Sold to Moretti Mafia

Markus

The sun peeks through the curtains, and for a long moment, I simply lie there. It’s been so long since I allowed myself the pleasure of sleeping next to another person. Not in a sexual way, but in the physical sense of being next to someone. In fact, I hardly ever sleep, and yet I did just that last night. For the first time in years, I fell asleep and didn’t wake from a nightmare.

I’m not sure why, but I would pin it on having everything to do with the petite woman lying beside me. Gently, I roll over, paying careful attention to my movements. I don’t want her to wake yet, as I still need to call and hear what my brother has found out.

With ease, I lift my head from my pillow and let my gaze roam over her body. I felt a slight flicker of guilt over giving her the pill last night, but I wasn’t sure I could handle her fighting me. Plus, her head and arms must have been aching, and I know the pill took all of that away, giving her a moment of reprieve.

The pajamas she’s wearing might hide her body well, but I know what is concealed beneath already, and I cannot unsee it. Carnal need hits me like a bull directly in the groin.

A strand of her spun gold hair tickles my skin. I’m unsure why, but I lean into her, wanting to bury my nose in her hair. Inhale her scent. It’s wrong. She isn’t of grave importance to me, and there is no way Fallon is her, but I still want to breathe her in. Even if it’s just pretend.

My nostrils flare as I inhale deeply. Just as I had assumed. She smells clean, like soap and something else. A faint scent of lavender catches in my nose, and I inhale her a little deeper, wanting to taste her on my tongue and feel her wiggle beneath my body.

Fuck. I chalk it up to being forever since I’ve gotten laid, and that’s why I’m so drawn to her, and she looks just like her-a spitting image. I remind myself instantly that she isn’t Victoria. She is dead, gone, and all because of me.

Easing away from Fallon and forcing distance between us, I shift off the bed, and it creaks beneath my weight. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I cast one last glance over my shoulder before walking out of the room. Quietly, I close the door behind me.

There isn’t anywhere she can go, not while she’s tied up in my bed. Heading into the kitchen, I make my morning coffee. The house remains stocked at all times, the pantry full, and the house ready to live in with little notice in case there is ever a need to come here right away.

That’s what made it the perfect location to come to, well that, and it’s secluded and away from wandering eyes and ears.

I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with her. Complete control is something I shouldn’t be given access to. The thought makes me insane. I want her to be submissive, begging, and pleading for me.

Before I can sink down that rabbit hole, I tug my phone from my pocket and call Felix. I only sent him an email last night, so I’m not sure if he’ll have even looked into her yet. Or if he is going to do this for me at all. We didn’t separate on good terms, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t answer the phone either.

He picks up on the second ring. “Markus, my long-lost brother. I’ll be damned.”

“Felix, how have you been?” I ask, trying to keep the conversation casual, though we both know this is anything but a casual call.

“Sipping on Pina Coladas in Tahiti. How have you been?” Surprisingly, his question seems genuine, as if he really wants to know if I’ve been doing well.

“Same, pretty much.”

“I’m sure.” He chuckles.

“Look, I’m sorry I haven’t called in a month, and now I’m asking for a favor out of the blue, but I really need to know.”

“I saw her picture,” is all he says, and I know he understands.

“Everything checked out. She is who she says she is. Fallon Brice, nineteen, born and raised in Sun Valley to small-time politician Paul Brice and his wife Marlene Brice, maiden name Brown. Two daughters. No other relatives. There is no connection, Markus. At least not on the surface. I can dig deeper-”

“No, it’s fine.” I feel both relief and anger. She has no connection to Victoria. It’s simply a fluke of nature. Or maybe it’s the universe taunting me. Probably the latter, I deserve this; after all I’ve done, I’m sure this is her memory haunting me.

“So, Fallon has a sister?”

“Yes, Amelie Brice, twenty-one, is currently studying abroad.”

“Okay. One last thing. What do you mean, small-time politician?” I don’t need someone with connections coming after me.

“Used to be Mayor of his town back in the day when his daughters were younger, but some drug scandal made him resign. He owns a little convenience store now. Fallon worked at the store until recently, then she left for college. Her roommate reported her missing two days ago.”

At least her roommate cares enough to notice she is missing. It doesn’t matter, though. They won’t find her, not hiding here.

“Good, thank you. I mean it.”This is the property of Nô-velDrama.Org.

“I guess I’ll wait for you to call next time you need something.” He sounds a little snide, which I deserve. I’ve been ignoring his phone calls, and now I’m the one that reached out needing a favor.

“Why don’t we meet up soon? I wouldn’t mind seeing your ugly face.” As soon as the words are out, I regret saying them, and not because I don’t mean them.

If I meet up with my brother, I will have to either take Fallon with me or leave her somewhere alone. Neither would be a good idea.

“Yeah, let’s meet up. I’ll call you when I’m back in the US.”

“Sounds good. Thanks again, talk soon,” I tell him and hang up the phone.

Knowing everything checks out as she says means she didn’t lie to me. It also means she has no connection to Victoria. Still, every time I look at her, that’s exactly who I see.

Her smiling face. Her sparkling blue eyes. I can almost hear her soft laugh like a breeze blowing through the trees. She was mine for an instant, and then the very life I live now took her away from me.

Damnit! I slam my fist angrily onto the counter. Pain lances up my arm, but it’s nothing compared to the pain I feel in my chest at the reminder of her memory.

The feelings I am experiencing are out of control. I’ve never done something this insane. I always think things through and never show my emotions because if you do that, you might as well be giving your entire game away. Emotions mean you have something worthy of caring for, something that someone can take from you, and that’s what I’ve gone and done.

I’ve bought something, someone technically, and now I’m like a goddamn lion guarding his prey so no one else can have her.

Indecision weighs heavy on my mind as I drink my black coffee and prepare some breakfast for Fallon. I still don’t have the first fucking clue what I am going to do with her. I just know I can’t let her go. I want her too much. Want to possess her, touch her, own her. I’ve never wanted a woman like I want her, and not understanding the reason behind it is driving me insane.

Going through the pantry, I find some oatmeal. I cook it and place it at the breakfast nook with a glass of orange juice. I’m not anywhere close to being domesticated, but I can cook a fucking meal.

I walk back upstairs and into the bedroom and stand at the foot of the bed, staring at her, watching as she sleeps peacefully, knowing that I’m going to disturb that.

I’m going to take everything in her life from her. Whatever she had in the past is gone. Now, I’m her past, present, and future.

She is my property, and though she may not be Victoria, she brings all those feelings I thought were gone, that I never thought I would experience again back to life, and part of me is angry at her for that.

I know it’s completely irrational. Borderline insane, but I want to punish her for it all the same. Inflict pain because that’s what she’s doing to me, even if it’s unintentional. It’s not her fault she looks like her, but I don’t care. Someone needs to pay.

Having waited long enough, I pad over to the side of the bed and give her a shake. Her skin is cool to the touch, almost as if she’s cold. When she doesn’t wake right away, I shake her again, this time a little harder.

With a startled gasp, her lips part, and her eyes flutter open. Confusion hits her first, followed by fear. It’s prominent in her features, and her blue eyes bleed into mine as the memories of yesterday return. There’s a wealth of secrets in those deep blues, and I’m going to sink into them and expose them all.

It takes a moment for recognition to appear, and then she seems to release a breath, sucking in another, her chest rising and plunging as if she is trying to calm herself.