Chapter 1 Anthony

He was damn tired. The meeting scheduled in the previous evening extended for more than expected time and the weather changed out of blue.

His flight got canceled. The matereology department reported it was the coldest day of the year in the city of California. The dark clouds occupied the blue sky like a thick blanket. It was shortly going to rain cats and dogs. "This sucks!" He grunted fisting and unfisting his hands.

Coming back to his executive suite, he saw his phone ringing. "Hello son, how are you?" How did the cotton export deal go?" Ariana, his mom, was speaking on the other end in her ever cheerful tone.

Anthony Rodriguez, hotter than hell and maddeningly dominant, is the adopted son of Allen Rodriguez since the age of sixteen.

Ten years later, he is the king of the Boston Underworld who makes his own rules. In the chronology of killing looks, he is terrifying... and extremely charismatic. Smart and cold are the added adjectives to him with absolutely no human values.

"I'm fine mom. The deal went successful and soon we will be the leading distributors of cotton yawns in the Russian market too." Anthony said gleefully.

"Congratulations Son. Have a good rest now. We will talk tomorrow." Anthony's eyes skidded over the dropping snow and his ears once again recorded those novice chuckles.

"Hey Anthony, would you like to make a snowman like me?" Her svelte fingers with beautifully painted nails were a sight to watch all day. The smile was seemingly seductive with lips arranged in a cupid's bow. Those brown eyes, which are ridiculously alluring..... A crooked smile danced on his lips. Cognac-brown to be exact. Last but not least were those long black wavy curls which felt like midnight beauty engraving his body like the bright sunlight in the dark blue sky whenever they were together.

The protesting muscles of his limbs told him just how exhausted he was as he wrestled with sleep. But there was no chance. Now that she is once again right behind his closed eyes.

A sigh flowed from him as he mentally kicked himself for the humorous memory once again. The covers flipped back with a simple flex of his muscular arm, and he swung his feet to the red carpeted floor. With the heels of his hands, he rubbed the weight of sleep from his eyes.

Appeased, he was not going to get any more sleep; he got up and strolled over to the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the hotel room, staring out at the bright city lights of California.

The weak shade of light from the corner lamp silhouetted his tall, muscular frame in the darkness as he stood stark naked and pensive before the window.

How much longer? How much longer will it be before I can regain the missing half of my soul? - he thought.

It is high time he taught that rogue a lesson whom she called her father. Just how long was he going to use her innocence to his benefit? It doesn't mean because he is handicapped, he can use her the way he wants. She belongs to him. His property. And if that disgusting piece of shit tried to rebel, he'd give the son of a whore a torturously painful ending. No more chances.

The shrill of his cell phone broke through the silence, and he went to scoop it off the nightstand. A glance at his caller ID had him slightly panicked. "Rudolph, at this hour?" He couldn't stop saying it aloud and growled into the receiver.

"Please tell me she's okay." Request was not a word available in his dictionary. But if it was regarding her anything was possible. She could bring out the most intense and unexpected emotions in him.

"Yes, Mr. Anthony, she's sound. But..." Rudolph hesitated to speak further for the coldness of his boss. Anthony looked like he was ready to blow his head and would not hesitate when he was angry. He is the most dangerous among all the three Rodriguez brothers and bomb in the history of the American mafia.

"Out with it, Rudolph!" Anthony's voice turned restless. With every thought of her, his heart ached like a curse from hell. It's as if a bullet was left lodged right in the center of his heart, killing him slowly, painfully, surely.

"She took a job at Night Queen, Sir."

"Night Queen? My club? What the hell's she doing there?" He barked. One by one, he cracked his knuckles, trying his best not to think anything disastrous about her before knowing the reality. He failed. Knuckle cracking no longer worked as a distraction. "Say bartending. Please."

Rudolph paused for a moment. "No, Sir. She's stripping."

"Fuck!" As if he'd been touched with livewire, his entire being became fully awake, eyes wide and weariness completely gone. Anger boiled in his nerves like in a furnace. Things were getting out of hand.

"Her job as the Barista in the restaurant..... what happened to it?"

"She lost it a week after when she went there drunk after a fight with her drug addict mother."

His chest suddenly felt vacant and heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. "So she has no chance to work there again like a Barista. I will talk to the cafe's owner."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sir. Our enemies are behind us because you did not accept their offer for the arms deal and they know she belongs to you. Since the Night Queen is owned by you, they won't dare to attack her. She is safe there."

"Then why am I fucking hearing all this from you now? She left her job at the cafe and is employed by the Night queen. And I know nothing of this till this day.Why am I filling your pockets?" His fingers curled into mighty, determined fists. He would tolerate this nuisance no longer and needed to reclaim what is his.

"I'm sorry, Sir. We've been trying to reach you for the past few weeks, but we kept getting your assistant. And you gave us instructions not to leave messages about any matter regarding Celeste with anyone. So..."

Fuck he was right. For the past six weeks he's been doing some heavy traveling and making deals, being a work addict that he was! Hell, he should've known all this.

A sick feeling lingered in his stomach. If she had to pick up a job as a stripper, it meant she was in quick need of hard cash. He had never left her alone and had been her shadow in her thick and thin. Be it arranging funds or looking for the medical needs of her mother. What is troubling her now? She was hurting and in need. She shouldn't be hurting when he could so easily take her pain away. She shouldn't be in need of anything when she is soon to be wife of Anthony Rodriguez, the leader of the American mafia. "When did she start the work?"

"She will start from tonight, Sir."

"Perfect." Anthony said in sarcastic laughter while pacing the length of the room. His fingers raked through his hair repeatedly. "From now on, I should be informed on every action she takes. Got it? It doesn't matter how busy I am. Don't stop calling until you get through to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now reschedule all my meetings because tomorrow the first thing I am doing is fly to New York." His fingers trembled as he disconnected the call and sank to his knees, dropping his head in his hands. 'My sweet, brown-eyed girl, what are you doing to yourself?'