ire

assive mahogany desk and tossed

nst the polished wood, the s

ying in a cold morgue down the street, and my s

ily medical program," the Consigliere sa

I just looked at his weath

odline," he continued, "perhaps a change of scenery

ick finger aga

in the city. Now, you are assigned to a low-tier

lankly at

r suicide, Cla

erson had the authority to bypass the Cons

door behind

ustom black suit, looking every inch the un

doorframe and let ou

s new future as a stre

searching for a reaction-for t

a word. I did

on him and walked

expected me to scream at him for ruining my career, jus

my voice a dea

crossed his face before he masked i

d into the long, marble corri

de Men lined the wall

t my mother, but I ignored them; the

anked by two armed guards. She wore a des

trash?" she taunted, step

, nor did I ac

st her, my should

ored infu

rom a passing waiter's tray, spun, and

ass sh

the sharp edges reopening the

ide of my face, dripping onto

but I did not raise

ice. He took one look at the shattered gl

nded, his voice echoing in the silent hallw

turned to

of my loyalty-the very beads I had used to pray over him when he shivered from drug withdrawals three years

of my hand, picked up my bag, parted the c

time I set foot in this city, it woul

ht back to th

as busy organizing a lavish cel

door, I left only a canvas bag packed with the bare necessities for survival. The Syndicate-issued la

zed constant

hotos from the underground theater-pictures

n, deleted the thread,

harsh command ordering my attendance a

uring the message r

s in the dark and opened the e

h pictures of Luca and E

andid photo I took of him smiling, te

my mind, cold and hard as s

with a new, anonym

ssive digital dossier and

flicker of life retu

hot tears burned my eyes as I

r of a ruthless, independent f

yer, my voice shaking with cold fury.

sat in a window seat

eyes as the plane ascended, leaving the mafia unde

t a fuse that would detonate every