LOGINI memorized every word, nodding. "Make sure, there is no alcohol, no driving, no strenuous exercise. No situations where she could hit her head again." He tapped the folder. "If she vomits repeatedly. If she becomes difficult to wake. If one pupil becomes larger than the other. If she becomes co
Vincenzo watched them carefully, "You wanted this?" "No." "You wanted to spend your nights around men like Cole?" "No." "You wanted debt collectors, guns, blood, and basements?" All three shook their heads harder, "No..." "No, sir..." "We never wanted this..." For a long moment, Vincenzo sim
Mine didn't. To me, guilt belonged to the individual responsible for the act. To Gianna, guilt spread through grief until it touched everyone left standing. Eventually... It would reach me. She wouldn't see a calculated investigation. She would see the man who allowed her entire world to disap
Adriano let out a laugh, he bent over, slapping his knee, his eyes bright with a dark, twisted amusement as he watched Cole flop around in the dirt. "Oh, look at him go!" Adriano mocked, "He’s doing the dance! Look at the moves on him! Hey, Don Capone said he’d spare your life, Mercer! He didn't sa
"No! She forced me! She—" "She forced you to get a front-row seat to our sister's blood?" Adriano laughed again, "You’re a real hero, Cole. Maybe we should put your face on a plaque. 'Here lies Cole Mercer: He was too scared to be a criminal and too stupid to be a friend.'" Cole started to sob, hi
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ Adriano’s arms were capable, but they were not mine. I stepped forward before his arms could even settle into a permanent hold. I took her from him, sliding my hands beneath her knees and behind her shoulders, careful not to disturb the bandage wrapped around her head. I kept h
Streetlights glowed against the dark evening sky. And standing in the middle of it all, clutching my backpack against my chest, I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do next. For a moment, I just stood there, the bus hissed behind me. A few passengers walked around me with annoyed expres
The way a daughter reaches for her mother, the way a child reaches for home, the way you reach for someone you love even when you know they cannot stay forever. My fingers stretched toward the darkness above and for one impossible second... I could almost see her, not sick, not in a wheelchair,
I reached forward, my hand stopped. I tried again, stopped again like glass stood between me and everything I wanted. The orchestra swelled, the pressure grew. I moved across the stage, but never in a straight line. Something always forced me backward, sideways, away. I knew exactly what it repr
Every alarm in my body went off at once. I looked around and nobody even looked surprised. That scared me more than Cole did. I turned sharply toward Mama D, "What is he doing here?" Mama D looked exhausted, older than I had ever seen her, "We owe him money." I stared, "I know that but what is he







