My throat tightened, and I crossed the room to stand by his side. I crouched down beside him so I could meet his eyes. “No, baby. We’re not going anywhere right now?”He studied my face, and then his gaze shifted past me. To Aldo. “Promise me?”So it was my turn to face Aldo. It wasn’t me Eli was as
Layla“Is that a threat?” I peeled the phone from my cheek to switch it to speaker. Set it atop Aldo’s desk so both he and Ethan could hear it. I knew I didn’t need to tell either one to be quiet.“Not at all,” said the speaker, and I thought I could just track the faintest traces of some kind of ac
“Come with me,” the man said, gesturing for us to follow.Aldo tensed, his hand hovering near where I knew he hid a weapon, but I brushed my fingers along the crook of his elbow. “C’mon, Aldo.”He let his arm drop, and together, we followed the sharp-eyed man into the house.I tried not to stare. I
LaylaThe weight of the revelation—of the truth—hung over me like a heavy blanket. I’d never questioned why I’d never met my mother’s parents, her family. She’d claimed to be estranged, and I’d been ten when she died.My father’s mother, my Nonna, had become my everything.And I’d never questioned i
The final words hung heavy in the air between us. I sifted through them, searching, searching for something to say—but what? Was I supposed to offer these strange people comfort?“I had no idea,” I finally murmured, my voice barely audible even to my own ears. “My mother never told me about any of t
AldoLayla sat silent in the passenger seat of my car. I steered through the evening-dark streets of the city, resisting the urge to put a comforting hand on her shoulder or thigh. Resisting the urge to ask, to banish the quiet with words.She needed this quiet, I knew.This was not a normal silence
AldoThe first explosion shattered the early morning stillness before I’d even made it to my office with a cup of coffee.The boom shook the entire house like an earthquake, rattled the windows, sent the floor swaying under my feet. My aforementioned coffee tumbled from my hands and shattered to the
LaylaI resisted the urge to pace as the sounds of the attack raged on above. Shouts, gunfire, explosions … Even though the thickly reinforced walls of the basement, I could tell things weren’t going well.But I couldn’t let Eli see me scared.I didn’t pace.I sat him down on the floor and opened up
The estate bustled with movement: Marcello men arming themselves, strategizing, talking shit, waving proverbial fists at the enemy, posturing, preparing for war … All the things men did. But still, they awaited my command.I stood at the head of the table in the grand dining room, where a makeshift
Fear.Shit.“Where is he?” I demanded.Carlo jerked his head toward a nearby room. “The doctors are with him now. It was bad, Layla. The explosion took out half the building. We were lucky to get him out alive.”I nudged past him and into the room.Aldo lay on the hospital bed, his face pale, a deep
LaylaAldo had missed another dinner.Or, rather, he was in the process of missing it. I sat at the head of the long dining table, where he’d normally sit; for some reason it felt wrong to leave it vacant. Beside me, Eli pushed food around his plate with his fork, and on his other side, Vanessa lean
EthanI, once again, found myself at the precinct long after the rest of my desk-mates and cohorts had vacated for the night. I mean, the police precinct was never truly empty—it was New York City, so the place was always hopping—but the difference between day shift and night shift was, well. Night
EthanI got to the coffee shop far earlier than was necessary—close to an hour before Vanessa and I had decided to meet—and proceeded to sulk in the corner like a loser, downing coffee.I’d long since stopped smelling the fresh-baked goods layered behind the glass counter, and I was far too nervous
“But I’m funny and charming,” Ethan said, with a smile that was indeed quite charming. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you for not being able to resist.”I groaned, trying very hard not to smile myself. “This is the worst flirting I’ve ever seen.”“It’s not flirting!” Ethan protested, lifting his hands in
Layla“Just talk to him,” I insisted, giving Vanessa’s hand another little tug towards the door of Ethan’s clinic room. It’d been three days since the attack, and he was just about recovered at this point. “You’ll see he’s not a bad guy.”After I’d all but written Ethan out of my life, I couldn’t fo
So, I wondered, which of those secrets had made him Rossetti’s target?And how has Rossetti learned them?I turned in my seat to regard Ethan. He met my gaze like he knew I was about to ask something of dire importance and seriousness. “How did he know?”Ethan’s dark eyes blinked against the pain.“
AldoThe call came late at night, shattering the fragile quiet that had settled over the Marcello estate. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, jarring me from a restless sleep. Instantly awake, I reached for the warbling device. Pressed it to my ear. “Marcello.”“There’s been an attack,” came the low