I looked at the clock and saw that it was still morning. I needed a good workout, firstly to clear my mind, but also because I had been slacking since Mariana got there. I quickly got changed, pulling off my shirt and pulling on some shorts and headed for the gym. It was a nice one, a room in my home with all the equipment I could ever want. I had seen Mariana admiring it a few times, and she had started to use it a couple of times a week since the doctor gave her the go ahead. We were poised to be the Ken and Barbie of the mafia.
The thought made me laugh as I climbed on the treadmill, always liking to start there first. It got a good sweat going and got me pumped before I started with the weights.
I began with a quick walk and a small incline, making it more challenging with each three-minute interval that went by. I had just broken out in a fast run, sweat dripping from my brow and down my back when Mariana came into the room. I slowed down the treadmill but didn’t stop.
“I am sorry to bother you. I can come back later,” she said, sounding more insecure and shy than I could recall her ever being. There was something on her mind.
“No, it’s okay,” I said through a slight pant. “You can talk to me while I work out. I guarantee the view will be better,” I teased. She laughed and shook her head as she came in and shut the door. She came over and sat down on top of the bike that was next to me, letting both her feet dangle off one side.
“I wanted to talk about the engagement,” she said, and I almost tripped and fell right off the treadmill but quickly recovered. This wasn’t a subject she usually brought up. She had seemed resigned to the whole thing but was the first time she had directly wanted to talk to me about it. I decided it was best to stay supportive in my silence and just let her get whatever it was off her chest in case it was in my favor. “I realize that there is more danger, something going on, even though you won’t tell me everything. I also know it would be safest for Bianca and me to go ahead and align ourselves with someone. I think it is time to announce the engagement and get the ball rolling on the wedding, set a date and all of that.”
“I think that’s a very smart move,” I responded carefully, not trying to show too much elation or manipulation in the matter. I was glad she was coming around to it. “I will send out the word immediately. We can throw an engagement party in a few days, and we can pick a date in the Spring.”
“Oh, I thought you would want to do it sooner than that, but Spring is great. I bet it will be beautiful,” she said shyly. I could tell there was something else. “But before we make all these announcements, I need your help explaining this to Bianca.”
And there it was. She was worried about what Bianca would think about it all. “I would be happy to help. Let me get done here and get cleaned up. Then, we can tell her together.” Mariana nodded and left the room. Suddenly, I wanted my work out to be cut short. I couldn’t believe Mariana was finally getting on board. A warm fuzzy feeling I wasn’t used to came over me. This was a little more than the power it would give me now. I was about to have a family.
After my shower, I found Bianca and Mariana playing together in Bianca’s room and went in, all of us sitting down on her little bed together. She was about to be five soon, her birthday landing close to Mariana’s, but I didn’t know her capacity for understanding things. I hoped we could get something across to her. “Mama and Ion have something to talk to you about, Puff,” Mariana began, taking her daughter’s hand.
Bianca looked back and forth between the two of us and then nodded. “Okay. Is it bad?”
I chuckled a little. “I don’t think so, no, Puff.” I reached out and tickled her under her chin to make her giggle. “We want to know what you think about something.” I looked to Mariana for help.
“I know that you like living here,” Mariana stated, getting a smile and another nod out of Bianca. “So, how would you like to stay here forever?”
“Yes, mama, can I?” she asked, wiggling in her seat.
“You can if Mama marries Ion. Do you know what it means to marry someone?” Mariana asked her.
“It has something to do with a dress and a ring. Would it make you my daddy?” she questioned, looking at me with those big doe eyes. She was more perceptive than I gave her credit for, I guessed.
“Well, I can be that if you want me to be. And you can wear a pretty dress and stand next to your mother while we tell everyone that we like each other. What do you think?” I asked her, feeling amused at my attempt at an explanation. It was pretty rough, but Mariana didn’t seem to protest.
“I like it!” she squealed, clapping her hands together before hugging us both. I knew that if I had won over Bianca, then I had won Mariana. Things were going to get better now. They had to.
Chapter Eighteen
Mariana
“Is this really what we should be doing before our engagement party?” I asked, only slightly annoyed by him being with me in such close quarters. His touch always got me excited now, adrenaline pumping through my veins like I was on a drug. But here I was in a silver, shimmery ball gown and heels, my hair tied in some complicated knot, while Ion gave me yet another shooting lesson.
“I told you, any woman of mine needs to know how to shoot, especially with the danger we are in. I will not ever leave you unprotected,” Ion said possessively, pointing at the target yet again. I had not missed the last two times he had taken me to the shooting range, but he still insisted that I practice. Maybe he could still sense the nerves I felt with a gun in my hand. I didn’t like it. It shouldn’t have bothered me, being the daughter of a Vasile, but it just did. I guess I didn’t like gaining power through death and fear.
“Can’t we do this tomorrow, after the party? I am in heels, Ion,” I complained after I took the shot and set the gun down. A smirk turned up the corner of his mouth, and his hand went for the daring split on the side of my dress, feeling up and down my freshly shaven leg.
“I know that you are in heels, and it makes these legs of yours look even longer and sexier than they already are,” he teased with a growl, dipping me over to plant a kiss on my lips. There were some benefits to being with Ion Petran, and those were growing on me, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. I could save it for the wedding day. I didn’t need it to go to his head.
I squealed and pushed him off of me as he pulled me back up from the dip. “C’mon, let’s get to the party. We don’t want to be late to our own engagement celebration,” I told him, taking his hand and leading him out.
He quickly switched our positions, making himself the one in front, but he led me out to the car where Bianca was waiting along with three of his men to protect her. Bianca never went anywhere without them now. Neither did I for that matter. “Are you ready for the party?” I asked her, pulling her into a hug. She was playing with the lace at the bottom of her pink dress, something she was thrilled to be wearing. Ion had presented her with three choices for the party, and that was the one she had picked.
“Yes, Mama!” she said, kicking her feet out under her because she was so happy she couldn’t be still. It made me smile, and my eyes met with Ion’s right then. It made me want to slap myself, having those moments with this man I was supposed to be convincing that his behavior with me was too domineering. How was I supposed to win our battle if I was melting like butter?
I figured I could throw it out for the night. It was our engagement party, and when we walked into the hotel party room Ion had booked for the party, I was taken aback by the look of it. It was half ballroom and half restaurant with sparkling chandeliers above us and champagne overflowing the cups. Everyone was dressed in dazzling designer-wear, and he had even let some others bring their children to play with Bianca.
“This is amazing,” I told him with a small smile.
“It’s all for you,” he whispered in my ear, catching my shoulder with his breath. It sent a chill down my spine, and I found that my body was thinking about being with him all night, even as we wined and dined with the other clan members
and even a few from other clans that had come to celebrate the new era that would soon begin.
As the night wore on, I couldn’t believe that I couldn’t focus on all of these important conversations with people. I knew I needed to help Ion’s case so that he could protect me, but all I wanted to do was find a dark corner. I glanced over at Bianca who was with some of the bodyguards and a couple of other children. They were having a good time chasing each other around. So, I turned to Ion and ran my hand down his arm before squeezing his hand.
He excused us from the crowd, and I started walking him towards a closed off hallway, darkened and away from the party. “Where are we going, Ana?” he asked me, though I could tell by the amusement in his voice that he knew.
I started to pick up my pace until we were finally in the dark, away from prying eyes unless they came into the hallway as well. If they did, they would probably be after the same thing I was.
“Take me,” I told him, feeling breathless as his hands slid up my body, one of them taking advantage of that split yet again.
“With pleasure,” he answered in my ear before his hand found my thong; sliding inside to rub the sensitive skin underneath. I had been so afraid after Jonas that there would be no sexual pleasure for me, even with an attractive man like Ion. He was turning my world side down, though, showing me things I hadn’t dared to hope I could ever have again. He wanted me so badly to believe he was this bad ass, and he was, but he wasn’t a Jonas or any other man like that. He was more like my father, caring fiercely about protecting his own while being a nightmare for his enemies. It was exactly what the clans needed to bring them back together.
My wetness grew with his slow movements, and I wanted more. I reached my hand down to his zipper and pulled it down, reaching inside his boxers to feel his growing shaft. He gasped at my sudden touch as my nails trailed gently up and down his now rock-hard member. I leaned my neck back, my head rolling up against the wall as I felt his fingers slip inside of me, feeling my soft flesh.
I grabbed his shaft and ran my hand up to the head of his cock and back down, enjoying the feel of his baby smooth skin. He tensed underneath my touch, and I knew it was driving him crazy. His fingers began to pump into me, searching for my G-spot as I picked my leg up and placed it on his hip for easier access.
He hit the right spot, and I began to rock my hips into him, sliding my hand over him faster. I was so close to cumming right there in that hallway, but then we were interrupted by the sound of gunfire and the screams of guests.
We pulled away from each other quickly, and I took off running, not thinking of anyone but Bianca.
Ion
I caught up with Mariana and grabbed her, pulling her to my chest with a thud before we went into the ballroom together. I wasn’t going to let her go running into whatever chaos was going on. I had a bad feeling whoever was shooting was looking for her.
To my horror, it was even worse than I imagined. The crowd parted, and I pulled my gun, looking in confusion as one of my men, Viktor’s younger brother to be exact, as well as another man with a large automatic weapon, were holding onto a frightened and crying Bianca. This was not happening.
“I would put that gun down if I were you, Ion,” the man I didn’t recognize suggested. I tried to get every detail I could about the man, right down to his eastern European accent. It could easily be Romanian or Russian. After this was all said and done, I would use what I remembered to find him and whoever he was working for. I was already planning his slaughter in my head as I put the gun down. I was not going to mess with Bianca’s life.
I held onto Mariana tightly as she began to sob at the idea that Bianca would be taken from her again. I knew if I let go she would go for her and get everyone killed. “What do you want?” I asked with gritted teeth. They were threatening my family and ruining my engagement party. This would not bode well.
“We want Mariana Vasile. If you give her to us, then her daughter will go to you unharmed. It is a simple trade, and nothing else will save any lives here tonight. Oh, and don’t think you can use that child to regain your power. The rule of the Vasile’s is over,” he said ominously. I knew what that meant. Their plan was not to kidnap and use Mariana. They wanted to torture and kill her, taking away my claim. I didn’t want that to happen, but I knew what the alternative was. These men were serious. The loss of Bianca would weigh heavily on both of us.
“Ține minte tot ce te-am învățat.” I urged her in her ear to remember what I had taught her. It was the only way she was going to make it out of this. She was strong, and I had to believe that if I made the trade, she could save herself while I found a way to bring her back to me.
I threw her forward towards the man, and Mariana ran, hugging her daughter tightly before the men yanked her up by her hair. She screamed in pain before going stoic. She said something to Bianca, and Bianca was let free to run to me. I scooped her up and held her close as she cried. “It’s going to be alright, Puff,” I told her as the men took Mariana and left, shooting random bullets into the air on their way out. They thought they had won, but they didn’t know what they were messing with.
Chapter Nineteen
Ion
I tried to put on a happy and brave face as I watched Bianca open presents and play with some of the other kids that clan members had. It was her fifth birthday, and she was spending it without her mother; without Mariana. I had not canceled the wedding plans. I had heard nothing to tell me that she was dead, which meant one of two things; either she was being tortured for the hell of it before they got rid of her, or they were having a disagreement on whether to kill her or not.
Either way, it was buying me time to find her, something that was essential. It was one of the reasons I had also invited all the other U.S. clans to her party. Anton Balan himself, who had two children of his own, had shown up as well as Jan Constantin, to my surprise. He had wanted to assure me he had nothing to do with Mariana’s capture and wanted to offer to help in any way that he could. Despite his stupidity and cocky nature, the guy was not into whatever betrayal was going on. I was going to take advantage of this at my office later, but right now, I needed to focus on the little girl that for all intents and purposes had become my daughter.
I tugged at her blonde ponytail playfully, hoping to make her smile. I could tell she loved her presents, but that she would rather have her mother. Bianca turned to look at me with those dark eyes of hers, made even darker by the sadness contained in them. I hated that this young girl had gotten caught up in all of this. It was one thing to be a part of this world. We all eventually had children, assuring that our legacy would go on to rule our clans, but we attempted to keep them slightly sheltered from the worst of it until they were older. Very few had to go through the loss of parents and threats the way Bianca was. I hoped that one day I could give her the life she deserved. This pretty princess would never have to rule the clans anyway, as long as Mariana and I could have a son. Bianca would be free to do what she wished with her life as long as I could find a way to protect her.
Bianca turned to look at me with a half-smile, the best she could muster. “Are you ready for some cake?” I asked her, giving my best version of a smile. I was missing Mariana too, and I felt like the Vasile women had me by the balls. I was catching feelings, but I guess it could only make our marriage sweeter. I remembered the way that Mariana’s parents were with each other. They were more than a marriage of convenience. They loved each other. I wasn’t sure if my parents had that same kind of love, but I supposed it couldn’t hurt to have my cake and eat it too.
“Yes, Daddy!” she said with a nod, standing up and grabbing my hand. It’s the first time she’s called me that, and I can’t help but feel such joy in my heart. At the same time, I feel joy, I feel heartbroken, wanting Mariana here with us. I will get her back; I have to.
She looked to her little friends and said politely, “Would you like to join me for cake?” I felt proud. My cousin had been turning her
into a smart young lady, homeschooling her while caring for her.
The kids all got up and followed us to the dining room where a chocolate cake with Bianca’s name and age were on it waiting with five candles for her to blow out. She leaned over, closing her eyes to make a wish. I had a feeling I knew what that wish was for, and I was determined to make it come true.
***
“Thank you all for coming. As you know, Mariana has been taken again, and it is worse this time. I need the clans to come together and be loyal to me at this time. If not, I suggest you prepare for a war because of our engagement, if nothing else, means I can stake my claim as leader of the mob. Do not make the same mistake Jonas did in underestimating me,” I announced to the crowd in my office of clan leaders and members around the United States. I was taking my place as king now to save Mariana. I pulled my gun out and showed it, letting them know I meant business.
“The Balan clan is with you,” Anton said with a bow of his head. There was a murmur of agreement around the table at that. I could feel the respect coming for me. It was respect I had always commanded but was finally using. There had been a talk at the engagement party of how they enjoyed my authority as well as that of Mariana; that they wouldn’t be opposed to her ruling, even as a female. I didn’t think that those in front of me were the ones who had betrayed me, who had betrayed the mob in general when I thought about it.
The meeting went well, and I had every single one of them looking for wherever Mariana was being held. Any sign of her would come straight to me. All that was left now was me and Anton. I had asked him to stay back because his job before taking over the clan for his father had given him a particular set of skills that I needed.
“You want me to look into the attempt on her life, don’t you?” Anton asked, knowing me so well.
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