away at my insides, poisoning me, killing me.

“Don’t open your eyes. But I need you to lift your arms.” I obeyed…like the good little pet that I was. Castello slowly, gently pulled the rag over my shoulders and head. And then I felt soft fabric being pulled over my arms. Two pink lines. The mattress dipped. “You can open your eyes now.” I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay in the dark world of my mind. I didn’t want to see color, or acknowledge my reality. I didn’t want to face the world where everything got taken away from me, where other people played God with my life, pulling all the strings and deciding my fate. “Open your eyes, Tatum.” I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth, choking on more tears. “Open them.” And I did. I managed to open my eyes and stare at the face I loved so much. His gaze never left mine as he slowly, gently buttoned up the shirt he had placed over my arms and shoulders. It was his shirt, since he wasn’t wearing one anymore. I could see in his eyes that he knew. He knew everything. And I also saw my pain reflected in his dark irises. We both lost so much. Someone snorted from across the room. “So considerate of you brother, cleaning away the last

remains of what once was your bastard child.” The sound of his voice made my skin crawl. “It’s a shame you couldn’t have been here earlier when most of it came down. It was quite the bloody show.” Castello shot up from the bed, rushed over, and punched Carlo in the face. Bone cracked, and I immediately looked his way since I loved the sound of his face breaking. Carlo spat out a mouth full of blood. “You know,” he started. “No matter what you do, you won’t be able to change it.” “Change what?” Castello seethed. “The fact that I had her first. The fact that my cock stretched that pussy of hers first.” Another fist to his jaw, and Carlo’s face jerked to the side. The sight of blood that spat from his face somehow managed to numb the pain—like morphine. Seeing Carlo bleed dulled the ache in my soul…and it felt good. Castello leaned closer to his brother. “I would love nothing more than to put a bullet through your skull.” “Then do it,” Carlo bit out between bloodied teeth. “Unfortunately, revenge is no longer mine to take, brother.” Castello stood up straight and looked at me. I cocked my head to the side, my soul hardening with every second that passed.

There was nothing but emptiness inside me. I felt nothing. But as I looked past Castello at Carlo, crimson dripping from his nose…I felt something raw, something deep. Something that had its roots planted deep inside the foundation of hate. Castello walked over to me, and held out his hand. The glint of the knife caught my attention. I looked up at him questioningly even though I knew what he was saying. He gestured toward the knife. “This is your revenge to take, little mouse.” I bit down on my lip as I reached for the knife. I expected it to feel heavy in my hand, but it didn’t. It felt light, yet cold and hard. Kind of like me on the inside. Castello helped me up, my legs trembling beneath me. Whether it was the meds or shock, I didn’t know, but I was weak, my anger the only thing that strengthened me enough to stand up straight with the support of Castello’s arm around my waist. Carlo started to laugh. “Just proves you don’t know her at all. She’s not capable of murder. She’s too weak. She doesn’t have it in her to take a life.” I glared at him. His face. His eyes. His lips. It nauseated me. I could still feel his fingers inside me, pushing the poison as deep as he could, killing my baby. I could still hear his voice as he told me

everything was going to be okay. Well it’s not. Nothing would ever be okay again. I gave a step forward and my legs shook, but the fury mixed with pain fueled me, it pushed me to keep on moving. Castello’s arm was still wrapped around my waist, and I leaned into him just a little more. “I’ve got you,” he assured me softly. Carlo kept on smiling. “Pity he’s too late, huh? If he didn’t leave you in the first place, all of this probably wouldn’t have happened.” I chose not to listen to a word he said, even though it rang true. Castello left. But that no longer mattered. Nothing mattered. I gripped the knife tighter in my hand, and Carlo glanced at the blade before his menacing stare shot up to mine. “So, are you going to tell him, or should I?” I froze mid-step. Carlo nodded toward Castello. “Maybe you should tell him. It would be better if it came from you don’t you think?” “Tell me what?” Castello glanced from Carlo to me, but I kept my deadly glare on the son of a bitch in front of me. “Tell him, Tatum. Tell my dear twin brother what happened.” My nostrils flared, and I could feel my veins swell with rage. Heat spread through my body,

every muscle clenched. My breathing slowed, and I grabbed hold of every ounce of fury that boiled like lava inside my veins, threatening to erupt. “Okay, fine.” Carlo sighed. “If you don’t have the guts to, I’ll tell him.” And then I snapped. The last thread of humanity I had left in me cracked, and I rushed forward screaming maniacally before shoving the blade in the bottom of his chin and up his face. I felt his skin tear, the knife hitting bone. Blood gurgled out of his mouth, out of the wound, and it spilled over my hand. It was warm, thick, and as I watched the blood run down my hand and arm, dripping to the floor, I could feel it feed my broken soul, soothing it, consoling it. Carlo choked on his own blood, and I shoved the knife even deeper up his face. Crimson bubbled out of his nose as the last air left his body. The sweet metallic smell of blood filled my nose, and my anger loved the scent. “Tatum?” Castello moved his hand on my waist, but I ignored it. I only shoved the knife deeper, wishing I could do it all over again. And then I did. I ripped it out of his face and stabbed it through his cheek. And then I did it again. And again. And again. The more blood I saw seeping out of his head, the more I wanted to see. With every jab, I saw all

the lies, all the deception, all the pain…all because of this man. All I’d been through, everything that had happened was because of him. He destroyed my life…as well as the life of my unborn child. I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs as I took the knife in both hands, and using all my strength I forced the blade through the top of his head…and left it there. Tears silently ran down my face as I stared at the bloodied face of the monster that had taken everything from me. I did that. I killed him…and I wish I could do it again. Castello placed his jacket over my shoulders. “It’s over, little mouse. He’s dead.” My body trembled as I kept staring at the corpse in front of me. I wanted to look at him as long as possible to make sure I never forget what my revenge looked like. The blood, the brutal sight of what his face looked like after I sliced it and stabbed it over, and over, and over again. “It’s over.” Castello turned me to face him and pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me. “It’s finally over.” “Castello.” Uncle Gino stood by the door. “I think you need to get her home, let Doc take a look at her. I’ll make sure this all gets cleaned up.” “Thank you, Uncle.” Castello wiped my hair back over my shoulder and placed his hand under my chin, forcing me to

look up at him. “What was he talking about, little mouse? What did he want to tell me?” The little piece of what was left of my heart thudded behind my ribs. He could never know. Castello could never know about what happened at The Capital. This would be the one thing I would keep to myself forever. I glanced at Carlo’s disfigured face, blood still dripping in dark crimson clots. What happened at The Capital died with him, and I would take this secret to my grave. We’d suffered enough. It was over now, and I would not allow Carlo to ruin our lives any further. “He was the one who caused it,” I started. “He violated my body by putting those pills inside me, his fingers pushing so deep it hurt.” Castello cursed, then grabbed both my shoulders and turned me to face him. “Never again. Never again, Tatum. You have been surrounded by lies for so long. From now on, I will dedicate my life to make sure you are surrounded by nothing but vows. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you from him. I swear to God I will never, ever leave you again. I vow to protect you. I vow to you make you my life. I vow to keep you, to never let you go. And I vow to love you even after death.” A tear slipped down his face, and somehow, I found comfort in that one single tear. “I love you, Tatum.”

Epilogue

TATUM Three years later

“You sure you want to do this? We don’t have to do this today.” I glanced at Castello sitting behind the steering wheel. “I’ve waited long enough. It has to be now.” Worry lines formed grooves on his forehead. “Just remember, it’s going to be a huge shock for them. I just want you to be prepared.” I smiled, and reached for his hand. “I am. I’ve been preparing myself for this day since she was born.” I glanced at the backseat. Emilie smiled as she watched her father and I. She had her father’s dark eyes, and my blonde hair. “I want our daughter to have this.”

“I know. But it’s been a long time, and I don’t want you to be disappointed if this doesn’t go the way you hoped.” I sat back in my seat. “If it doesn’t go the way I hoped, then at least I know I tried.” This was something that lay heavily on my heart. It was something I wanted for my daughter, for me. I knew it would be a great shock to everybody, but what kind of mother would I be if I didn’t do this for my child? After all, her world was different from the world out there. I wanted her to have at least something that was normal. Something that wasn’t linked to the Fattore name she carried. “You know I love you.” Castello glanced at Emilie. “I love our child. And for the last three years everything I’ve done was for the two of you.” “I know.” I gave him a warm smile. “It’s not too late, Tatum. I told you then, and I’ll tell you again. We can leave this world behind us. We can start over anywhere you want. You and our daughter do not have to be a part of this life.” I reached out and cupped his cheek in my palm. “This is your life, Castello. Our life. And I know there is no better life for our child. She will always be protected, always have what she needs, and that is all that matters to me.” “She’ll be protected no matter what. Whether we stay here and live as Fattores, or move and build a whole new life.”

I shook my head. “This is who you are. You are Castello Fattore, head of the Fattore family. I’m proud to be Mrs. Castello Fattore. And one day, your daughter will be proud of her father, and the power he represents.” Castello reached out, grabbed the back of my head and pulled me closer. His lips crashed against mine, his tongue sweeping greedily through my mouth. Three years ago I thought I had lost everything. But Castello saved me. He taught me to embrace my pain, my grief, and to use it to strengthen me. It took months before I was able to start living again, before I started seeing any color. Castello gave me no choice. He refused to let me give up. And I didn’t. The truth was, a part of me died that night—the night the devil took my baby from me. But something was reborn in its place. Something stronger, harder, something that replaced the last bit of innocence I had left in me. It was a cruel world we lived in. I realized that after everything that happened three years ago. And the only way to survive was to keep going from strength to strength. Only the strongest survive, which was why I chose to remain in his world. Here Castello and I ruled. Here we were the strongest of the strong, and together we would teach our daughter that no matter what, we would never show weakness.

Castello took a deep breath. “Okay then. Are you ready?” I nodded, my heart beating a little faster than normal. But a man once told me to never show when you’re nervous. Being nervous showed a lack of confidence. And a lack of confidence was seen as a weakness. I was no longer weak. I was his queen, and I had learned to rule alongside my king. We got out of the car, and I unstrapped Emilie from her seat before picking her up, closing the car door. Castello walked up next to us, gently placing his palm on Emilie’s cheek. “I don’t deserve the kind of happiness you two give me. But I thank God every day he has shown me mercy by giving me the chance to love you both.” “Love you too, Daddy,” Emilie said cheerily, and we both chuckled. Castello took my hand. “Ready?” “Ready.” Together we crossed the street, and with my one thousand dollar shoes I walked with the kind of confidence that showed the world nothing could bring me down. I’d embraced my new life, and no one would ever take it away from me. We reached the front door, and I took a moment to take in all the familiarities. It brought back so many memories, good and bad. But I chose to hold

onto the good. Castello reached out and rang the doorbell. “You nervous?” I cocked a brow at him. “You should know better than that.” “Good.” He smiled proudly, and I loved it. The door opened, and when the woman’s gaze found mine, she sucked in a breath. “Tatum?” I smiled. “Hello, Mother.” THE END

OTHER NOVELS BY BELLA J RESPLENDENT RUIN (Resplendence #1) RESPLENDENT RUSH (Resplendence #2) RESPLENDENT RAGE (Resplendence #3) STILETTO SECRETS MAFIA PRINCESS REGRET (Shattered Secrets Vol. 1) TORMENT (Shattered Secrets Vol. 2) BLOOD & LIES (A Twisted Duet #1)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR All the way from Cape Town, South Africa, Bella J lives for the days when she’s able to retreat to her writer’s cave where she can get lost in her little pretend world of romance, love, and insanely hot heroes. She has a taste for dark, romantic suspense novels with mysterious, brooding bad boys and strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees. Add a little humor and a lot of sexy, and she’s in writer’s Heaven.

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Table of Contents AUTHOR’S NOTE: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 Epilogue OTHER NOVELS BY BELLA J ABOUT THE AUTHOR