My Little Star

Luna's vision blurred as she stumbled, the pain in her leg sharp and throbbing. Blood soaked through the fabric of her pants, warm and sticky, but Antonio wouldn't let her stop.

He had her in a headlock, his arm crushing her against him as they tore down a dark alley near the docks. His breath came fast and harsh against her ear as he threw glances behind them every few seconds.

Sirens wailed in the distance. The staccato crack of gunfire still echoed off the metal shipping containers behind them. She had no idea what had gone wrong. One moment, she'd been standing at the edge of the docks, Antonio handling some deal she wasn't supposed to be involved in. The next, cops were swarming in, guns drawn, shouting orders.

The burning in her leg told her she'd been hit somewhere in the crossfire. She didn't know where exactly. Every step made her feel weaker, dizzier.

"Keep up!" Antonio snarled, dragging her forward when she faltered.

They rounded a corner into another alley. Antonio slowed, his gun raised, eyes darting to every possible point of attack. He was muttering something under his breath, curses in rapid-fire Italian.

She should've asked questions, should've pushed back when he'd dragged her to the car earlier. Maybe then she wouldn't be here now, bleeding out in a filthy alley with her husband holding her hostage.

Antonio came to an abrupt stop, his hand tightening on her arm. She blinked hard, trying to clear the fog in her head.

"Figlio di puttana," Antonio hissed through clenched teeth, leveling his gun at the figure blocking their escape.

Her heart skipped when she recognized Nico. He stood at the mouth of the alley, backlit by the flickering streetlights, gun already raised and trained on Antonio. But with the way Antonio held her, it felt like the barrel was pointed straight at her.

"Why?" Antonio asked, his voice laced with restrained fury. "Have I not been good to you?"

Nico didn't respond. His gun remained steady, his finger just resting on the trigger. The only sound was the faint click as he disabled the safety, his expression blank.

Antonio gave a short, amused laugh. "You're not going to shoot me, Nico. You don't have the balls."

Luna's pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out the sound of her own shallow breathing. She glanced at Nico, but all she saw was coldness in his eyes. Not panic. Not fear.

Her husband yanked her closer. "You pull that trigger, and you kill her too." He turned his gun, pressing it against her ribs instead.

Luna sucked in a breath. Cold fear spread through her.

Still, Nico didn't flinch. He didn't even look at her. It was as though she wasn't there, as though she was just another piece of the game he was playing. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the tears that spilled freely down her cheeks.

Antonio's grip on her loosened slightly as he grew more confident, his voice gaining strength. "You think I don't know? That I haven't seen the way you look at her? I knew. I always knew--"

A single gunshot cracked through the alley like a thunderclap.

Antonio's grip slackened instantly, his body jerking as the bullet tore through him. Luna barely registered the pain in her leg as her palms hit the ground, her head spinning from the sudden fall.

Antonio hit the ground beside her with a strangled curse, clutching his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers, staining his suit in a matter of seconds.

Nico was already closing the distance, his gun still trained on Antonio as if nothing had changed.

Antonio tried to lift his gun again, but Nico's foot slammed down on his wrist, forcing the weapon from his hand with a sickening crunch.

"Stronzo traditore," Antonio spat through gritted teeth. "You think--"

Nico crouched, pressing the barrel of his gun against Antonio's forehead, cutting off his words instantly.

"I think you talk too much," Nico said quietly.

Then he fired.

Blood sprayed across the pavement, across her, warm and sticky. Seconds stretched into an eternity. The only sounds were her own labored breathing and the distant wail of sirens. She blinked, dazed, trying to stay conscious, her vision tunneling.

Nico turned to Luna. For a terrible second, she thought he might just walk away, leave her bleeding in the alley. But then he moved toward her, crouching by her side, eyes flicking to the dark stain spreading over her pants.

"You okay?"

What an idiot. Luna almost wanted to laugh, but it came out as a shaky exhale. The world spun violently, cold washing over her in waves.

She felt Nico's hands on her, surprisingly careful as he pulled her against his chest. "Stay awake, stellina. You hear me? Stay the fuck awake."

That was when she glimpsed it. A flicker of something in his eyes that looked an awful lot like fear.

She tried to hold onto it, but the dizziness dragged her into darkness. The last thing she felt was Nico's arms lifting her.

***

Luna stirred, blinking groggily at the dark world beyond the car window. Her head felt heavy. Her leg was wrapped in gauze, throbbing faintly.

Nico sat next to her, one hand on the wheel, the other draped casually over his thigh. His face was set in stone, every muscle tense, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack. The headlights illuminated only fragments of the empty road ahead, casting fleeting shadows across his features.

"What happened?" Luna rasped.

Nico didn't answer. His jaw tightened further, and his eyes stayed locked on the road. He drove like he was chasing something--or running from it.

She swallowed, dread knotting in her stomach. "My husband?"

"Dead," Nico said.

Right. The flash of the gun. The crack of the shot. The hot spray of blood on her skin. Luna rubbed her hands over her cheeks, but they felt clean.

Antonio was gone. The man who had owned her life for so long, gone forever. She should have felt something--relief, maybe, or freedom--but all she felt was dread.

There was no sense of triumph in Nico's expression.

"You planned this," she said quietly.

"Yes."

Her pulse quickened. "Where are you taking me?"

He gave her a brief, sidelong glance. "Somewhere safe."

Safe? The word felt meaningless. Safe from who? The cops? Antonio's remaining men? Or safe from him too?

The silence stretched so long it became suffocating, tension tightening in her chest. Finally, Nico broke it with words that hit harder than she expected.

"The cops will want answers," he said. His voice was level, but there was an edge to it.

"Answers?"

"About Antonio. He wasn't supposed to leave that raid alive. Now he's dead, but not the way they planned. They'll want to know what went wrong. They'll come for you."

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. "What? No, I don't--"

"You'll be fine," Nico interrupted, his tone curt, like he didn't want to hear her protests. "You didn't know anything. You weren't involved. Just tell them the truth. Antonio kept you out of his business. You didn't know until last night. Stick to that story, and they'll leave you alone."

"And you?" she asked quietly, dread creeping up her spine.

Nico didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned into a driveway. It took Luna a moment to realize where they were. Her parents' house.

Her breath caught. "Why here?"

"The cops will expect you to come here after everything. They'll keep an eye on you, but they won't push too hard. You'll be safe."

Safe. There was that word again, and it still didn't feel right.

"And you?" she pressed again.

Nico killed the engine and turned to look at her. "I'll have to disappear for a while. Frank got out. He'll want my head."

Her throat tightened. "For a while? How long?"

He gave a small shrug, like it didn't matter. "A year. Maybe more."

A year. Luna froze, disbelief hitting her like a punch to the gut. "But you--"

"I handle it," Nico said with a detached tone that made her want to scream.

"That's not--"

"I handle it, Luna," he snapped, sharp and final. His eyes locked on hers, hard enough to silence whatever words she was about to say. "Go inside. Stay with your family. Don't say anything about me. Don't call me."

Tears stung her eyes before she could stop them. "Don't call you?"

He stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut with deliberate force. Luna scrambled out after him, her pulse racing, panic clawing at her chest.

By the time she caught up, her leg throbbing, he was already at the trunk, pulling it open. Inside was her suitcase. Packed. Ready.

He was serious.

Nico reached for the suitcase, but she grabbed his wrist. "No. Stop. What are you doing?"

He stilled, his gaze flicking to where her hand gripped his wrist.

"Go inside," he said. "Before you make this harder than it has to be."

Every instinct in her screamed to stop him. But what could she possibly say to keep a man like Nico from walking away?

"No," she said, voice firm.

Nico exhaled sharply. "Don't make me hurt you, Luna. Because you know I will."

"Really?" she said, her voice rising with desperation. "Then prove it."

She shoved him hard, away from the car, away from the suitcase he had so neatly packed as if she were nothing more than an obligation to be handled.

He barely stumbled back, giving her a look of fury. She didn't care. She shoved him again, more determined. "That's how you want to end this? Just... walking away?"

"You think fighting me is going to change anything?" he asked.

"It's better than this! Better than you treating me like I mean nothing to you!"

Her voice cracked as she shoved him again, but there was barely any strength left in her. It was desperation now, pure and raw.

Nico caught her wrists mid-push. "Enough."

"No," she said. "It's not enough, Nico. You can't just leave me like this. After everything--"

"Everything what, Luna?" Nico snapped, his grip tightening until she winced. "You think just because we fucked, this is different? I got you out, didn't I? What the hell else do you want from me?"

Anger mixed with the ache of betrayal. Tears blurred her vision, but she forced herself to look him in the eye. "I don't believe you mean that. You said--"

"I said what?" he cut in harshly. "That I'd stay? Here's a free lesson for you, stellina. I will say whatever the fuck I have to if it gets my dick wet."

For a moment, she just stared at him, stunned, hurt twisting inside her. "You said you'd come back for me."

Nico's expression faltered, just for a heartbeat. "And I did."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "You didn't. You came back for him. You broke your promise, you--"

He made a sound, halfway between a growl and a curse, before he dragged her toward the car. He slammed the door open, and in one swift motion, he tossed her onto the backseat.

The pain in her leg flared sharply, but before she could even register it, he was on her, his body looming over hers.

"Don't ever fucking say that again," he said. "I promised I'd come back, and I goddamn did."

His hand gripped her neck, fingers pressing firmly against her racing pulse, like he owned every beat of her heart.

"Now, you're going to go inside. Eat. Drink. Shower. Sleep this nightmare off. Then you'll talk to the cops like the good little girl you are, tell them you knew nothing."

His hand moved lower, sliding down her chest. When his palm cupped her breast, he squeezed, rough. "You don't even know me. Understand?"

His fingers tightened around her breast in warning, forcing a sharp gasp from her lips. She nodded.

"And after that?" Nico continued, his tone softening into a gentle caress. "You'll find yourself a nice, boring local boy. You'll give him your number, because God knows, he won't have the balls to ask for it himself. You're too fucking beautiful. You make men stupid."

His other hand slid lower, down her waist, over her hip, until it gripped the curve of her ass hard enough to leave marks.

"But you'll let him fuck you, won't you? Nice and slow."

He leaned in until his lips brushed the corner of her mouth, just barely touching, teasing her with something he refused to give.

"But he better not make you scream. He better not make you beg. That's for me alone. You hear me?"

She swallowed hard, but before she could respond, he leaned in further, his mouth brushing against her ear, voice turning into something cruel.

"He'll think he's the luckiest bastard in the world. Little does he know, you're only doing it because I'm telling you to. You'll think about me every time, but you won't say my name. I don't exist outside of your dreams."

Oh, but he did. He did exist. She knew by the way the heat pooled low in her belly. Her thighs parted involuntarily, making space for him, inviting him in. And he didn't hesitate. His hips pressed into her. He was already hard for her.

"Don't spread your legs for me, stellina," he whispered, grinding against her until a desperate whimper escaped her lips. "Didn't you hear anything I said? Is this all it takes?" He pressed harder, crueler, until her head fell back with a shudder. "All a man's gotta do is tell you he'll hurt you, tell you you're nothing, and you'll open right up for him?"

"No," she whispered. "That's not why."

"Then tell me," he growled, his hand tracing the curve of her stomach until it rested on the waistband of her pants. With a sharp tug, he yanked them down. She lifted her knee to help. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she registered that all this time, he'd been careful to avoid her injured leg, never letting even the slightest pressure fall on it.

She wished his words would match his actions, that he'd be as cruel with his touch as he was with his words. Maybe then this all would make sense.

"Tell me, stellina. What is it that makes you so desperate for me?" He slipped his finger beneath her panties, teasing her, dipping inside. "So wet for me?"

She shuddered, her back arching as the heat pooled between her thighs. She wanted to answer, but she wasn't sure she even had one.

"Tell me," he demanded. "So I know exactly what to say when I fuck the others. When I get bored. When I need to remind myself of all the ways I can make them beg."

"No..." It was a breathless protest.

"Yes," he said, his thumb brushing over her clit. "You think I'll waste years cumming into my hand? No. I'm going to fuck every pussy I see. You won't even be a thought in my head."

Somehow, every word he said only made her want him more, twisting in her mind into something else entirely. I'm such an idiot, she thought, like every other woman--molding a man's words into something she craved.

But she couldn't stop the moans that escaped her, or the way her nails dug into his back, pulling him closer as if she needed him to say more.

"Okay."

His fingers inside her stilled, and he looked down at her, dark eyes searching.

"Okay?"

She nodded. "Just... don't kiss them."

She didn't want to think about his wife. Didn't want to imagine him pressing his lips to her, touching her the way he touched her--possessing her the way she wished he would possess only her. She shoved the thought aside, locking it in the darkest corner of her mind.

Nico chuckled softly. "Staking a claim, stellina? I like your guts. Too bad you have no way of making that demand stick."

"Oh, I do," she whispered, her fingers slipping into the waistband of his jeans, tugging his erection free with a hard stroke that sent a shudder through him. She leaned up, lips barely grazing his as she whispered, "If you kiss them, I'll never forgive you. I'll never speak to you again. I'll give you nothing."

His lips curved into a smirk, the challenge clear in his eyes, but the eager way he thrust his cock into her hand told a different story. "You won't fucking know."

"I will," she said. "I'll look into your eyes, and I'll know. I'll feel it."

"Yeah? The way you feel it now?"

With a sudden, brutal thrust, he buried himself deep inside her. She was slick, and he slid in with ease, but the stretch--God, the stretch--was too much. She gasped, and he swallowed the sound with a hungry kiss, never breaking pace. Instead of pulling back, he thrust harder, deeper, until she felt him in places she didn't know existed. It was like hunger that couldn't be satisfied, thirst that couldn't be quenched.

"Take it," he said. "If you make claims like that, you better fucking be ready to take it."

Just when she thought she was adjusting, when the pressure started to feel good, he pushed in further until his body was flush against hers. The friction of his skin rubbing against her clit sent small sparks of pleasure through her, the only relief in the overwhelming fullness.

Her gasps had turned to soft whimpers, weak little sounds as if her body couldn't keep up with what he demanded. Her mind screamed for more, her heart ached with need, but her body? It felt like a fragile thing.

Her body slackened. She didn't realize she was crying until his lips pressed softly against her cheek, kissing the tears away.

"Did I finally break you, stellina? I have to admit, you lasted longer than I expected. Who would've thought that after three years, it wasn't my words, or the way I ignored you. It wasn't making you think I didn't care. It was this."

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he withdrew, dragging his cock from her until she thought she might scream from the emptiness. He leaned down, kissing her gently as he pulled back, his movements tender and almost reverent before he pushed back in with excruciating slowness.

"Is that what you want?" she whispered, trembling. "To break me?"

"It's all I ever wanted," he said, kissing away another tear as he thrust into her again. "To break you free. Free from this life. From men like me." He kissed her again, more slowly, his thrust matching the pace. "I don't want you to want me. I don't want you spreading those pretty little legs for me."

Another soft kiss, another gentle push inside her, this one making her gasp.

"Because I won't say no. I can't resist, and I'll drag you down to hell with me."

"Nico..."

"So be a good girl," he murmured, his lips brushing against her skin. "Find yourself a good man. Someone who will treat you right. Someone who won't fuck you in the back of a car while your leg's bleeding out." His voice cracked slightly at the words. "Someone who can make you laugh, not just cry, not just moan. Something I haven't managed since the first night we met. I can't make you happy, Luna."

"No, that's not tr--"

He cut her off gently. "Nor can you make me happy. You're not the girl for me."

The words landed like a final, shattering blow. It felt like the last nail in the coffin, the final bullet that left her with nothing.

"I'm not?" Her voice cracked, hanging on to the barest thread of hope.

His eyes softened, but the hardness in his voice didn't waver. "No."

Tears spilled freely now, mixing with the rising pleasure that threatened to drown her. He leaned down, kissing her, and the urgency in his kiss only matched the way his body moved with increasing force. Her legs wrapped around him, forcing him in deeper. She ignored the stinging pain in her leg, the warmth of blood pooling against her skin.

He thrusted into her like he needed to destroy what remained of their fragile connection. His lips silenced every breathless moan that escaped her as his thrusts grew erratic. Her pulse raced, the pressure building again, tighter, hotter.

Her body trembled as the orgasm crashed over her, leaving her broken in his arms. She cried out against his mouth, her mind spiraling.

Nico's groan rumbled deep in his chest. With one final push, he spilled inside her pussy. He wrapped his arms around her, shifting so that she was pressed against his chest.

Her eyes fluttered closed, savoring the way their bodies fit together so perfectly.