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"You're in the Mafia, aren't you?" I wished again that I had a pen and paper. "We don't like to use labels. But I am the Mafia, tesoro." ~*~ "You're threatening me." "If that's how you choose to take it. I was simply pointing out to you that I know where you live, where your family lives, the paper you write for, the shops you frequent. We know everything there is to know about you. We've just become very, very close." "Indeed we have." I croaked, my throat suddenly feeling very dry and tight. "Except I know almost nothing about you, and all of this." "Si. It's better that way." He said, standing up straight. ~*~ Miss wanna-be journalist, Cassandra Thorne, would do anything for the scoop. Anything, including finding her way into an underground club exclusive to only those in the Cartel Mafia and the beautiful women they employ. What could be more perfect? She would stick to the shadows, record a few videos, and write the biggest story New York has ever seen, thereby making her a legend. Easy as pie. Until she got found out. A series of blatant lies and luck breaks later, and she's mistaken for one of the workers underneath. While many might be terrified of this, Cassandra couldn't be more excited. The freedom to roam the area and talk to all the members of the infamous brotherhood will leave no rock unturned. All she had to do was keep her cover until the night is over and the workers go home. But there were just two problems: One was him, Christiano Moretti. The Don. The Godfather. The one damned man who had taken a keen interest in Cassandra. Even that was something she could handle for one night. Except for problem number two: They don't leave. Not at the end of the night, the end of the week, or even the end of the year. By the time Cassandra realized that not even the biggest scoop is worth the price, she was in far too deep to call it quits now.
CASSANDRA
~*~
Anything for the scoop. That should be my motto. I was a budding journalist, and in my eyes, there was no such thing as going too far. The bolder and more crazy the story, the more I wanted to be the one to cover it. The more dangerous the situation, the bigger the headline. I couldn't care less about the payout, I was in it for the story. My name would someday be a household name.
I was a reporter, there was no distance I wouldn't go. No rock I wouldn't turn. I would get that scoop. And someday, I would be the most sought-after journalist there was...
Someday.
Today, unfortunately, was not that day. Today? Well, today, I couldn't afford to buy a pack of cigars from this stupid imported store I was standing in.
"I'm sorry?" I rolled my eyes, "The rumors, that this establishment is somehow connected to one of the five families?"
"The...what?"
"The five families! The five original Italian American Mafia crime families of New York! The five families that have dominated organized crimes in the United States since the late thirties! The-"
"Early thirties," He interrupted.
"AH HA!" I gasped, "So you have heard of them. Tell me, who is your business coo hoots with?" I leaned across the counter further forcing the recorder closer to him. "Is it the Gambinos? No, no, I'll bet it's the Genovese. No! The Bonanno!"
"It's not my store. I just work here." He said, putting his hands up submissively.
I frowned, "Listen-" I glanced at his hand tag and then back to his face. "Pete, if you know something you need to talk. Not only would you be obstructing the Law if you didn't, but imagine how great your life would be if you did. I mean, if you helped uncover something like this-"
"If anyone uncovered anything to do with any mafia, they'd be a dead man."
He had a point there.
I pulled the recorder away. "I'm not getting anything from you, am I?" I asked with a sigh.
He smiled, seeming partially sympathetic to my struggle, and shook his head. " Sorry, love, there's no story here."
I sighed, "Are you suuuuuuure?" I put on my best flirtatious face.
"Positive."
I pressed the stop button on my recorder, "Fine. Can I at least use the bathroom before I go?" I grumbled.
He smiled politely and pointed me in the direction of the bathroom.
I made my way to the restroom, I didn't even have to go, I was hoping that maybe there'd be some interesting pictures or something along the hallway or in the bathroom, a face that I could trace. The owner of this building leads to that building leads to... and so on. But nothing. I was feeling frustrated now.
I was sick of reporting dead-end stories. I didn't even have a paper I worked for. I haven't earned that yet. Yes, I was still stuck doing freelance, along with every other wannabe out here. If I wrote it, and they liked it, I was in. But that meant it had to be better than everyone else's, and if it was a story their own company was covering, then it was useless. Finding my stories was essentially my only hope now.
I picked up the stupid swan dish with individually wrapped mints in it, scoffed, and slammed it back down. "Ridiculous!" I muttered. I pulled out a tube of ruby-red lipstick and applied a thin coat over my lips. I had time to kill in here. I had just smacked my lips when I started hearing a ruckus.
A loud ruckus.
The kind of ruckus you generally hear from guns. Plenty of guns. The building was being shot up? Oh yes, definitely mafia-related ties here. But that would have to wait. I dove into a stall and jumped up onto the seat, so my feet would disappear. And then? The reporter in me pulled her cell phone on and hit the record button.
Holy shit.
I was in the middle of a shooting. If I survived this, I would have inside footage! Well, inside the bathroom footage anyway.
The sounds of the continuous rounds stopped, and the bathroom door came open with a slam. The normal human being and terrified woman in me wanted to let out a shrill scream, but I remained completely mute, even when whoever had entered started firing off in the room. Bullets came through the bathroom stall, they seemed to never stop coming. I was covering my head with both of my arms and chewing my cheek so hard to keep from screaming that I could taste blood from them.
After what was probably a couple of seconds of open firing across the whole bathroom, the room was quiet. And then, I heard footsteps.
'Oh, fuck. Oh! shit. Oh, God!. Oh! Damn. Oh, no. Oh, hell. Oh, I'm going to die- I thought frantically in my head. I heard the door of the stall beside me get kicked open, and then silence. I had left my lipstick on the counter! Fucker. Fucking fucker! More footsteps. I pointed my phone camera towards my stall door, my hands were shaking so badly, but I was ready to capture him when he came. Not that anyone would ever see this.
The stall next to my own was kicked violently open. 'Oh hell' After a few moments of silence, I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was it. I was going to die. And I did t even get the story. I saw his shoe from under the stall, I held my breath as he took a step forward.
"Sbrigati, sprigati!" I heard someone yelling. "Andiamo! Polizia!"
("Hurry, hurry! Let's go! Police!")
"Figlo di puttana. Si arrivo." He groaned madly, suddenly the feet in my line of vision were retreating. Feet and voices I had on camera!
Holy damn!
("Son of a bitch. I'm coming.")
I stayed holed up in the bathroom for what felt like three eternities before finally bringing my still-shaking feet to the floor. I turned back to look at the holes in the stall, the stall that I had just been leaning against. How had they missed me? He knew what he was doing, the bullets were not in a straight line, Oh no. They were high, low, right, left, and somehow, no one had touched me.
Someone was on my side tonight, and I wasn't going to let that go to waste. I was going to get my scoop.
While still wielding my phone set to record, I made my way out of the bathroom.
The scent of my arousal spread across the room and I felt like I was flooding with wetness underneath. A finger ran along the swollen lips of my cunt and I squirmed at his rough touch. “That’s right, stay wet for me, it might not hurt that much.” ••• At first, it was a myth, but then it became a rumor. About an Alpha beast… A scarred beast who lived in the shadows. known as a sex Alpha before the battle went down and after, he was known as the scarred beast who preyed on females in heat. No female had ever survived his wrath or bore his mark. Except for one. Penelope never thought that she could come across one full moon night where she felt more heated than ever. Once marked by the beast, everyone frowned upon her and she was ruined until the beast appeared again, claiming her as his. 18+ (Gruesome sex scenes)
Listen to me, if you’re-“ “Shut up.” I was taken aback by his sudden choice of word. “Let’s get something straight miss Grey, I do not appreciate people talking to me, and I loathe it more when people talk back at me. Truthfully, you are crossing your limit and patience with me. So from now on, you’ll do exactly what I say and as I say. You understand me?” ………………………………………………….. Mystery. Romance. Deceit. Finding evidences of her dead brother’s whereabouts, Becky Grey believes that he is still alive. In pursuit to find her brother and restore her family’s remaining happiness, she encounters the infamous and Godforsakenly alluring Russian bastard Sinister Alexander Salvaltore and gets ensnared in his plan of capturing her brother. In order to attain his goal, he offers her a deal. However, the deeper she dives into the tangles of Sinister’s merciless world, she finds herself in a hauntingly farmiliar past. A past that she has been erased from- A past that she cannot escape. Unsettling secrets loom the air of her maddening relationship with Sinister. The question is, will she run from him? Or to him?
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
22-year-old Evelyn Carter is attempting to start over in California while avoiding her past. She will be embarking on a new career path as a private school teacher. She is smart, attractive, and doesn't put up with nonsense. Who wouldn't notice her? However, what happens when she attracts the attention of someone unwilling to let her go? Who wants her and nothing else after falling in love at first sight? A 25-year-old billionaire CEO and single father, Lucian Carrington. He takes what he wants and he is also a very dangerous man. All it needed was one look at a stunning woman to realize she was HIS, even though he doesn't believe in relationships because they always end. Preview: Miss Carter, you will be mine. I say firmly. "Release my arm, Mr. Carrington, before I force you to." She says, seeming to smile at me. I give her a sly smile. Squeezing my wrist with her other hand, she twists it uncomfortably. I gave a painful hiss. "Don't underestimate me, Mr. Carrington." "This is the only time I will allow you to walk away from me, Miss Carter." She glared at me as she turned. "Mr. Carrington, I am no possession of yours." I was left standing there when she opened the classroom door and left.
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, “She’s quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and you’re crossing me.” The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
"You're my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours." Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them. Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman, unlike any he had known. She surprised and delighted him. But will Daisy take him back? Can their son keep them together? Can the rift between them be healed? Pick this one up and find out!