by Sophia Gray
“No, Alexander,” Rodrigo said. “Leave her alone until tomorrow.”
“But she’s mine,” Alexander whined. He screwed up his face and slapped his hand against his thigh. “I want her!”
“Tomorrow, Alexander,” Rodrigo snapped, looking angry for the first time all evening. “Now go get me another cigar. We’re celebrating, aren’t we?”
Alexander darted out of the room. I guided Rodrigo into his den and eased him into the leather captain’s chair he liked best.
“This is a real change, Marty,” Rodrigo said. “A real change. A new era. We’ll have a new empire.”
I nodded. The alcohol was taking hold of my brain, and I could feel myself getting more tired by the second.
Together, we sat in silence. The other men were laughing and talking, but Rodrigo was staring into his cognac, reflecting on the events of the day.
“That little prick is taking too long with my cigar,” Rodrigo muttered. “Come on, Marty.”
We staggered back down the hall, into Rodrigo’s office. The humidor on his desk was untouched.
“I don’t think he’s been in here, Boss,” I said, glancing over at his desk. “You want me to light you a smoke?”
Rodrigo frowned. “Where the hell did he go?”
I shrugged. Probably thinking of all the ways he’s going to torment your daughter, I thought uneasily. But it wasn’t my place to speak, so I kept my mouth shut. I walked over to Rodrigo’s desk and took a cigar from the humidor. I handed it to Rodrigo along with his favorite lighter.
A loud sound made Rodrigo drop the cigar on his desk before it was even lit. He looked over at me, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“What the fuck was that?” Rodrigo asked.
My heart started beating faster as a flurry of footsteps filled the hall. It didn’t even sound human – it sounded like beasts had been set free of their cages in the middle of Rodrigo’s mansion.
The door to Rodrigo’s study burst open. Alexander’s father rushed in. He was red and shaking with anger, looking much younger than his fifty-five years. James was holding a gun. As soon as he spotted Rodrigo, he cocked the trigger.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled. “You don’t point a gun at that man!”
James pulled the trigger before I could move any closer. Rodrigo shot backwards in a spray of blood and gunpowder. A bright red stain bloomed on the front of his shirt. I dropped to my knees and cradled his head in my lap, staring as the life faded from his eyes.
“What the hell?” I looked up at James. “What the fuck did you do that for? You’re fucked! You ruined everything!”
James was seething with anger. “My son is dead,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “And that little cunt is gone!”
Immediately, two of Rodrigo’s bodyguards raised their guns and pointed them at James. I expected James to fight back, but he dropped his pistol to the floor. The gunshots that rang out next were so loud my ears ached.
James’s mangled body dropped to the floor, covered in blood.
“Jesus Christ,” I murmured, turning my head to the ceiling. “It’s all over. Everything is over.”
The only other man in the room, a little grunt of Rodrigo’s named Ernesto, turned to me. His eyes were shining with tears.
“Don Cantonneli,” Ernesto whispered.
Then he knelt in front of me.
Chapter 23
Melinda – Five Months Later
I groaned as I stood up from the beach chair. I was boiling hot after baking in the sun for only fifteen minutes. Even though Antonio, Cassandra, and I had been in Mexico for months, I was still getting used to the tropical climate.
My belly protruded in front of me. I felt hugely fat – like a waddling penguin – but Antonio kept assuring me that I was sexy and beautiful no matter what. Still, I was avoiding catching a look at myself in the mirror for the time being. A sharp pain exploded in the small of my back and I groaned again, rubbing the knotted flesh with one hand.
Reaching down to the ground, I grabbed my straw beach bag, water bottle, and wrap. It was too hot to be wearing anything more than a bikini. I brushed the sand off my feet and slipped them into my rubber flip-flops before walking up the vast, hot expanse of sand and into the cool house.
“Hey,” Cassandra said with a grin. “I made salad for lunch. Sound good?”
My stomach grumbled and I laughed. “Anything sounds good,” I said. “As long as it’s food, and it’s in front of me, I don’t care.”
Cassandra burst out laughing. “You are going to have to do some crazy dieting,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But I don’t care. Little baby Cantonneli will be worth it.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me,” I grumbled. “I’m going to take a shower. Is Gloria here yet?”
Cassandra checked her watch. “Her flight landed an hour ago. Antonio went out to the airport to get her,” she said. “I bet if you hurry, they’ll be here when you get back downstairs.”
The cool water of my shower felt good on my hot, blistering skin. I was a deep shade of tan that I hadn’t been since high school. I loved living in Mexico – the tropical weather, delicious food, and beautiful landscape were always enough to keep me in high spirits.
And then there was Antonio. I still couldn’t believe we’d fallen so deeply in love. Every day with him was like a new adventure, a perfect little bubble of happiness. When we’d first arrived, I’d barely been able to sleep. I’d been a bundle of nerves, worrying about the baby…and the things I’d left behind in Wilmington.
I’d heard from Gloria that something bad had happened the night we’d escaped, but I hadn’t been brave enough to check the online news and find out for myself. Thinking about hearing a tragic story was enough to put my stomach in knots, but I knew I couldn’t hide from the truth forever. It almost seemed like a curse to remain so willfully ignorant of my situation, but part of me was afraid of poisoning the baby. I didn’t want all of those old emotions to come out and ruin her – I was sure it was a her. I wanted her to have a perfect, healthy pregnancy.
When I got out of the shower, I heard voices coming from the kitchen below. I dressed as quickly as I could in a beautiful blue silk kimono that Antonio had given me when we’d first arrived. Since I’d left all of my clothes and most of my possessions back home in Delaware, I’d been more than happy to do a lot of shopping in Mexico. The money I’d taken from my father had lasted for a long time – it had been enough for Antonio and myself to buy our house and to find Cassandra a small place of her own just a few blocks away. Antonio was working as a bodyguard for the son of a local business owner, and I was more than happy to have my days to myself. I knew I’d get bored eventually. I still hadn’t ruled out the idea of going to college, but I was looking forward to being a mom.
I spritzed on a bit of perfume then waltzed down the stairs. Antonio, Cassandra, and Gloria were seated at the island, sipping drinks.
“Oh my god, look at you,” Gloria cried. She jumped up from the table and wrapped her arms around me. “You look fabulous!”
“She does,” Antonio agreed. He grinned at me and a shiver of lust ran down my spine. I’d never thought being pregnant would make me so horny, but now that I was all done with morning sickness, sex was always on my mind.
“Hey, babe,” I said to Gloria. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“I know,” Gloria said dramatically. “I feel like it’s been years!”
“Me too,” I agreed.
Antonio handed me a glass of coconut water with fresh fruit around the rim. Taking a long sip, I settled into a chair.
“So,” I said. “What did you bring me?”
Gloria laughed. “This,” she said, passing over a box the color of a robin’s egg. When I opened it, I saw a gorgeous silver baby rattle inside.
“Oh my god, that’s beautiful,” I said softly. “Gloria! You didn’t have to do that.”
“I did,” she said smugly. “Besides, you weren’t registered
anywhere!” Gloria pulled a folded paper out of her bag. “I also brought this,” she said quietly. “You know. Just in case you ever wanted to know.”
I glanced down at the paper, suddenly feeling nervous. “Can’t you just tell me instead?”
“Your father, Alexander, and James are all dead,” Gloria said softly. “Marty is the head of the Cantonneli family now. Everyone thinks you’re dead, too; I think Marty knows you’re not, but you’re free, Melinda. No one is going to come looking for you now.”
The words knocked the wind out of me, and I gulped a mouthful of coconut water. It was just like I’d suspected, but somehow hearing the truth felt like a salve to the wound that had been burning since that fateful night.
“How do you feel?” Gloria asked softly.
“I know it sounds crazy,” I said, “but honestly, I feel relieved.” I frowned. “Does that make me a bad person?”
“Not at all,” Antonio said. He walked over and put an arm around me. “You have every right to feel that way.”
I nodded. “It’s just…I loved my father, I really did. But as soon as I realized he was only raising me to use me as a tool…” I trailed off.
“So I take it you don’t want to name the baby after him?” Gloria smirked and we all burst out laughing.
“No!” I cried. I glanced at Cassandra and Antonio, my two best friends in the world. “I was thinking of Cassandra, actually,” I said softly. “To honor the woman who saved my life.”
Cassandra blushed and Gloria grinned. Antonio leaned down and kissed my forehead.
“I think that’s perfect,” Antonio whispered, pulling away and winking at me. “Just like you.”
Cradling my belly, I looked down at the round bump under my kimono.
“And you’ll never have to marry anyone, unless that’s what you want,” I cooed. “It’s a new Cantonneli family tradition.”
In that moment, I knew for sure I had finally found my happy place. Everything was wrapped up, we were happy, and nothing would ever hurt us ever again.
THE END
Thanks for reading!
Sign up to my mailing list by clicking here:
http://dl.bookfunnel.com/sqou66sq56
Also, follow me on Facebook for hot content and free giveaways!
https://www.facebook.com/Sophia-Gray-1096596530486125/
CONSUME ME: The Bleeding Prophets MC
By Sophia Gray
I’m on my knees, begging him to consume me.
I didn’t belong there. I wanted to leave.
But that didn’t stop him from taking me.
He was a taste of something utterly forbidden…
But by the time he’s finished, I’d do anything to have another lick.
I was raised prim and proper.
“Yes ma’am,” “no, sir,” hands folded in my lap and hair in perfect braids.
That’s what I looked like when I showed up to the biker party.
It was everything I wasn’t:
Chaos and mayhem.
Leather and liquor.
Sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
Years of a conservative upbringing were screaming at me to get out, get out now.
But one look at Cade, and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.
He was carved out of marble, or so I thought.
Tattoos coursed over his body.
He was danger incarnate.
And I loved it.
But my taste of forbidden fruit might be the cause of my undoing.
Cade’s world isn’t all parties and wild rides.
There’s bad people after him.
And when they see what I mean to him…
They decide to come after me, too.
Chapter One
Vanessa
“Vanessa, honey, are you sure you want to do this?”
I looked at my mom’s. Her wide blue eyes—the exact same as mine—were focused intently on me, and I could tell that she was nervous and scared. Maybe even as nervous and scared as I felt.
“Yes, Mom,” I told her politely.
Mom smiled, but her face was strained and her forehead was creased with worry. “Vanessa, I don’t know what kinds of things go on at college campuses nowadays…” She trailed off. “Just because you’re pre-med, well, that doesn’t mean your peers are going to be so serious and studious.”
“Your mother’s right,” Dad said loudly. His voice boomed around the empty living room, echoing off the walls. “Just because you’re moving out of our house doesn’t mean that you’re going to have to stop living by our rules.” He glanced down at my outfit. “And don’t even think about wearing something like that out of the apartment.”
“Dad,” I whined as I tugged at the hem of my shorts. I was wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of running shorts from high school. We’d been packing up my stuff all morning and I was absolutely exhausted. But I was happy, too: I was finally moving into my own apartment. Well, not exactly—I was going to have a roommate. But the roommate wasn’t going to be one of my parents, and that made all the difference in the world. I knew that at twenty-one, most girls my age hadn’t lived with their parents for a few years. But in that matter—as well as most other things—I was kind of a late-bloomer.
“Vanessa, don’t sass your father,” Mom said mildly. She pulled a handful of my panties and bras out of the bureau and stuffed them in a box. I blushed, but there was no reason to; it wasn’t like my underwear were anything but plain white cotton. “He only wants what’s best for you, and you know that.”
I blushed harder. “I know,” I said. I swallowed hard. “I’m just excited.”
“Oh, Vanessa, you’re going to break my heart.” My mom shook her head. “I hate to think of you going out there on your own!”
“I’m not exactly going to be on my own, though,” I replied as I took some books and placed them in a box labeled Vanessa’s bookshelf.
“How old is that roommate of yours going to be?” Dad narrowed his eyes at me. He wasn’t helping us pack—according to him, that was women’s work—but he was keeping a watchful eye over my mother and myself. “I don’t like the sound of her. She’s been on her own for a few years, right?”
“Her name is Kimmy,” I said defensively. “And she sounds perfectly nice, Dad. Just because she moved into the dorms at eighteen doesn’t mean she’s irresponsible. She probably just wanted to get away from all of her brothers and sisters.”
“I don’t like how young people nowadays are so eager to get away from their families,” my mom said. She frowned as she neatly folded some of my sweaters and put them inside another box. “You know, I didn’t leave your grandma’s house until I met your father.” She turned to Dad and beamed. “He was such a handsome young man, too.”
I rolled my eyes. Mom and Dad were only in their late forties, but the way they talked it was like they were already retired. They were both conservative, very Christian, and lovers of the past. Mom, especially, felt that today’s world was too harsh and unkind, especially to young women. She’d been pestering me to find a husband at college for a long time, but I couldn’t think about getting married right now. After all, I was planning on med school after college, and I didn’t want to think about starting a family before I could start my career. That was how a lot of women wound up staying at home forever and never working. I’d always been driven to succeed. If I hadn’t, Mom and Dad probably would have tried to marry me off to some guy from church as soon as I graduated high school.
“Vanessa, listen to me,” Mom said. When I looked up, I saw that Dad had left the room. “You’re going to be a good girl, right? You’re not going to give me a reason to worry?”
I flushed. “Of course I’m going to be good,” I replied. “But knowing you, you’ll probably find a reason to worry anyway.” I smiled at her; she didn’t return the look. “Mom, relax,” I said finally, walking over to her and putting my arm around her frail body.
“Vanessa, I just…” Mom trailed off a
nd sat down on my bed. A sweater of mine lay unfolded across her lap. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” She looked at me with wide, fearful eyes. “I saw on the news some girls at college drink too much alcohol and wind up in trouble with boys. You know what kind of trouble I mean, don’t you?”
“I do, Mom,” I said. I was lying; I only vaguely had any idea of what went on behind closed doors at colleges. After all, I’d only had one boyfriend—Calvin, the guy who’d asked me to junior prom, almost five years ago now. He’d been a year older and we’d dated for the rest of the year, until he’d graduated.