Mine Forever: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 26 Dante -Change

She's mine.

I have her here with me, on this island, and it feels like forces of darkness, the Gavino family, will never find us.

I started this mission with one thing in mind—to make Leonio pay for killing my brother. But now, I've found myself wanting to be with their principessa. I've stolen her and somehow have come to care about her. Things have taken a turn that I never could've anticipated.

Romano arrives on the island, which I affectionately call Diamond Island, not too far behind Sonia and me. Once he's here, he delivers her clothes and belongings, and then I have a meeting with him in my office.

"What's happening?" I ask him. "Does Leonio know we've left?"

He nods. "Yeah, he knows. By the time I left the estate, his men were closing in on the mansion in New York. They had it surrounded. They know you have Sonia, and they want her back. I'm afraid there's no other way out of this than by bloodshed."

Bloodshed.

I'd always known this day would come. I was prepared to die for this mission, knowing that without my brother, there wasn't much to live for. I never wanted to be the boss. I never wanted any of this. But now, thanks to her, beautiful fucking Sonia Gavino, all that's changed. I suddenly understand there's a reason for continuing. When I see the sparkle in her eyes or feel the gorgeous curve of her body, I know that I want more. There's more life to live. She's ignited something inside of me which I crave, that I can never get enough of.

"He doesn't know that we're here," I tell Romano. "We have the advantage of our location."

"Yes, sir. We do have that. But what's the plan? I know things have changed with the girl. I assume you no longer want to use her as leverage?"

I shake my head. "No. Sonia's out. She's not part of our operation anymore. We need to figure out another way to show Leonio that he can't mess with the De Rose family."

Romano sits back, thinking of the situation. And I do too. There has to be a way to show Leonio that he fucked with the wrong person while keeping Sonia out of it.

"We could always storm their building in the city," he says. "That's been one of our goals for a long time."

I nod. "It has. But at what price? We'd lose a lot of men, and for what?"

Suddenly the game of war seems so futile now. Where once I saw the advantages of trying to get ahead of my enemy, now I can only think of Sonia and what's best for her.

"I heard that Gavino has a deal involving some drugs that he's trying to smuggle over the border," Romano says. "I can make sure that deal never happens. It wouldn't be hard to intercede and make sure that it goes up in flames. We could steal the inventory. It has to be worth millions."

I think about it. The idea of stealing drug money from the Gavino family no longer gives me the thrill and satisfaction it once did. Now, my focus has been curtailed by one thing and one thing only—her.

If I steal from Sonia's father, where will that place her? If I continue to dabble in guns and drugs, what life is that for my precious principessa?

"Let me think on it," I tell him. "And I'll get back to you."

"Sounds good, boss."

The truth is, I don't know what the fuck to do anymore. Sonia has changed everything in my life. I fear she's making me soft. I'm losing my edge.

I look out at the stunning ocean view noting where a couple of dolphins jump out of the water in the distance. Usually, being here on my island relaxes me. It's where I come to think and decompress. But now, I have her to think of. I have to make sure that through all of this, Sonia stays safe. She's my top priority now.

And I think of Silvio, the brother I lost. It was his idea to build this compound on the island—Diamond Island. He knew that we needed a place where we could go to be safe, somewhere far removed from the rest of the world, where our enemies could never find us. So we built this mansion together, making sure that it had the best views and that from a security standpoint, no one could penetrate it. So while the New York estate is a fortress, this island is a stronghold. No one's getting in or out without my permission. But, of course, back in those days, I never could've imagined that Silvio would be murdered and that I'd be left to run things alone.

I never wanted this. I never wanted any of it.

Running a frustrated hand through my hair, I think about all the days that are lost. My brother, my best friend, is never coming back again. He's just gone.

Right as my mind's going to dark places, there's a knock at the door to my study.

"Come in," I say, assuming it's one of my guys or Ludovica.

The door opens slowly and what I see takes my breath away. It's Sonia, and she's fucking magnificent.

She stands in the doorway of my office, wearing nothing but a gold string bikini and a smile. Her body looks so good I could eat it. Her curves practically scream for me to touch them. Her perfect tits are begging for me to pull the strings away and reveal what's underneath.

"Fuck baby. What the hell are you wearing?" I ask through clenched teeth.

My cock is rock hard, needing an escape.

"Romano brought my things, and I figured that I'd wear this and maybe go for a swim in the ocean. You game?"

I look at her, mouth agape. Swimming in the ocean is not my thing. Work is my thing. Staying up all hours of the goddamn night making sure that I'm making money is my thing. But with Sonia here, looking delicious, I guess I can break my own rules.

"You want me to swim with you in the ocean?" Standing up, I walk over to her, looking down at how her beautiful tits push together. It causes an instinctive reaction to go off in my cock as I become hard as ever for this woman.

"Yes," she says, standing up on her tiptoes so that she can curl her fingers around my neck. "Haven't you ever been swimming on your island before?"

The truth is, I haven't. For as long as I've owned Diamond Island, I've never so much as dipped my toe in the water. But that doesn't mean there can't be a first time for everything.

"I never have," I say, reaching down and picking Sonia up in my arms. "But I'm willing to change that for you."

She screams a little when I scoop her up. I can finally feel the deliciousness of her body pressed up against me.

Yes.

"You're going to change for me, Dante?" she asks.

I walk her through the house and out to the beach. The sun is just beginning to set, and the sunset that lights up the clouds is spectacular with colors of orange, pink, and purple.

"I'm willing to change for you, yes," I say, my voice thick with hints of lust.

And it's true. For some reason, this woman, this angel who started out being my prisoner, has made me realize that maybe I don't want to be the man I've always been. Maybe I want to be more, something different, something better.

As the sun casts colors of pink across Sonia's skin, I know that while my past might've been filled with some dark shit, it's a new beginning now, one filled with light, hope, and her.