Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
As the eldest daughter of Ilias Dimitrou, I’m next in line to become the head of the Greek mafia. I’m getting good at putting on an act while I learn everything I need to know about the organization, but behind closed doors, I’m terrified. If my father’s men catch a whiff of my fear, they’ll rip me apart.
Before I’m able to take over from my father, we’re attacked. I have to depend on my newly formed alliance to come to the rescue while I fight with every ounce of strength in my body to stay alive.
Barely surviving when my entire family is slaughtered, I end up being guarded by Lincoln Knight. For some reason, the damaged sniper refuses to leave my side, and I find myself becoming more and more dependent on him. He follows me like a deadly shadow, and I’m well aware of the fact that he’s the only person standing between me and certain death.
When I take my rightful place as the head of the Greek mafia, can I conquer my fears and become the strong leader I was born to be?
STANDALONE: A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
Each book in the Mafia Empire series is interconnected but about a different couple who will all find their HEA.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Family Tree
Lincoln Knight
37 years old / American
Also Known As: Knight & Link
Sister: Deceased
Business: Gun for Hire
Cassia Dimitrou
28 years old / Greek
Father: Ilias Dimitrou – Head of the Greek Mafia
Mother: Ana Dimitrou
Sister: Eleni Dimitrou
Sister: Kiki Dimitrou
Uncle on father’s side: George Dimitrou
Aunt: Vasaliki Dimitrou
Aunt on mother’s side: Marina Doukas
Translations
My Love - Agápi mou
I love you - Se agapó
My protector – Prostàti mou
My Angel - Ángele mou
Mine - Dikós mou (woman addressing man)
My Dad - Mpampà mou / Mpampà
My Mother - Mitèra mou / Mamá
My Christ - Christé mou
My God - Theé mou
Fuck - Gamóto
Yes - Naí
Chapter 1
CASSIA
Lincoln Knight; 37. Cassia Dimitrou; 28.
Sitting at the kitchen table, I watch my mother while she makes lunch for the family. Even though we have servants, she insists on preparing all our meals.
Mom just turned fifty, but she can pass for my older sister. Not only is she beautiful, she has an inner strength that’s kept this family standing during the most difficult of times.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m nothing but a disappointment to her. She raised us all to be strong, but since I started working alongside my father, I’ve only felt weak and scared.
While she stirs the tzatziki dip, she glances at me. Her eyes flick over my face, then she frowns. “Why do you look so worried?”
I shake my head, forcing a smile to my face. “I’m not worried.”
I’m getting really good at lying, but I have to work harder on masking my true feelings.
A smile curves around her mouth, and as she plates the pita bread, she says, “You’ve done so well up until now, and you will continue to do just fine.”
Nodding, my gaze lowers to the bottle of water in front of me.
For the past year, I’ve been training with my father to take over the Greek mafia.
God, has it already been a year?
A drop of condensation starts to trickle down the side of the bottle, and I catch it with the pad of my finger.
Almost a year ago, my father formed an alliance with Leo Toscano, Santiago Castro, Dominik Varga, and Enzo Oliveira.
I’ve managed to convince the men I’m a force to be reckoned with, but nothing could be further from the truth.
When I first met them, I had my father by my side, and I didn’t have to interact with them much. But my father has been losing his temper more and more at the most inappropriate times. It was starting to annoy everyone, so I was forced to take over everything regarding the alliance.
Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing, and I’m scared out of my mind.
Every day, I work with killers and criminals, and I know if they get a whiff of the ungodly fear filling every inch of my being, they’ll tear me to shreds.
Fake it until you make it.
After I repeat the words that have become my mantra, I lift my eyes to my mother and confess, “It’s difficult working with Mpampà. His quick temper and ridiculous demands will get us all killed.”
Her gaze locks with mine for a few seconds before she says, “You’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. Keep him under control until he steps down.”
Shaking my head, I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t think he wants to hand the reins over to me.”
“He doesn’t have a choice,” Mom mutters.
She’s right. We’ve crossed too much ground to call it off. The alliance has already accepted me, and they’ve been very vocal about their dislike for my father.
My thoughts turn back to the day I won the respect of the four men. A factory that belonged to Dominik was under attack, and it was the first time we took a stand together against an enemy.
God, my heart was beating out of my chest, and I wasn’t sure we’d get out alive.
Creeping through the factory with my father, my gun is drawn, and my eyes dart all over the place. I swallow hard on the unholy terror gripping my chest while Dad walks with too much confidence as if someone wouldn’t dare shoot at him.
“Stick closer to the pallets,” I hiss at him. “You’re too exposed.”
“Stop cowering,” he snaps at me. “Dimitrous aren’t afraid of anything.”
Suddenly, something explodes somewhere behind us, and it has Dad scurrying into a space between two big crates to take cover while I let out a startled shriek.
Glancing behind me, I see Santiago helping Dominik up from the floor. My eyes dart over them, but luckily, they didn’t get hurt by the blast.
When Enzo and Leo catch up to Dad and me, I feel a trickle of relief ease some of the tension in my body.
Enzo gestures toward an office that’s situated near the front entrance. “Pavlov is probably in there.”
“We don’t have the element of –” Leo’s words are cut short as my father storms closer to the office, shouting, “Pavlov! Get out here so I can kill you.”