LOGINI memorized every word, nodding. "Make sure, there is no alcohol, no driving, no strenuous exercise. No situations where she could hit her head again." He tapped the folder. "If she vomits repeatedly. If she becomes difficult to wake. If one pupil becomes larger than the other. If she becomes co
Vincenzo watched them carefully, "You wanted this?" "No." "You wanted to spend your nights around men like Cole?" "No." "You wanted debt collectors, guns, blood, and basements?" All three shook their heads harder, "No..." "No, sir..." "We never wanted this..." For a long moment, Vincenzo sim
Mine didn't. To me, guilt belonged to the individual responsible for the act. To Gianna, guilt spread through grief until it touched everyone left standing. Eventually... It would reach me. She wouldn't see a calculated investigation. She would see the man who allowed her entire world to disap
Adriano let out a laugh, he bent over, slapping his knee, his eyes bright with a dark, twisted amusement as he watched Cole flop around in the dirt. "Oh, look at him go!" Adriano mocked, "He’s doing the dance! Look at the moves on him! Hey, Don Capone said he’d spare your life, Mercer! He didn't sa
"No! She forced me! She—" "She forced you to get a front-row seat to our sister's blood?" Adriano laughed again, "You’re a real hero, Cole. Maybe we should put your face on a plaque. 'Here lies Cole Mercer: He was too scared to be a criminal and too stupid to be a friend.'" Cole started to sob, hi
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ Adriano’s arms were capable, but they were not mine. I stepped forward before his arms could even settle into a permanent hold. I took her from him, sliding my hands beneath her knees and behind her shoulders, careful not to disturb the bandage wrapped around her head. I kept h
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ The motorcycle slowed down as Raphael steered us off the empty scenic road and pulled into a deserted gas station. He stopped right next to the fuel pump. He kicked the kickstand down, and we both unfastened our helmets, letting the cool morning air rush over our faces. I climbed
I still talked through the helmet, even though my voice was muffled, he still understood me. At first, we just talked about random things, the architecture of the old buildings we passed, the way the morning light hit the glass towers in the distance, and how the city felt completely different when
Even standing in the middle of blood-soaked woods after a night of hunting monsters, Raphael somehow still looked... perfect. "You built an empire before most people your age even figure out who they are," I whispered. "You walk into a room and everybody listens. You know how to talk to people. Yo
I looked back at her, and I gestured around the room, at the perfect rows of weapons and the monitors, "I like my violence contained. I like it surgical. I like to be the one who decides exactly when and where the hammer falls." I stood right in front of her now, so close that she had to tilt her h







