b were slick with rain, the neon signs ble

farewells to his soldiers. He finally turned, notici

me," he casually remarked, adjusti

dramatically clasping her hands tog

ring, Boss," she begged, leaning her hip ag

es flickered to me, then back to the bike. Seeing my dea

yanking out the spare pink helmet, and

," he o

irking victoriously as she

oking a finger through the helmet's chin strap and letting it swing idly.

the cool, possessive satisfaction

ided I was entirely d

, I stepped forward, holding out my ha

ver the

the bike behind Rocco, she clutched th

ur problem?

hoing in the damp alleyway. "It is a matching set. I bou

Rocco over her shoulder with the cal

he kickstand, his massive frame

his voice low and heavy with authority. "It is just a helme

d shoulder with her manicured fingernail-a sm

he man who used to hold my hand whe

lowered

ap anyway

rbored for him did not shatter. It simply seeped away, draining out of me and

possessions; more importantly, I

ook back as he tore down the street, the e

, I raised my hand and hailed a heavily armore

e heavy doors, and stared out the bulle

co had entered this life solely be

had locked a young Rocco in basements with traitors, teaching him to

ng the Enforcers just for Rocco, since I had been

ged. When puberty hit, his possessive nickname for me s

an to treat me like a piece on his board, moving me out of his inner circle

artbreak of that shift, bu

r the Family, as long as I learned how to

y together, thinking that one day he would recognize

As a Capo's daughter, she stepped into the training ri

. It was not the look of a man who was hurt, but the silent, feral acknowledgment of a kindred

cing at me through the reinforced rearvi

ng my eyes away

ed, his hand resting on his radio. "Do I need

eached up and touched my chee

rs with the ba

y and hollow. "My future can only be built on