macked Lorenzo's fingers away f

ense, dead silence of the dec

ority of the underworld's oldest rule: "Only th

feless body. "You're only sulking out here because Dante let Bian

row knotted tight, undisguised irritati

e heavy fabric. "You don't get to disrespect this family over a

reamed at them, hysterical. I screamed that I was dead.

ds passed straight through Lorenzo's bro

enemies to keep me safe blindly push me into the abyss; watch the sworn si

ded her little finger and hooked it toward my cold hand, limp on the leather

gone iron-heavy in the stillnes

no response, that flicker of vulnerability shattered inst

. She shrieked accusations of how she had given up her freedom-how she had been forced

m against the partition. "Stop the car!" she barked a

shuddered to a halt wi

y manicured nails, and seized the thin silver chain around my neck-th

e chain bit into my

ilessly under her stiletto heel. With a sharp, brittle cr

sisterhood is severed forever!" she declared viciously. Then, without a backward g

ring under his breath about how stubborn and wi

he shook his head, pushed open

decoy SUV watched them go with an

his head, and muttered a curse. "Fuck. These high-and-mighty

ed car rumbled low, and he merged ba

r blasting from the vents beat directly a

blur of movement-a wild cat darti

es to the floor. The enormous tires shrieked

orward. My head smashed into the back of the fro

completely from my head, pooling in

ver twisted arou

my fully exposed face, eve

it. My lips were black. Great swaths of vivid red hives covered my swollen neck and

and every drop of color drai

. He shoved the door open and stumbled out onto

ming cars, his scream tearing the night apart: "Som

as only forty or f

ar flared a glaring red. The massive SUV skidded violently, then sle

o the cold night wind, his subordinate's t

disguised horror-an emotion the mafia godfather had never once shown in his life. Without a word, he