Chapter 1
At my husband's funeral, the man who had coveted me for years, his most trusted right-hand man, tore my mourning dress to shreds behind the coffin.
Even though I was the one who saved him from the gutter, I swore I'd kill him with my own hands, to avenge the man I loved.
But every time my assassination failed, he would pin me down in even more humiliating ways, using his intimate knowledge of me to break my resolve.
I eventually found undeniable proof that he had murdered my husband and joined forces with the family elders to set a trap. Yet in the midst of a hail of bullets, he shielded me with his own body.
Then my "dead" husband, Marco Rossi, suddenly appeared. He pulled me close and glanced at Dante Rossi, his brother, who was bruised and bloodied from protecting me.
Marco leaned close and murmured, "Sweetheart, I think you misunderstood. I told Dante to 'take care' of you, but I never meant for him to take care of you like that."
*****
"My husband just died. Not here, Dante," I said, my voice trembling.
But his cold fingers had already slid inside the neckline of my black mourning dress.
"Right here is what makes it exciting, my dear Isabella," Dante whispered.
His voice was like the devil's whisper, brushing my ear.
I stared at the cold body just a few steps away, lying on black velvet, surrounded by white roses.
That was Marco, my husband, the Don of the Rossi Family.
And now, Dante was trying to claim Marco's widow right in front of his coffin, before Marco was even cold.
That widow was me.
He was dressed in the same black mourning clothes as me, but there was not even a hint of sorrow on his face.
"Get lost, Dante," I forced out through clenched teeth, my voice shaking with fury.
"Isabella," Dante laughed softly, his touch growing more daring. "Did you really think Marco's death would let you slip away from this family... or from me?"
His other hand gripped my waist, pulling me tight against his hot, unyielding chest.
That familiar yet strangely foreign scent washed over me, overwhelming my senses.
It was Dante's scent.
The scent did not belong to Marco.
To everyone else, Dante was the Rossi Family's number two, Marco's deadliest weapon, his most loyal shadow.
But only I knew that this viper lurking in the darkness was the boy I rescued myself on a stormy night when we were kids.
He survived near-death again and again, earned the family's trust, and fought his way up, step by step, to become Rossi's number two.
"You killed Marco." My voice was low, trembling with fury.
I raised my head, my bloodshot eyes boring into him, unblinking.
This wasn't a question. It was a fact.
Marco's death was way too sudden. A so-called "accidental" car crash.
Dante was the biggest winner here.
He'd take over the Rossi Family, just like that.
A flicker of emotion I couldn't decipher flashed through Dante's blue eyes so quickly that I almost thought I imagined it.
"Yes. I killed him," Dante said, his voice cold and steady.
He admitted it.
His admission was blunt and utterly unguarded.
"Now, the entire Rossi Family belongs to me," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
His lips hovered just a breath away from mine, his hot breath burning against my cheek.
"You're mine too," he murmured, possessiveness dripping from every word.
Humiliation and rage hit me so hard I nearly blacked out.
I whipped around and slapped him with everything I had.
"Dante! You psycho! You bastard!" I screamed, my voice trembling with fury.
"I wish I'd never picked you up off the street," I spat, regret and hatred burning in my chest.
The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the empty funeral hall.
Dante's face whipped to the side, a vivid red imprint blooming across his cheek.
His jaw clenched and shifted, and after a long moment, he slowly turned back to face me.
"Yeah," Dante said, his voice low and rough. "I'm crazy. Completely crazy for you.
"Ever since you pulled me out of the rain that night, then turned around and fell for Marco, I lost it. I went mad.
"Every single day, I wonder... if I'd turned you down that night, would any of this have ever happened?"
His kiss descended on me like a storm, leaving me nowhere to escape.
With the taste of blood and whiskey on his lips, he ravaged every inch of my mouth.
"No..." I whimpered, my voice barely more than a broken plea.
"But your body's telling me a different story." Dante said hoarsely, his voice rough with need.
I wasn't innocent either.
After I married Marco, Dante and I spent countless nights tangled up together, unable to break free.
He knew every sensitive spot on my body, knew exactly how to make me fall apart.
Rage and desire crashed together inside me, a storm I couldn't control.
I was drowning, lost in utter weightlessness, swept up with no way to anchor myself.
No.
I can't just give in.
I am Isabella, queen of the Rossi Family.
Even if I die, I'll make sure this devil burns in hell with me.
My right hand slid quietly beneath my dress, reaching for the holster strapped to the outside of my thigh.
Nestled against my skin was a compact, elegant Browning Pistol.
Marco had given it to me as a wedding gift.
He'd told me, "Isabella, in the Rossi Family, the first thing you gotta learn is how to protect yourself."
I kept my promise, Marco.
Now, I'll use it to avenge you.
"You think you've won?" I suddenly smiled, pushed myself up on tiptoe and leaned in close, whispering in a voice meant just for him.
Dante stiffened instantly.
He definitely didn't see that coming.
My fingers traced slow circles over his hard chest, feeling his heartbeat pounding faster and faster under my touch.
"Dante, isn't this exactly what you wanted all along?" My breath ghosted over his ear, just as sultry and dangerous as his own. "To claim your brother's entire empire for yourself.
"Well, congratulations. You finally got it all."
For a split second, he was thrown off by my fake surrender.
Before he could react, the cold barrel of my pistol was jammed tight against his abdomen.
"Now, go to hell and beg Marco for forgiveness," I spat, my voice icy and unforgiving.
I pulled the trigger.
But there was no deafening blast, no blood splattering everywhere.
The chamber was empty.
The safety was still on.
I was stunned. "Ah!"