Page 1 of Hustler in the Mafia

PROLOGUE

PALERMO, SICILY, ITALY

VALTH

Power was his drug. Strength, an addiction that thrummed in his veins. The source that would pulse his heart with both was just beyond reach. For days, he had chased her. From Tirane to Durres and right throughout fucking Italy to Corleone. He was stronger. He was faster, and he was for sure smarter. Only thing she had was luck on her side. He should have caught her and fucked her out of her brains already in Tirane. Instead, the filthy bitch kept slipping past him like sand seeping through his fingers.

But the time to run had passed. Finally, he was close. He could smell her trail. Fear and hunger left behind by her slippery feet, thumping through the depths of the thick forest. If she had been smart, she would have only been fucked and broken. But now she had pissed him off. Made him feel weak when he was anything but that. Worse. She had made him feel stupid. Always having the upper hand. A mere woman. A whore. Was she so stupid not to know that it was only luck on her side that had kept her out of reach?

Even that had run out since she had trapped herself in the thick of this forest. No one around to protect her. No lone building constructions to hide in or dark alleys to creep into shadows. Nah. Even the God she undoubtedly prayed to was letting go. Opening the drain to let the filth that she was flush out. Because the light was thinning out and the sun was going to bed. The only thing that remained was the rush of rustling leaves and the cold wind carrying the harsh gasps of her painful breaths.

You are going down, stupid bitch.

He moved, slow and steady, to her panicked and skidding feet. The bitch had a shit load of luck with her. He’d give her that. She had gotten to the bus faster, the ferry even faster, but ultimately, he was the master planner in this. Not her.

Just like in a marathon, when you start fast, you run out of steam before the finish line. What was that saying again? Something about a hare and a tortoise. Only he was the fucking panther here.

Because now, finally, he could see her, zipping between the trees, breath wheezing past, shoulders hunched, and arms clutching her midriff.

The thrill of almost catching her burst through his body, and a hearty laugh spilled out of his lips. Well, it wasn’t an accident. He wanted her to know, to hear, that he was almost upon her.

Her head snapped to him, just like he had wanted. Her sunken eyes skidded to his own. What she saw there must have conveyed his intentions because her eyes lost the little life they had left, and she sunk to her knees with a gasp.

That’s right, my filthy whore. I was only going to fuck your three holes a hundred times and leave you to die. But now I will do that and use my favourite knife to carve your body and watch the birds fly as you breathe your last breath.

He slowed his pace. Good things in life had to be relished. His heavy booted feet stomped down on the fallen leaves, marking the progress of the predator in him coming close to his prey. Didn’t she look like a heavenly one, too.

His hands tingled with anticipation. His cock jerked, ready for action.

Yes, my little boy, you are going to get a lot of action.

He was a mere five feet away. Close enough to smell the fear and see the sweat dripping down her neck as she hunched on the ground. Her gasps filled the air and brought a thrill to his bones.

A twig snapped, and he froze. His eyes shot to his feet and then to her. He hadn’t moved, and neither had she.

Another snap and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

Both of their eyes snapped in unison to find the view beyond the thick trees, still too warm to shed all of their leaves.

Fucking hell.

There was a house looming ahead. Well, not a house, a fucking mansion.

Not again.

“Mos guxo, kurvë,”he growled and sprang to latch onto her shoulder, but it was already too late.

A spark lit her eyes, and with a kick of her feet, she sprinted through the forest with new energy and left him behind. Again.

CHAPTER ONE

FLORINA

Fuck!That was close. Pulse drumming in my ears, trees whizzing past my vision, and nausea crawling up my throat.

Thud thud.

My pounding feet on rough earth. A tree trunk punched my view, and a second later, I smacked into it.Goddammit.I crawled through the dirt and jerked up again. I didn’t have time to nurse a fucking headache. I was almost there and swiftly dared to look behind me. He was out of my vision. Thank you, God.

---