Another shot exploded a vase as I swung around the entryway toward the foyer. The front door loomed ahead, tantalizingly close yet seeming miles away amidst the chaos."Stop her, you idiot!"I shoved a man out of my path. Another gunshot fired. Someone screamed. Each step felt like an eternity, my l
MiaThe room fell into an eerie silence, the party guests cowering around the edges, too terrified to move. The air was thick with tension, every eye on Albert as he reached out to me. The menace that had been on his face had faded a bit."I didn't realize we had a party to go to, darling," Albert s
Lorenzo stared up at the man, clearly stunned. There was real fear in his eyes. It should have made me feel better than he was afraid, but it didn't."The next time you speak, Sasha is going to put a bullet in you," Albert said. "Where that bullet will go will be up to Sasha."Elio went pale and sti
MiaI lifted my head to look around. The panic had cleared and I was feeling a little more ready to actually pay attention. I guess my practical side was kicking back in now that I was certain that I would survive the night. The first thing I realized was that Albert's entrance had been nothing shor
"It’s a small, playful gesture between us," he replied smoothly. "Didn’t you and your wife ever share jokes and playful banter? Or were you too busy swinging around a gun? Perhaps you simply don't have the capacity for such a thing... It takes a lot to overcompensate for your crippling idiocy."The
Mia"Her hand wasn't injured before she came downstairs... She was, however, severely bruised and battered... Those injuries seem to have gotten worse after she came downstairs."I was barely listening to Carmelo's explanation of the situation. I didn't need to remember the details or to hear his re
He said nothing and turned his gaze away.Albert scoffed. "Interesting how little you have to say face to face."Lorenzo flinched and opened his mouth, but Albert carried on."You've delayed us long enough," Albert said, turning. "My wife and I have somewhere to be." Albert’s gaze flicked back to Ca
MiaHe said nothing for a long time, and in his silence, I tried to gather my thoughts, but a wave of panic swept over me. As the vehicle began to move, my heart raced. I had so many questions, so many things I wanted to confront Albert about. The silence stretched on."Aren't you going to say anyth
She leaned against the bar.“Thank you for the flowers,” she said quietly. “What did you want to talk about?”I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I didn't expect it to be easy, but I had hoped for a slightly warmer reception.“There’s a lot we need to discuss. About us, about what happened, and
MiaNearly a month had passed since the raid, and life had settled into a new routine. I was working as a nurse, and the steady rhythm of the hospital shifts was both grounding and exhausting. Mom was at the penthouse on bedrest, recovering from her surgery, but her spirits were high. She had a job
"Everybody on the ground now!"Agents burst into the room, guns drawn. The attendees opened fire on them but they were overwhelmed.In the midst of the chaos, I spotted Dimitri, clutching his shoulder. Glaring at me, his face twisted in a mix of anger and fear. He tried to get toward the backdoors a
AlbertPolina was mingling with various guests, a smile plastered on her face that took over her whole face. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration when I thought of her. She really thought this was going to go a certain way.I moved through the crowd avoiding her. I noticed several of Dimit
It was bittersweet and lonely and not the mood I needed to be in the day before all my plans would come to fruition.Ivan came into the study nearly an hour later, already dressed for bed. He poured himself a cup of whiskey and sat across the table from me.“I’ve been looking for places for Katie an
AlbertThat night, I found myself sitting across from a few government operatives in a discreet, dimly lit office. The atmosphere was tense as we went over the final elements of the plan, including the layout of the Kulak Estate.The operatives were efficient and to the point. Things were going well
I shook my head. "I don't have to explain myself to you."She set her jaw. "Because you can't.""Because it's none of your business. My relationship with Mia, whatever it is or was, has nothing to do with you. Leave her alone, Polina. I mean it."Polina’s face twisted with a mixture of hurt and disb
AlbertI set my jaw at the sound of the knock. It might be the whiskey, but I really wanted to kiss her. I was almost sure that she'd let me. I turned to answer the door. It was one of my subordinates with a report from Ivan.Definitely more important than almost kissing my soon-to-be ex-wife.Mia s
“How did you get here?” I asked. "I didn't think you had a casino in the city."He glanced around briefly before responding. His tone clipped but informative. “It was Elio’s. I'm doing my rounds.”I winced at that. I wanted to know what that meant and I didn't want to know. Had Elio just paid Albert