edwardsauthorsally

Sold to the highest bidder to pay off a blood feud, I never imagined I would be the pawn in my father's fatal game. Still, here I am before Enzo De Luca, the most vicious mafia leader in the city. Though appealing, he is cold, deliberate, and as lethal. Though my heart races just from his proximity, it is his touch that ignites me. My body betrays me and reacts to him in ways I am powerless over. And I melt as he softly, commandingly says my name.

Enzo loves neither me nor another. In his deadly kingdom, I am only another bargain, another transaction. But every time we are alone, the conflict between us snaps—desire becomes a terrible addiction. Although I detest him for everything he stands for, I yearn for the way he consumes me, body and soul.

He has made it quite evident—our marriage is more about power than love. Still, every angry gaze and every snatched moment in the shadow reveals something different. Benevolent underneath his icy façade lies something broken that appeals to the darkest sides of me. But depending on a man like Enzo may mean losing everything.

Bound to him now, for better or worse, I am caught in a world where loyalty is brittle and treachery carries a bullet. Our friendship gets more perilous the more truths about his empire I find. And as the past calls for us, I have to question myself: will our passion be the thing that ruins us both or can I survive loving a guy like Enzo De Luca?

Burning in his arms is me. But in his universe, I could roast alive.

OWNED BY MR MAFIA

The cold steel of the revolver pushed on my temple, and for a moment my universe stopped. Time seemed to have frozen—every breath, every idea, every pulse. The sound of my breath coming in brief spurts mixed with the hammering in my ears dominated my attention. Maxim stood in front of me, every muscle in his body tight and his mouth clinched.

His voice low but clearly tense, he added, "I don't want this." His eyes fixed me, sharp and full of something unspoken. Still, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.

His comments ought to have eased me. Though all I could feel was the chilly barrel of the rifle still pressed against my flesh, the approaching threat caused my heart to accelerate. My body shouted at me to flee, to move, but there was nowhere to run to. The folks surrounding us were the ones writing the story; we were caught in this chaos.

UNDER THE GUN