the De Luca house, golden and warm. Yet warm

e black top Dante's servant had brought her last night. It

the creak

ready," Marc

e mood for breakfast, especially no

she was in the dining room anyway,

e over his wrists, in a starched fresh black button-down. He

he said. "Th

ore fun to fling fo

. "You'd be the

hair without invitation.

ad eggs, fruit, pastries,

ate away. "I do

re you always this obst

. "It's just with those

in his chair. "

play like

ct what'

not y

for

't change, but tension

aid softly. "Blood that will kill you. I do not care if you hate me. B

r arms. "And wh

es. "Then you'll see what happ

e chair in a harsh way over a marble.

replied matter-of-factly.

nding fast, but s

so powerful? Because you have armed men working for you and

houghtfully. He moved clo

u'll stop pretending that

m n

o know its codes, though your mother

. "Don't talk a

whatever I want.

d toward

lready?" h

flame. Well, here it is. I'm not your puppet. If you think abducting me here is

lowed her, st

't want pretty.

r stop dead

ned, eyes na

don't break when the rules are broken. I don't want another silent girl,

t missed

ner," she dared,

won't run when the

enough to see the shadows under h

shed

ile

e softly.

omething between them-something that was neither col

ld not fall

e said once more. "

h. "Keep tellin

doff. Silent war fought

Dante m

me with me

and looked at hi

t your dad. About why you were

stopp

ieve that you're just go

ith a slight of smile on his fa

red the courage to open. The floor of a hallway dropped away d

ith his thumbprin

ered in shelves, boxes, fi

breath

ame was on one

truth? It's in there. But beware.

toward the folder

ing this now?

e it, you are on a chessboard. And I prefer to h

She accepted the folder a

. But I'm sti

ldn't let

could feel his eyes at the b

by herself, she o

ansaction

bottom... a

. Smiling, years ago. Befo

into the chair,

ready to

d no other choice

was riskier tha