Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I walked out of my home and away from my loving sister to protect her. Either I left with him, the man who’s watched me from the shadows for months, or he would kill Grace.
It’s been nine months of living in pure agony and hell.
Nine months since I last saw Grace.
Nine months of him controlling every aspect of my life.
My mind has shattered, and I’m not sure I’ll ever escape him.
Until I do.
The only problem? Not even minutes after running for my life, I’m captured again by another man. This one is charming with his hot smiles and promises of safety, and he rules over his kingdom like a beloved god.
Is the brutality I see in his eyes just my imagination? Do I dare trust that he won’t hurt me?
I know what he wants.
Me.
I’m just not sure there’s anything left of me to give to him.
STANDALONE: A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
Each book in the Mafia Empire series is interconnected, but about a different couple who will all find their HEA
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Songlist
Click here - Spotify
The Warning – Seville
Rescue Me – Unions
Holding Out For A Hero – Nothing But Thieves
Stand By Me - Bootstraps
Beacons – Nik Ammar
Hero – Enrique Iglesias
Made To Find You – Belle Mt.
Loved Me Back To Live – Céline Dion
Family Tree
Santiago Castro
39 years old
Family: Massacred
Best friend and second-in-command: Pedro Canto
Business: Extraction services. Providing new identities.
Hobbies: Dismantling cartels and saving victims
Ciara Devlin
26 years old
Father: Ian Devlin
Mother: Caroline Devlin - Deceased
Sister: Grace Varga
Brother-in-Law: Dominik Varga
Translations
I love you – Te amo
I will be yours forever - Por siempre
Jesus Christ – Jesucristo
Mine forever - Mía para siempre
My love – Mi amor
My life – Mi vida
My little sunshine - mi pequeño sol
My sunshine – Mi sol
My wife – Mi esposa
Sweetheart - Cariño
Santiago’s Tarot Cards
Death – Amputation of one limb at a time before being slowly beheaded.
The Devil – Santiago decides fate.
Judgment – Santiago decides fate.
The Tower – Thrown off a building.
Justice – Fairness and quick death. The person gets a chance to defend themselves before being shot in the head if found guilty.
The Hanged Man – Hanged.
The Chariot – Tied to the back of a vehicle and dragged behind it until dead.
Temperance – With a noose tied around the neck, the person balances on one foot. If they lose their balance, they hang until dead. If they manage to hold out for twenty-four hours, they get to go free.
The World – Abandoned in the ocean with a chance of swimming back to land.
The Magician – Choose from three boxes. The first box contains a gun – the person is shot in the head. The second box holds a card stating the prisoner is set free. The third box holds gasoline and a lighter – the person is set on fire.
Strength – Fight Santiago until death. No weapons are allowed.
Wheel of Fortune – The person is strapped to a spinning wheel, and three knives are thrown at them. If they survive, they’re free to go.
Chapter 1
CIARA
Santiago Castro; 39. Ciara Devlin; 26.
Rushing into my bedroom, I shut the door behind me before lifting my arms and gripping fistfuls of my hair.
Shit.
The past few days have been downright insane. I can’t believe this is happening.
After Grace, my older sister, was kidnapped from a birthday party we were attending, a man by the name of Dominik Varga saved her. Not even a day later, Dad promised the man I’d marry him.
Where Grace lost her shit, I’ve been hiding behind her because I’m no match for my father and Dominik.
Only after Grace’s late husband was assassinated did I learn about the deal she made with Dad. For years, I thought she married Braden because she wanted to, but she had actually agreed to the arranged marriage so I could be free to marry a man I loved.
It was difficult to accept that Grace endured hell at her late husband’s hands for me. I never would’ve let her go through with it had I known the truth.
Since the arranged marriage between Dominik and me was mentioned, Grace has been fighting with all her might for my freedom.
It’s been a crazy few days, and I’m still trying to deal with the fact that Grace was kidnapped and beaten badly, never mind the fresh hell that’s been unleashed on us.
All I want to do is curl up on the bed with my sister and give her the comfort she needs. But we can’t do that. Right now, Grace is fighting with Dominik and Dad in the study. She’s trying so hard to save me, but after days of arguing, it feels like we’re losing the battle.
Honestly, it looks like Dominik is more interested in Grace, but the thought of her marrying him instead of me makes me feel even more scared and physically ill. Grace has already survived an abusive marriage, and I won’t let her suffer again. Not at my expense.
If we have no choice, then I’ll just have to be strong and marry Dominik Varga.
I’ll find the strength for Grace.
After our mother died, Grace took over raising me. She’s always protected me, and I love her more than anyone on this planet. Where Grace is fierce and brave, I get completely overwhelmed when I have to face danger to the point where I can’t think at all. Any kind of violence sends me into a panicked trance where I’m stuck in some kind of catatonic state, and I don’t take in any of my surroundings.
Since Grace’s abuse at the hands of her late husband, I’m aware she has been suffering from silent panic attacks. We don’t talk about it much, even though I wish she would confide in me.
The trauma she suffered hasn’t made her any less fierce, and it’s at times like this, I wish I could be more like her.
God.
What do we do?
I pace up and down in my bedroom while I try to think of a way we can get out of this awful situation, my heart beating faster and faster.