[LIZZY]“Lizzy?” A voice comes from behind and startles the daylights out of me. I turn around on my heels and relax when realize it’s only Mrs Wang from the neighbourhood.It’s been an hour since I reached Nightingale Street. I wanted to go across the road and ask millions of questions about Laura, Daniel and Joey but every time I tried to make a move, a cold fear whispered through me and everything inside me froze.What if they were still out there, hiding in the crowd, waiting to nab me while I’m making a fool of myself, knowing there’s nothing to be done now that all three of them are gone?I know how selfish it sounds to still worry about myself when the Daddario family died trying to protect me. But I don’t know what else to do, if not respect their wish to keep me safe. If I did anything stupid right now, Vector would win and Laura and Daniel's sacrifice would be in vain.And I can’t do that, no matter how much the thought of keeping my safety ahead of my need to grieve what I
[LIZZY] “I thought you were done with this…this life,” I murmured to Marcus as he opened the door of the car—into which they had bundled me and Joey after outsmarting us—and waited for me to get out. Instead of responding right away, as I had hoped, since I knew he still had some humanity left in him after his wife, Julie, convinced him to quit the mafia world and start anew, he simply stood with a blank expression on his face and waited for me to step out and keep moving. With an eye-roll to myself, I glanced down and noticed the five-year-old still sound asleep on my lap. Joey had his little face tucked into the crook of my neck while his arms slung loosely over his tummy. And just like that a sharp pang of guilt pierced my chest, leaving me breathless. The events of the night flashed before my eyes, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling. The explosion. The fire. The ashes hung in the air. The chaos outside their burning house. With all the awful memories came the realizat
[LIZZY]I was still in absolute shock by the time I stepped outside what seemed to be an office of sorts. A bit shaken up after the whole one-sided conversation as my legs mindlessly led me to wherever they saw fit.My brain was still unwilling to believe that the words he poured into my ear were actual and not a nightmare that had practically haunted me for years.I wasn’t dumb to believe I’d be able to avoid this confrontation forever. I knew it would happen sooner or later, and I’d be pulled back into this ruthless world where women had no alternative except to be obedient wives or whores they could keep on the side.But, hey, a girl can dream, right?And, even though the reality was always gnawing at me, I allowed myself to weave a dream that was never destined to happen.I dreamed of being free. A family to hold close. And a home to call my own.Something Venice couldn’t give me and Vector couldn’t promise to give either.I knew he was angry. But I was angrier back when I left. N
[LIZZY]I was beyond annoyed by the time the three demon incarnations had finished with me. They not only forced me to sit through the most torturous longest hours I had ever known, but they also bleached my hair back to its natural color. Honey blonde.“What is the meaning of this?” I couldn’t help but ask as they finished the last touch-up and flipped off the hair dryer. I would be honest; the sound of the dryer was grating on my skin. Thank God, they put it off, else I would have lost my sanity and will to live altogether.Instead of tamping down my annoyance or curiosity, the obnoxious maid who seemed to be nursing some sort of grudge against my miserable existence shook her head and excused the two other maids of their duties.I waited as the two of them walked away before leaping from my chair and unleashing the most venomous glare I’d ever sent to anyone. They were so warm and fierce that I could feel my eyes and cheeks burning.“What’s the matter with you? Why are you acting a
[LIZZY]My mind had blown a million times over by the time I scrambled out of my frozen state of mind and followed him out. But when I found him nowhere in my sight, that was the point, when I really started to panic.“Joey!” I ran in and out of the rooms, into the kitchen, and out into the garden, calling for him. Nowhere. I couldn’t find him nowhere. Where the hell did he go? That too so fast?“Joey? Where are you baby?” The ground beneath my feet threatened to split and swallow me down, and the world around me spun as worst-case scenarios raced through my mind. I didn't want to believe Vector would harm a child, but after what I'd seen, after what he'd done to his parents, I wasn't so sure. Something told me he couldn't be trusted. Vector, like Vladmir Perazzo, the boss, had little tolerance to spare. I'd never seen him snap in real life—or kill, for that matter—but I knew what he was capable of. I knew he was the worst.Ignoring the weird looks I got from the guards standing at th
[ONE WEEK LATER]* * *[XAVIER]“Crap!” the woman winced and mumbled several apologies in one breath. Her eyes met mine for a brief second, a touch of panic in them, before she dropped to her knees and started picking up all the papers that had fallen from her file when she bumped into me. “Ugh, why does this always happen to me?” She was talking to herself.I glanced at the time. Well, I was already running late. Maybe a little more wouldn’t hurt. Before I could change my mind, I crouched down and started scooping up the papers that had drifted out of her reach.She raised her head and her already big blue eyes widened even more. “Oh no no no no, please don’t. I can do it myself, really…”“It’s fine,” I told her with a modest smile, before stacking them all in one pile and handing them over to her. “Here you go.”“Thank you.”We both stood up, and she took a moment to slip all the papers back into the leather file before securing it with a zip. Her eyes met mine again, and something
[VECTOR]"Vector, lo sai che non ti tradirò mai." The man spat out—literally spat out, with all the drool sprinkling in the air. I scrunched up my nose in disgust—because how could you not—and sighed deeply into my chest.[Vector, you know I will never betray you.]The truth was, I didn’t know.I had no idea who, when, or how someone close to me was going to stab me in the back. Trust had never been one of my strong suits. Especially when the worst betrayal had always come from those whom I trusted the most. Fortunately, I'd learned to swim my way through the treacherous seas. I'd come up with a way to ensure that no one had a knife or a bullet hidden behind their back that they might use to put me down.And two hours ago, Luciano Cresto failed me when he broke my trust by accepting money from an unknown account that I had no idea about. Now, there were a lot of questions on my mind. I could use this time to torture him until his disgusting mouth dropped all the names and jobs he was
[LIZZY]I know he told me not to run. I know he told me not to hide. But it’s as if I am programmed to do exactly what he told me not to do—or maybe it’s just the dread—because the moment the door crashes against the doorway and the lock clicks into place, I jump out of bed and stumble towards the door.I don’t even breathe.There is no place in the entire fucking mansion that I can think of as the safest place to hide, but I know the further away it is from him, the longer it will take him to track me down. And that’s the only plan I have for now. That’s the only plan that matters.I run down the stairs and pivot my legs towards the storeroom at the back. I know there is one. I have no idea what it’s meant to be, but it’s the only place that comes to my mind. Joey stumbled upon it two days ago, looking for a place to hide for the game we were playing. It’s as far and out of reach as it is possible, and it will probably take a lot of attempts for Vector to even think of this place. Co