Obsidian Heart

o Valeriano stood against the panorama, not observing the view, but dominating it. At twenty-eight, he was the youngest undisputed boss the Vale

rn photograph. It was a faded image of a girl sitting on a sun-drenched beach, her knees pulled up, laughing. He

iz

weight of his name settled on his shoulders, before the steel replaced the softness in his bones. Eliza Hawthorne had simpl

right-hand man, Dante, entered, his expression as ha

No loose ends," Dante reported, referring to a rival ga

n around. "And t

e woman. Eliza Hawthorne. She checked into the St. Regis this afternoon. She's here for th

bstract sculpture. Of course. Eliza had always seen the world in angles and textures others missed

oth, and entirely devoid of the decade of y

h Village. She prefers quiet places, remembers her habits," Dante added, his

e of a predator. He picked up the photograph, his th

the Russo family. Tell them it

. "Understoo

o outside the door

"Rocco, that

a slammed vault door. "I grew up three blocks from it. Besides," a rare, chilling smile

ambush her. He wasn't going to threaten her. He was going to walk back into her world exactly as he had left it:

arlic, and old wine-a comforting, grounded scent that was a

ed, artful braid, and her casual elegance bespoke a life lived on her own terms. But the brightness in her eyes was subdue

ull, torturous minute. She was more beautiful, the innoce

er table. His presence was a ripple of magnetic authori

, bright eyes he'd carried in his memory like a sacred amulet, widened. The c

, unadulterated shock, followed instantly

curse on his tongue, the first genuin

w crumbs of bread. "Rocco," she managed, her voice

y for the most delicate of negotiations-

copper hair and thought, 'No one else is that lucky.' It se

s movement a silent, undeniable command. He settled in, his gaze burning into

ld nickname, a ghost from the summer past,

e air of wealth and control that radiated from him. This was not the boy who stole

o," she said, her voi

of wine and taking a slow sip. He set the glass down, his eyes n