PROLOGUE
GIOVANNI
I AM DESPERATE.
In all honesty, I'm beyond desperate at this point. I have a deadline that I'm supposed to meet, but I don't have the goods to deliver to my client.
And as I look over at my fiancée sleeping peacefully on the couch in my living room, the sinister idea that I've had for weeks now strikes me again.Hard.
Shaking my head, I force the thought out of my skull immediately, but it only takes a few moments before it comes right back again.
My eyes stray to the sleepin' beauty. Thick, dark lashes sweep across her rosy cheeks, her normally porcelain skin turned a ruddy shade of pink from spending too much time on the beach with me today. Her long, chocolate brown locks cascade over the armrest of the leather couch in soft waves, and her small hands are curled under her cheek.
She looks picture perfect, and that's because she is…in every way.
Even though our imminent marriage is an arranged one and orchestrated by her father and my boss, Salvatore Valenti, I like to think that I would have chosen Adeline under normal circumstances, not only for her beauty on the outside, but for her beautiful, kind soul. She's breathtaking beyond belief both inside and out.
However, bein' forced to do something has always made me fight that much harder for the complete opposite. So, when Sal thrust this marriage proposition in my face, let's just say I wasn't pleased.
Salvatore's late wife bore seven children, all of them girls. Adeline was the last one to be born shortly before her death, and so Valenti never received what he really wanted --- a boy. An heir. Someone to carry on the family business and the family name.
Sal didn't get a son, but one of his daughters could still bear an heir for him. With four of Adeline's sisters dead and the other two married to schmucks that Sal never approved of and would never welcome into the family, Adeline is the only one unmarried…and not dead.
So, with his choices limited, Salvatore chose me, one of his most trusted employees, someone he took under his wing from an early age, to take on the task of marrying his youngest and producing an heir.
Being that Adeline was Sal's only option left, I think that's why he locked her up from a young age. Why she was homeschool; never allowed to venture out in the world.
And that's also part of the reason why I eventually conceded to Sal's marriage proposal between Adeline and me. I felt sorry for her, knowing what she'd been through as a child, knowing how lonely and broken she was.
It's not Adeline's fault that we're getting married, though, so I try to not show any anger towards her. She's as much the innocent bystander as I am at this point, although I have much more to gain than she does.
Sighing deeply, I turn my attention back to the computer and close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose and trying to ward off the migraine that is hitting me full force. I read over my client's email again as my hands clench into fists against my thighs. I wouldn't even be in this situation right now if it wasn't for Adeline's father.
Unfortunately, I have a reputation to uphold, and the drug trade is too damn crowded for me to make as much money as Salvatore requires. He takes such a huge cut of my profits that I have to make five times as much to please him and to keep my lavish lifestyle.
I'm useful to Salvatore at the moment. And now that I'm his future son-in-law, he's been requiring much more of me. And Icannotdisappoint him. I've seen what happens to guys who disappoint the all-mighty Valenti mafia king, and it ain't pretty.
Shuddering at the thought, I think back to when I first made the decision to deal in the flesh trade. It was a recommended alternative by a mentor of mine with a promise to be extremely lucrative. What can I say? There are a bunch of pervs out there that are willing to pay almost anything to have the kind of girl they want. And the most profitable girls on the market arevirgins. You can get sometimes double or triple the amount of money for them, but they're about as easy to find as a fuckin' unicorn. I guess that's why men pay top dollar for 'em.
Salvatore doesn't care how you make the money that pads his fat wallet and keeps him in business. In fact, he doesn't even want to know. He just wants a significant portion of whatever his hired men make, not caring how people got hurt or had to die in order to get it.
That man has no fuckin' conscience.
If I go through with this transaction, things will never be the same between Adeline and me. But it's only one small dark spot in what could be a lifetime of happiness. And I will do my best to make her happy. I will go above and beyond to make her forget all about the darkness she is going to endure because of me.
My fingers tremble against the keys as I type out the email to my client. I only know him by his alias---The Big Bad Wolf. I don't know his real name, and I know his IP address is fake since it's always pinging at crowded cities throughout the world and never the same location from day to day. He covers his tracks well, and that's why halfway through the email I stop typing and hesitate.
I've been dealing with The Wolf for a while now. This will be my fifth transaction with him. The first four girls weren't easy to find, but it was worth all the trouble when he paid me handsomely for them. If a supplier can't meet his demand, The Wolf, along with my other clients, will move on to find someone else to satisfy their needs. And I desperately want to keep him as one of my buyers, because he's a solid guarantee for a lot of fuckin' cash for me.
From what I understand and from the rumors I've heard from another seller that has dealt with this particular buyer is that The Wolf releases the girls soon after he takes their virginity. He never keeps them long after the girls give him what he purchased them for in the first place. And then he's quickly on the prowl, looking for another girl to meet his demands.
The fact that he lets the girls go after he's finished with them is what gives me a sense of optimism for what I'm about to do. Salvatore Valenti is leaving his empire in New York City to visit an affiliated mafia clan in California for a few weeks. It's perfect timing.
Almost too perfect.
And if everything goes according to my plan, Salvatore will not even know his daughter is gone, and she'll be back before he returns to New York, none the wiser. Then, I'll convince Adeline to not tell her father about what happened, assuring her that it will only upset him and get me in trouble. I'm sure it won't take much convincing considering she does everything she can to keep her father happy.
And then, after this whole nightmare is over, I'll help her get through whatever happened to her while she was with The Wolf.
