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 felt my cheeks flush, "And what's the verdict so far?" Manuel leaned in even closer, his shoulder brushing mine. "Well," he said, "You have a very good innocent face, Gianna. But I think there is a little bit of trouble hiding behind those eyes. Am I right?" I let out a real laugh. It felt good
"The best," I murmured, my hand still buried, keeping her pinned to the spot as I felt her start to come apart under my touch. I could feel Gianna’s body vibrating. My fingers were buried deep in her, hooked into that soaking wet heat. She was getting wetter by the second, the slickness coating my
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I slipped away from Dante's circle of friends for a moment, and wandered toward a quiet corner of the gallery and that’s when I saw it. I stopped dead. The painting was massive. It wasn't a portrait, it was a scream captured in oil. It showed a woman, or the ghost of one, trapped
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom of the venue, and I just… looked. The dress had already settled on my body like it belonged there, like it had been waiting for me. Black smooth silk catching the light in soft flashes every time I shifted my weight. It didn’t cling,







