arely recognized herself. The FBI's transformation team had worked for six hours to turn Special Agent Sofia

red her features with contouring and shadows, making her cheekbones more prominent and her eyes more mysterious. The burgundy silk dres

looked like exactly the kind of woman who would ma

gent who had killed three men in

ed at Institut Le Rosey, fluent in French and German, degree in international business from University of Geneva. Your p

berto" that concealed a GPS tracker and emergency beacon. "I've memorized th

itory. High-end seafood place on Central Park South-public enough to feel safe,

locker. 7:43 PM. In seventeen minutes, she would come face to face

ognizes that so

cannot break character. Lucia Castellano is sheltered, intelligent, but ultimately obedient to

Hermès clutch that contained her fake passport, credit cards, and

monitoring Romano family communications, and there's chatter about i

family member." Sofia headed for the door, her heels clicking aga

t was that the FBI surveillance photos hadn't done him justice-he was tall, broad-shouldered, and moved with the predatory grace of a man who was comfortable with violenc

was absolutely gorgeous, which

'd expected, with just a trace of Brooklyn accen

ticed poise of European finishing school training. "Ple

just given orders. His handshake lingered a moment longer than strictly proper, and S

id as he held her chair. "I imagine this arra

Romano, I was raised to understand that marriage is a partnership between fami

antly with a wine list. "And your uncle is a man of... impressive rep

f an expensive dinner. She ordered the lobster risotto and watched Dante's reaction when she swi

observed once they were alone. "V

ing on childhood memories of her own grandmother. "She insist

a? Uncle Roberto mentioned you'd bui

e dark eyes made her suddenly nervous. There was an intelligence there that suggested h

ds to continue through alliance with a strong family. When he explained the benefits of uniting our

on remained thoughtful. "You d

I've never met, move to a country I barely remember, and become part of a world that..."

ople solve problems with v

the polite fiction that the Romano family was purely legitimate. "I me

nguage. Yes, Lucia, you're absolutely right. You're being asked to marry a criminal and bec

ely intrigued by this unexpected honesty. "

otions. "There are ways to generate wealth and power without leaving bodies in our wake. But ch

made an appreciative sound. "But sometimes the m

ngerous this conversation was becoming. She was supposed to be a sheltered mafi

I expected," Da

id you

ocus on home and family while their husbands handle business matters.

her plate. "I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn. Uncle Ro

nd briefly. "I find intelligence attractive. If we're going to be ma

mething that might have been genuine interest, and for a moment she forgot that this was an undercover operation. He was tr

d, withdrawing his hand and returning

ivate bank in Geneva, consulting work for multinational corporations. She'd rehearsed these details so th

xpanding internationally-partnerships with organizations in Eastern Europe, South America, As

was already planning how to use her supposed skills to expand criminal operations across multiple continents. The man sit

ntribute however I ca

ression now. "Because if this marriage is going to work, we'll need

despite the pleasant conversation, Dante Romano hadn't let his guard down f

y. "Complete honesty is the founda

n't lost on e

lligent, thoughtful, and surprisingly principled for a criminal. He spoke passionately about wanting to modernize his family's opera

would destroy everything he was trying to build. The man across from her might be charming, bu

u for dessert, "what do you think? Can

that might have been guilt. "I think we understand each other

that's really a

her wine glass in a small toas

er leaving her face. "To successful partnerships.

t her identity, or if he was simply acknowledging the general dangers

er, one of them would a

uestion wa