by Anthology
My breath caught, my lips parting to form an O. He worked his mouth over me, the sensations swiftly sweeping away the shock.
“Please.”
Without care, Nico ripped my clothes from my body. He threw them on the floor somewhere, and his suit followed not even a minute later. I heard the crackle of foil and a moment later Nico was back over me, his magnificent body on full display as he gazed down at me. His eyes were hazy with lust and he shivered when I trailed a finger down his chest. It was an involuntary movement that had pleasure sparking through me.
I moved my hand lower, keeping my eyes locked on his. When I grazed his sheathed cock, my fingers wrapping round the hard flesh, he hissed. Nico’s eyes shut and he tilted his head back, relishing in my touch as I slid my hand up and down his length.
Before I had chance to tease him further, his hand was between us and pushing me away with a grunt. The barely restrained desire in his eyes told me exactly how close he was.
He took himself in his hand and I felt his thick tip against my core. Then with one, powerful thrust he buried himself fully in me.
Soon, Nico had me tucked against his side. I was sore in all the right places and every ache had me grinning as it filled my mind with images of the last hour. Nico had stayed true to his words. He’d fucked me hard and fast at first, claiming me in the most primal way. By the end, my lips were swollen, Nico had nail marks down his back, and we were gasping for air. Neither of us lasted long and neither of us were satisfied with stopping there. After that, Nico had taken his time. He savoured every moment and touch, teasing and pleasuring me until I screamed out his name. I lost count of how many orgasms he gave me after number five.
A deep rumble beneath my ear drew me from my thoughts and I realised Nico was speaking. “What was that?”
He chuckled. “I said, was there really a problem or was this an excuse for mind-blowing sex after all?”
I bolted upright on the bed, suddenly cold without Nico’s body. Or it might have been the blanket of dread that settled over me.
Everything had completely fled my mind as soon as Nico’s lips touched me, but it was now back with a startling intensity.
“Bri, what is it?” His hand caressed my breast, circling my nipple. When he drew his thumb over the peak of the sensitive bud, I moaned. Everything but the sensation of his rough hands on me escaped my mind so that I had to consciously make the effort to focus.
I swatted his hand away in an attempt to concentrate. “We need to move the plan up. My dad found out about my house and has put guards on it. It’s either we do this tonight or never, because he’s going to be watching me from now on and I can’t deal with not seeing you regularly.”
I peered up at him through my eyelashes to see his reaction.
There was none. He drew himself up against the headboard and gazed at the wall as if staring straight through it.
Finally, his eyes flicked to mine. “Can you give me one more night to sort everything out?”
“What’s there to sort out? We have everything hidden already in case of emergencies. All we have to do is run.”
Nico shook his head, annoyance beginning to encroach on the sated expression he wore. “Yeah that’s exactly how simple everything is.”
I placed a finger beneath his chin, forcing him to meet my gaze. “Don’t you dare back out on me now. You came up with this whole thing, so you can’t be the one to give up. Tell me you can still go through with this.”
“Of course I can, Brianna. The better question is, can you? You’re the one who’s going to be in danger.”
I touched my lips to his, attempting to convey exactly what he meant to me without the use of words, because there weren’t any that seemed enough.
“Does that answer your question?”
“Bri, I’m serious. If you can’t do this, we’ll find another way.”
I frowned. “Why are you trying to convince me not to? Don’t you want to be with me? Are you having second thoughts?”
“Dammit, Bri,” he hissed. “Of course not.”
“Good, because I want you, Nico, but not if you’re going to have doubts or bail on me.”
He held his arms out. “Come here.”
I crawled into them, straddling his lap and resting my head in the crook of his neck. As I breathed him in, he embraced me tightly, his lips pressed against the side of my head.
“Tonight then?” he murmured into my hair.
I nodded against him, too nervous to use words. I could play the tough mafia princess all I wanted, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel fear. What we had planned could easily go wrong—there were too many variables we couldn’t control—and it was my life on the line. Nonetheless, it was our only option.
Nico
“Can I talk to you a minute?” I asked, peering into the living room where my father was sitting with my mother. He glanced at me. Placing a hand on Mum’s thigh, he squeezed it before pushing up and following me from the room.
I headed to his office, waiting for him to enter and take a seat before shutting the door.
“What’s going on, Nico?”
I glanced at the ceiling and took a deep breath. I had been considering this ever since I left Bri, and it was tearing me in two. There were aspects to the plan I’d kept hidden from her for good reason, and now that the time was drawing closer, the full force of what I was about to do was overwhelming me.
When it became apparent it wasn’t possible to steady my racing heart, I levelled my father with a serious gaze. “You wanted to find a way to weaken the Aletti family, right?”
He gave a curt nod.
“I’ve found a way.”
He tilted his head to the side, not able to hide the intrigue sparkling in his eyes. “Go on.”
“For the last eight months, I’ve been winning the trust of Brianna Aletti. She’s fallen in love with me and I’ve convinced her we’re going to run away together. She’s coming here tonight, expecting us to leave.”
My father clapped his hands together and a roar of laughter burst from his lips. “That’s genius.”
“I thought so, and she fell for it so quickly.”
“You’re sure she’s not playing you like you’re trying to play her?” he asked sternly, composing himself into the professional boss again.
“No. It’s real, all right. You’ll see the way she looks at me when she gets here. Anyway, what purpose would she have coming into our territory if she’s trying to play me? It’s suicide.”
He hummed in agreement, folding his arms across his chest. The grin that lit up his face showed all of his teeth. He wasn’t usually a man to show his emotions in business, but this revelation had him unable to control them. “I’m assuming you’re telling me this for a reason?”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly as dry and rough as sandpaper. “I want to be the one to run things. I have a plan and I want to see it through. It has to be me who deals the final blow.”
“Don’t you always?”
My gut twisted at his words, and I had to concentrate on not reacting. “Yes, but this one’s personal, and I want to be alone when I do it.”
“You realise this is going to mean we’re at war with the Aletti family?”
I shrugged. “It’s been inevitable for a long time. There’s no other way to gain their territory, and the guys are more than ready to deal with any repercussions.”
“All right, I’ll let you handle it.” He stood up, clapping me on the back as he passed. “I’m proud of you, Nico.”
Well, that made one of us. He may have been proud, but I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of what was to come. Never before had the idea of offing someone made bile rise in my throat, but I couldn’t allow myself to focus on it. I had to keep my head in the game and do what I’d been bred to.
Standing to follow my dad from the room, a high-pitched shriek came from outside, causing us both to stiffen momentarily.
“Right on time,” I muttered
under my breath, striding through the house and out to the patio. As I stepped around my father, I saw her. Restrained by two enforcers, she struggled in their grip, grunting and shrieking to be let go. Her hair was a mess, stuck to hair face from her actions, and there was a deranged sneer twisting her mouth as she fought against them. I refused to be moved by the sight or her curses. She asked for this and it was time to finish things.
Brianna
I’d been shoved from man to man, tied up, hauled down the stairs, and was now resting on my knees in some kind of basement. Nico had watched everything with a dark, murderous glimmer in his eyes. He didn’t order the men to back off or treat me with care. If anything, he smirked at my predicament.
With every glimpse of that twisted smile my palms became sweatier and my pulse increased. Blood pounded in my head, allowing me to hear the frantic beats of my heart combined with my shallow breaths. Only hours ago I’d been breathless for an entirely different reason because of him, and I was beginning to think I’d made a tremendous mistake in trusting Nico.
If that was the case, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of allowing him to see me crumble. The bastard didn’t deserve that type of satisfaction.
As if tuned into my thoughts, heavy footsteps came down the stairs until Nico entered the room, his father not far behind. Nico pointed to the two men who had been guarding me and barked at them to leave. They hurried to comply, abandoning me to the two most senior members of the Salvato family who were regarding me with disdain. Nico held my phone. He was spinning it around and allowing the silence to drag out.
I couldn’t figure out what he was doing. None of this had been in the plan, and I was out of my depth and outnumbered. We’d agreed to meet at our usual spot nearest his estate and run away. We didn’t discuss any of this; his goons ambushing me and hauling me back to the house was never part of the plan.
“What’s your passcode?” Nico snapped, drawing my attention to him. I rattled off the four digit code without hesitation, thankful my voice didn’t crack.
Nico tapped around on my phone in silence, then glanced across at Nicolai Salvato. “Let’s see how much the princess here is worth to her daddy.” He then turned to me. “Here’s the deal, sweetheart. You persuade your dear old dad to sign over his territory to us and you go free.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I think you can figure that out for yourself, princess.”
He was holding it out in front of his face when my father’s voice barked from the loud speaker. “Brianna! Why the hell are you FaceTiming me at this time in the morn—what the fuck are you doing with my daughter’s phone?”
Nico grinned. “We caught your daughter trying to get into our house. She’s with me now and will remain unharmed if you comply with our requests.”
“Show me.”
Nico must have switched to use the back camera as he lowered the phone to point it in my direction.
“What were you fucking thinking, Brianna? I warned you. I forbade you. I did everything but lock you in your room, and the message still didn’t sink into your thick skull.”
I couldn’t see him, but I didn’t need to. I knew what his expression would be. I could imagine his disapproval and anger as clearly as if he was in the room.
“Please just do as they say, Dad. I promise to never disobey you again.”
“What do you want?”
Nico was back to staring at the screen again, no doubt having turned it back around. “Your territory, of course. Sign it over or you won’t see your princess again.”
“He played me, Daddy. I promise I’ll never leave the house again if you save me.” I hated begging. If you were in a position where you needed to resort to begging, it was probably already too late. I knew what my dad would say before the words came from the phone, but I had to at least try.
“What’s it going to be, sir? Your territory or your daughter?” Nico passed the phone to his father then pulled a gun from the back of his jeans and pointed it at me. Nicolai had stepped back, making sure to get the entire scene on to the video.
“Please, Daddy!” I cried, in one last ditch attempt to save myself, although I knew he’d never choose me over his business and lifestyle.
“You made your own bed, Brianna. I’m sorry. You’re not getting your hands on my territory, Salvato, and her death will not come without consequences.”
A twisted smile pulled at Nico’s lips. “Want to say goodbye?”
The phone disconnected, the silence that lingered deafening. I could have sworn everyone could hear my heart shattering. Even having prepared myself for his response, it didn’t stop the stabbing pain coursing through me. I dropped my gaze to the floor, shutting my eyes for a second to compose myself.
I inhaled deeply, then blowing it out I redirected my pain to anger. If I was going to die, I wouldn’t die crying. I would go out in a blazing ball of fury.
Snapping my eyes open, I fixed Nico with a steely glare. “Do it.”
I was staring so hard I saw the small tremor in his hand as he realigned the weapon with my forehead. Maybe there was a small amount of feeling towards me.
“Go on. What are you waiting for?”
He placed a finger on the trigger, but still didn’t fire.
“I said pull the fucking trigger, Salvato!” I shouted, daring him to do it. From what I’d heard of his reputation, this never happened. “You’re weak. You’re a worthless traitor. How does it feel betraying someone who gave you their heart? Who trusted you?” I spat at his feet. “Pull the goddamned trigger, or give me the gun and I’ll show you how it’s done.”
How I would love to point that gun at him. If his father had still been in the room I wouldn’t have hesitated to fire a few bullets into his head too, but he’d left after setting up the phone to no doubt record my death.
“How about a blowjob first? For old time’s sake.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my nostrils flaring, before I spat at his feet again. This time it hit his shoe. “Fuck you.”
“You already have, sweetheart. Numerous times. That’s why you’re in this shit.”
My heart clenched at his words, bile rising in my throat. How could I have been so stupid?
Regardless, I wasn’t going to allow him to see how much his words cut me. Instead, I glowered at him. “Do you torment all of your victims this way? Is that what gets you off at night—what you’re thinking about when you’re jerking off? Will you think of my pretty face, lifeless, tonight and cry out my name?”
He dipped the barrel of the gun.
“You’re not going to do it, are you?”
“I guess that’s a no to the blowjob?”
“I’d rather die.”
“Oh, you will. Don’t worry about that, princess.”
“Kill me,” I hissed. I wanted it to be over before I lost it. I was barely restraining the emotions in my chest, all of the betrayal mounting up. I couldn’t keep up the pretences much longer.
He laughed, the sound demented and cruel. “So eager to die.”
“If I’m dead, I don’t have to feel the pain you’ve caused me. Death would be a blessing over knowing you—”
Suddenly there was a thwump and my body jerked backwards. I didn’t even have time to register any pain before blackness engulfed me.
Nico
I’d shot the only woman I’d ever loved.
The one person I’d never wanted to hurt was lying on the floor with blood seeping through her shirt to create a crimson pool.
My heart clenched at the sight, my hands shaking by my side. I needed to remember where I was, though. Fighting back the crashing wave of guilt, I stormed over to Bri’s phone and switched off the video. As quickly as I could, I forwarded it to her father before I slipped it back into my pocket. I prayed it wouldn’t take the Aletti family long to react. I’d single-handedly started a turf war between both of our families that would no doubt cost many lives, but I was banking on it covering our track
s. If everyone focused on fighting amongst themselves, I could slip away with Bri. I’d convinced myself the change of plan was needed. Without a distraction, they’d have tracked us down in days.
Taking a deep breath, I turned back to face Bri. My heart almost stopped at the sight of the blood pooling on her body. I couldn’t believe I’d been able to follow through.
As if feeling my stare, she groaned faintly. Her breaths were shaky, but her eyes fluttered open.
Thank God.
Not wasting another second, I scooped her up into my arms, ignoring the groan of pain. Holding her tightly, I hurried out of the second exit.
“I’m sorry, Bri. So fucking sorry. It was the only way.” I whispered into her hair. “Just hang in there for me, princess. I’ll get us out of here.”
Brianna
One Week Later
“Stand over there,” I said, flicking my gun towards the olive tree we had in our back garden. We were near the coast. The house we’d found sat nestled further back on a cliff so that the faint sparkles of the sea could be seen through the trees surrounding us. It was secluded and off the grid, the perfect hideaway until we figured out what we wanted to do about our families. We knew they’d be hunting us at some point, and we were determined to make it as hard as possible for them to track us. Thankfully, Nico’s plan had given us cover…even if I still wasn’t over the fact he’d shot and lied to me. I understood why he had after he explained. However, the burning pain in my shoulder, which flared with even the slightest movement, made it hard to forgive instantaneously.
Which was why I was about to get even.
With an unusually pale complexion, Nico paced over to where I’d directed him. To his credit, it was the only outward sign of his nerves.
