เข้าสู่ระบบLuciano’s POV“I think we should stop here,” I suggested as we approached where we were going. We were about four blocks away from the facility where Lorenzo was being held. If we got too close, it'd increase the chances of us getting spotted, which wouldn't end well for us. “Alright,” Jose said, pulling over. He parked by the sidewalk, and we both just stared into the distance for like a minute without saying a word. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Then I looked at Jose. “Let's go.”------We snuck into the facility, quietly taking out a few men on the way in. I hadn't been here in a while, and the place smelt of damp concrete. The fact that, as of yesterday, my word was law here and now, I had to sneak through it like a mouse was quite annoying, really. We got to one of the doors needing biometric confirmation, and I put my palm on it for it to scan. And it was flagged as red. “So they really did lock us out?” I muttered.“Apparently,” Jose responded. “Move a
Luciano’s POVBy about six in the morning, we arrived in London. It was raining hard when we got here, and we pulled over into a dark alleyway behind a brewery. Judging by the buildings here, we were in Whitechapel. We sat quietly in the car, the only sound around us being the sound of the rain pouring over the city. I took out my phone, and Mariella, seated in the back seat with the kids, stared at me, confused. I could see her expression from the rear-view mirror. “What is it?” I asked, not taking my eyes off my phone. “What is it? You suddenly stopped us in this random place, and you're asking me what it is?” She responded. “You do realize we're under attack, right?” I asked.“We're under attack, Papa?” Antonio asked. Shit. I forgot the kids were here. “No, buddy. Your mom and I are just discussing something.” I said, looking back at him with a smile. I looked at Elena, and she was locked in on her iPad with earbuds in her ears. “Come on, buddy. Go watch cartoons with your sis
Luciano’s POVThe door to the suite clicked shut, leaving Mariella and me in silence. The kids obviously hadn't caught on to what just happened, but instead went rambling about their new “friend”.“Daddy! Mummy!” Antonio tugged on my pants. “Mr. Squabbles showed us a cool video! It was about a dragon, a knight, and a cat!”Antonio paced around in excitement, making huge gesticulations with his hands.“Mr. Squabbles?” Mariella asked, raising her brow.“Probably a code name,” I muttered. “He wouldn't tell kids his actual name. He's a government agent.”At least I had confirmed that last bit with his threat from earlier. No criminal organization would go through the stress of using gaseous sedatives instead of good old-fashioned guns. “And the knight wanted to save a princess. Mr. Squabbles said the princess looks just like me,” Elena added, her eyes sparkling. Whatever story that creep told them, he sure charmed them well enough for their abilities not to kick in, which was particular
Luciano’s POVMariella and I hurried through the lobby of Piers Lounge Hotel. The five-star lobby was decked in marble, and the way the gold-leaf ceiling caught the light would have caught my eye on a regular day. But tonight was far from regular. Mariella walked beside me, her arm linked in mine. To the concierge, we were just another wealthy couple returning from a late-night gala exhausted but classy. We had to act cool as cool as could be rational under our circumstances, because that last thing we wanted was to draw attention to ourselves. There could be enemies on the prowl, looking everywhere for us.My heart rammed against my chest at the thought of Antonio and Elena being in danger. I'd been so wrapped up in my reunion with Mariella that I forgot to ask about the kids. “There are cameras in the right corner of the ceiling and to the left,” I whispered. “Don't look at any of them. We don't know who we're dealing with. But something tells me it's not just some criminal organi
Levi’s POVThe darkness of my MI5 office was broken only by the dim light from the screens of my monitors. I sat in my swivel chair, swaying side to side as I sipped from a bone-china cup of Earl Grey tea. On the center screen, a night vision recording of what happened with my men at the Turks' shipyard played out silently. I watched as the two figures, identified as Luciano and Mariella, moved so perfectly in sync you'd think they were trained agents. But no. This was literally just the primal instinct to not die, moving them, Mariella especially. Luciano had clearly had multiple brawls with death, so he didn't surprise me much.I replayed the scene where Mariella took the driver's seat, and Luciano shot at my men from the back seat as the car drifted out of there. “Beautiful,” I whispered, leaning forward, replaying it again and again. These guys were no joke. The guy I put in charge of the mission, whom I gave the code name Miller, stood in the corner of the room with his arm in
Luciano’s POVAbout half an hour later, we arrived at one of my safe houses in the city. It wasn't a mansion or anything like that. Just an apartment seated on top of a hair salon. Mariella and I got out of the car at about the same time Jose's SUV pulled over beside our car. He got out, too. “I'm glad you made it,” I said to him as he shut the door. “Where are the others?” I asked. “Sent them home,” Jose responded as four guards emerged from the SUV. “I figured if a bunch of SUVs lined up here, we'd basically be announcing that we're here.” It did make a lot of sense. “Alright. And Dante?” I asked. “Probably coming back from dumping Sophia at the station.”I nodded, and we went in. As soon as we got in, I told Mariella to go and get changed in the room. She was soaking wet. We all were. She didn't argue and went into the master bedroom.I took off my suit and shirt, looking out through a sliver in the blinds, at the rain still pouring over the city. Then I turned to Jose. “I
Mariella’s POVBy the third day of "strict bed rest," I realized that silence was Sophia’s greatest ally. While I lay here, staring at the ceiling and listening to the muffled sounds of a house that functioned perfectly well without me, Sophia was down there. She was at the table I should be sittin
Mariella’s POVMy vision was still a bit blurry as I tried to open my eyes. The smell of lavender-scented disinfectant and the rhythmic tick-tick-tick of a clock on the mantel made me feel nauseous.When I finally managed to push my eyes open fully, the ceiling of my bedroom was a blur of cream and
Mariella's POV Luciano, being Luciano, did indeed leave without even attempting to talk to me. I know I shouldn't be disappointed after all, it is him at the end of the day, but it hurt. “How could he not even care that he had hurt me?” I muttered to myself. I sighed. I was the one expecting too
Mariella’s POVThe morning after the dinner felt like waking up in a house that had been subtly redesigned while I slept. The air was different—sharper, colder, and smelling of a perfume that wasn't mine. It was a heavy, floral scent that seemed to cling to the velvet curtains and the silk wallpape







