Apegap Stories

Lacy Calloway has spent four years building a life she never thought she'd have. After escaping years of abuse and losing both of her parents at eighteen, she refuses to let her past define her. At twenty-two, she co-owns Chapter & Coffee with her lifelong best friends, Jade and Raven-a cozy bookstore café where every smile and every cup of coffee is proof that life can begin again. Then Raven falls for Nico De-Luca. Kind, protective, and fiercely devoted, Nico seems perfect... until his older brothers enter the picture. Matteo De-Luca is quiet, guarded, and impossible to read. Lacy is everything he isn't-warm, endlessly optimistic, and determined to break through the walls he's built around himself. His younger brother Elio is just as infuriating as he is charming, and Jade can't decide if she wants to kiss him or knock him out. But the De-Luca brothers are hiding a secret. They're heirs to one of the most powerful mafia families in the country. When a rival family discovers Matteo's growing attachment to Lacy, they destroy the only place she's ever truly called home. With enemies closing in, the De-Luca family leaves the girls with no choice but to move into their heavily guarded estate. Thrown into a world of violence, secrets, and impossible choices, Lacy begins to lose the sunshine everyone has always depended on. As nightmares replace smiles, Matteo-the man who once believed love was a weakness-finds himself willing to burn down the world if it means bringing her light back. Some hearts are worth protecting. Some people are worth killing for. And some loves are destined to become... Mine to Keep.