LOGINAdriano slowly lifted his boot, letting the blood drip off the leather onto the concrete as his stare swept across the rest. "Now," he whispered, a terrifying smile finally touching the corners of his lips, "Who else feels like telling me a story?" Morgan started sobbing violently. I shook my h
No, no! "I wasn't even there when they hurt the girl!" Cole yelled, "They brought her to me already bleeding! Brianna was the one who hit her in the head! She used a heavy wooden club from the garage! They carried her in here like a sack of rocks, and I was the one who washed the blood off her fac
Cole’s chest heaved, his eyes turned frantic, like a rat looking for a hole in the wall. "I know how Chicago works. You don't survive in this city by picking a fight with the Capones," he slowly shook his head, "I'm not suicidal." My stomach twisted. No. He was lying. I made a desperate sound
"Move!" Capone guards surged forward with frightening speed. Cole's men reached for their weapons but they never got the chance. One guard twisted a man's arm behind his back before he had even cleared his waistband. Another kicked a pistol across the concrete floor. Boots thundered in every dire
I looked at Cole again. He wasn't even watching us. He was checking his phone. Rage exploded inside me, "MMPH!" I lunged forward as far as the ropes allowed. "If she keeps doing that," he said calmly, "she'll reopen the wound." I wanted to claw his face apart. I wanted to scream. Instead, anoth
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ Pain. That was the first thing I felt. It was a deep, heavy ache that pulsed through the back of my head. It throbbed with every heartbeat, every breath, every tiny movement. A quiet whimper escaped me before I even opened my eyes. The world slowly came into focus. The ceiling a
"I'm sorry about breakfast," she said, and I realized she was talking about something totally different, "I know this is a huge change, Gianna. It’s just been us for so long. And the Capones... they’re a lot. But we have to follow the rules of this house now. It’s just basic decency. We need them, h
Because if anyone ever saw what was really inside my head… they’d know exactly how useless I felt. And if I failed here, I had nothing. No backup. No safety net. I’d end up exactly where men like him always said I belonged, standing quietly in the shadow of someone else’s life. I’d never be able
“Thank you for the ride,” I replied quickly, adjusting my backpack on my shoulder. “Goodbye.” I hiked my backpack higher on my shoulder and walked toward the entrance. I reached the lab a few minutes before the lecture started. The door was half open. I stepped in quietly and took my usual seat ne
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I stayed frozen on the floor, my eyes glued to the pattern of the rug. I couldn't look up, I literally couldn't force my neck to move. The heat in my face was so intense I felt like I was actually burning alive. I just wanted to disappear, to turn into dust and blow away under the g







