Thorns of Omertà

Konstantin wasn’t the type to be ignored. He commanded his criminal empire with an iron fist but he had secrets of his own. But I was Tatiana Nikolaev. I’d never bend to a man’s will or be used as a pawn. Not again. The moment I tempted the fates and played with fire, life spiraled out of control. My only way of survival was to trust again. But could I?

I caught the attention of the most notorious man in the underworld. Konstantin wasn’t the type to be ignored. He commanded his criminal empire with an iron fist but he had secrets of his own. But I was Tatiana Nikolaev. I’d never bend to a man’s will or be used as a pawn. Not again. The moment I tempted fate and played with fire, life spiraled out of control. My only way of survival was to trust again.

It started with one innocent look across a room in Paris. He was a lot older than me. A Roman god dressed in an Italian suit, surrounded by an aura I couldn’t resist. When I ran into him again, he effortlessly pulled me under his spell. But little did I know, a night full of carnal pleasure would cost me everything. When Enrico Marchetti wanted something, he didn’t just take it. He possessed it. Now, his sights were set on me. There were secrets this man was keeping. They surrounded him, his dead wife, his children.

He told me he loved me, then abandoned me. My sister was his first choice. Too bad for him, I refused to be his second. Dante Leone was bad news with a gorgeous exterior and a dangerous mind. Emotionally unavailable and slightly unhinged, he was a heartbreak waiting to happen. Again. I ran. He gave chase and my fate was sealed.

A devil in a Brioni suit. My unforgettable one-night stand. And a notorious member of the Omertà empire. I learned that last piece of information a bit too late. I never expected to see him again. But it turns out that destiny had other plans and gave me the whole of him for several incredible hours. Then I bolted again—for the second time in my life. He was Manuel Marchetti. Off-limits. Forbidden. Dangerous. So then why was I unable to forget him? My body and soul came alive only for him. I hoped I’d never see him again, but it wasn’t meant to be.

I had spent my life trapped in a gilded cage, surrounded by villains. The cruel man I was forced to marry saw me as a lesson to be taught, stripping away every piece of my spirit until all that remained was my shadow. He left me in darkness, alone, except for the one flicker of light in my miserable existence: my adoptive daughter.