LOGINI couldn't help smiling. Raphael had apologized at least ten times today, then he'd replaced every apology by asking if I needed another ice pack. At the very end was the red lever. I grabbed it, pulled and a loud metallic click echoed around me. The panel above shifted open. I climbed through and
Jules shook her head fast, "No." Mom’s gaze slid toward Jules, "We'll... talk... later." Jules immediately understood, she nodded, "Yeah." She leaned down, kissed Mom gently on the forehead, then glanced at me with a smile that looked just a little too innocent. I turned back to Mom, "Was she t
She held out her hand, "I forgive you." The second Raphael placed the money into her palm. She snatched it so fast it practically disappeared. She folded the bills twice and then tucked them into her back pocket with complete satisfaction, "I still like her more." Raphael nodded, "I've liked her m
His fingers remained warm against my neck while my hands instinctively caught the front of his jacket. I kissed him back without thinking, without caring that someone could walk around the corner at any second. When he finally pulled away, neither of us moved very far. Our foreheads almost touched
But the words stayed trapped behind my teeth because every time I imagined saying them... I imagined something else too. Mom's smile disappearing. The happiness she'd found with Salvatore cracking apart because of me. I couldn't do that to her, not after everything she'd survived with my father. If
Mom let out the softest laugh, the sound quiet and breathy. "...I was... wondering..." she paused to catch her breath. "...why... so much... foundation." I covered my face with both hands, "Please don't." Another tiny laugh escaped her, "...I... didn't... say... anything." I groaned into my hand
We were flying through the trees, when the laughter suddenly died in her throat. My shoulder slammed into a shape then there was a wet thud and the sound of someone gasping for air. We stopped instantly, the dirt kicking up around our boots. A man was sprawling on the forest floor, his hands scrap
I looked back at her, and I gestured around the room, at the perfect rows of weapons and the monitors, "I like my violence contained. I like it surgical. I like to be the one who decides exactly when and where the hammer falls." I stood right in front of her now, so close that she had to tilt her h
"No," she whispered, her voice shaking. "No, Raphael. I can't do that. I can't pick one." I tilted my head, watching a stray lock of hair that was brushing against her neck, "Why not? You know how they work, right? I mean, you're Gianna Toricelli." "It’s not that," she said, "I’ve never... I’ve ne
A sudden, electric heat flooded my cheeks, a deep blush staining my skin as my heart battered violently against my ribs. He uncurled his thick arms from behind his head and swung his long legs over the side of the black motorcycle. He stood up to his full, massive height, his broad shoulders blocki







