Room dripped with diamonds, m

where the five families pretended to be civilized. The ai

n outsider, it might have looked possessive, even protective. To me,

, leaning down to my ear. "

face. It felt tight,

smiling,

aist-harder. A p

ooked at me with a mixture of envy and pity. They knew.

ry: pretty to look a

inner circle, approached us,

ed wine. "We found it. The time capsule from

dition-proof that before they became mo

" someone

d bored, bu

ut items: a switchblade, a bottle of cheap whi

ia!" Marco shouted, d

t. Even her name c

d, laughing. "She wants a mansion in Beverly

room. We all knew she ended up with a Capo who die

oretti!" Marco pulled out a pie

that note. I was eighteen. Bet

the Russian

he paper. He cle

ed, Dante looks at me the way he looks at the sun

nce was

s raw, naked vulnerabilit

eck. I stared at the floor,

me. I could feel the t

s hand and looked at it-my ha

ths, he really *saw* me. There was shock i

started, h

is phon

tered the mome

gnore it. He n

out. "Sofia,"

seconds. His face

?" he

and turne

se have her. They have Sof

Soldiers were running, pulling

ned to fo

" I whi

He looked

" I said

hetic plea. I was asking him to

he door. Then

in dange

ng here,"

ed. "Don't move. Sec

hamber of his gu

sprinted out o

watched him run towa

m, surrounded by staring eyes. The wife who hope

tected. I w

le where he had dropped

alcony. The night

a silver tray on a p

I held the corner of

curl into ash. *Dant

it, b

ning paper into a

e," I whispere

ars were for peo

left but the c