The Devil's Favorite Lie

gunshot di

hisp

too tight. A sound not meant to be heard by ordinar

mid-arpeggio. The soft gasp in her throat caught beneath the silken no

had he

candlelit chandeliers and the twirl of gowns stitched with more diamonds than she'd ever see

ed normal. But

ng had

the shadows along the easter

ept p

any illusions designed to make the Moretti family's annual gala seem elegant rather than opulen

they expec

deliv

e her heart thudded louder than the damask-covered walls could allow.

ce was tense, jaw locked tight. He brushed past a waiter, pushing him without apology

llowed. Th

t. Too

n this world of silk lies and slick guns, but that didn't mean she was blind. She'd grown up in a ne

w what

she kept

A few more secon

me the

new to be quiet even in panic. Still, it cut through the music like broken glass. Sev

rsations stuttered. Seren

nmistakable clatter of som

a

bo

vely in front of his wife. And from the same eastern corridor,

io Mo

he was. The heir to the Moretti legacy. Son of the Devil, they whispered in b

't recognize hi

ized him b

sed. No tie. Black-on-black suit tailored to fit a body born to carry d

-cut through the room li

they foun

close to a lit match. The

seen t

d seen he

But her breath caught. Her fingers refused to mo

to leave.

could rise, h

ard

ke in his path. Guests parted like water as he a

-she sa

ind. Don't look too long. Don't ask questions. Don't g

er in less t

ied her as if he were trying to dec

elty painted behind his expression. He didn't smile.

fin

s to little doves who st

ice came out softer than she w

ing unreadable glinting be

you

e piano. A single rose petal had fallen from the massive bouquet atop the po

've been

lt like a

" he said, his tone quiet-me

eane

e myst

that, h

ed a

s and shaking and

mehow her hands moved. Somehow her body functioned. But

the night

ed that some men do

ite the

evil-had just chose

e