WinonaHe’d left a note for me that morning.Notes weren’t my thing.Not anymore.I’d only ever gotten two. One from HJ telling me he’d never write me again—which was ironic now that I held another one of his notes in my hand—and the other . . .The other one was from the only other person I’d ever loved. It was a bad one, a deadly one. One that made me want to lie down and die with him.My mood soured. The man better wake me up next time he was going to leave me for hours on end.Plus, the note wasn’t even good. There weren’t any hearts or balloons or our names scribbled next to each other.I’LL BE BACK in a couple hours. The cabinet next to the bookshelf has food.HJPS Do you think Cleopatra was ever kidnapped?PPS Books written by Poe are on that shelf if you want to read.BY FOOD, he meant granola bars and apple juice. My stomach growled in protest when I’d eaten three and still felt starved.When I heard footsteps in the hallway, I sat up in the bed. I chucked one of the bars at
Winona “You’re kidding me, right?”“What do you mean?” I tightened my ponytail. Earlier today, I’d gotten so bored, I’d disguised myself well enough that I could go to a little shop around the corner. HJ hadn’t exactly said I could leave his place, but he had said he was finally taking me out tonight.That called for celebration. The closest store was eccentric, and I was all about it. They had knockoff clothes and secondhand items, but it was someplace to go where I knew I wouldn’t be seen.“We’re not going anywhere with you dressed like that.” He pointed at me accusingly, as if my outfit was completely ridiculous.I had to admit, it was different. The latex fit every nook and cranny of my body like a glove. I was actually surprised it wasn’t custom made for me. To say I was proud of the rare find was an understatement. “This is perfectly legit for whatever we have to do tonight. I’m wearing combat boots and a dark outfit. It’s the best way to hide in the shadows.”“You’re wearing a
WinonaMaybe I should have been concerned about the red stains on my hands as Dante filed in with their cleanup crew. I’d seen a few of them before, but they were nameless associates of our family, ones I’d probably never see again unless they proved theirworth.Had I proved my worth tonight or lost it all? And what was there to prove to a family that wasn’t mine? If Georgie was right, if he wasn’t lying, I belonged on the other side of the tracks.My heart didn’t rush when HJ mumbled that Sebastian would be furious. We stood at the elevator doors, HJ with his hat on and my hood back up for no good reason. The cleanup crew would be calling the police later tonight to have them wipe the cameras.In this city, we were protected.As the elevator door pinged, HJ walked in and then turned to me, black fire licking through his eyes. “Get in the elevator, Winona.”He’d almost told me he loved me in that car, and I’d been ready to drive off into the sunset with him. Now, could I love him kno
HJMen aren’t built like women. Or at least, not like Winona.We could never read emotions as well, navigate a room as well, or know someone else’s next move like her. She didn’t play chess. She dominated it. It was like sittingacross from your opponent and realizing they had all queens lined up instead of pawns.The fight wasn’t fair.We all knew that. Sebastian most of all. He knew he was surrounded by family that was supposed to protect him but that would protect her instead. She’d outmaneuvered him and the family with a love she didn’t even express.Dante trained her, and Carlos talked with her when he wouldn’t open his mouth to anyone. And I slept next to her like a cub trusting a lioness.We respected Sebastian as the king of the family.But we loved Winona.In the family, men aren’t supposed to get close to any woman unless we claim them as our untouchable. None of us had claimed her; none of us had claimed anyone. We’d all been without that love, sailing through life complete
Laura Horowitz—no, that wasn’t right—Laura Augustus glanced around the luxurious sitting room at the many different faces of the world she had married into. Not willingly. No, her father had come home one day, sat her down, and told her that he had big plans for her. Whenever he had big plans for her, she knew they were lies. The truth was, he had big plans for himself. Not that she hated her father. Leon Horowitz was a scary man. Abandoned as a child, he grew up on the streets and fought his way out, earning himself a reputation and wealth that rivaled the mafia family she was currently sipping drinks with.No champagne, not for her. A bad experience on her eighteenth birthday put an end to her alcohol-drinking days. Now, she kept to water or juice. Nothing alcoholic.Not that she had a drink of her own. That would require the waiter to come close to her, and no one ever did that.Her husband, Johannes Augustus, stood near a bunch of men, talking, probably business, or perhaps they w
The man wasn’t mafia, he wasn’t family, and in no way was he blood. There was no denying Leon had worked himself from the ground up, building a reputation for himself and becoming the feared crime boss that he was. His name rivaled the Augustus name for fear. Men were loyal to him, and they never, even under threat of torture or being tortured, turned on him.Lucas Augustus, Johannes’s father, had been impressed and wanted to finally meet the man that no one would break from. Not even to save their own skin.Who instilled that kind of loyalty?The man in front of him was deadly. Johannes saw it in the man’s eyes. There was nothing living there, and he heard the rumors that the only person who was ever safe from this man was his daughter, Laura.So much rumor and gossip followed this man. Johannes didn’t believe it all.He sipped at his whiskey and stared at the man over the rim of the glass. He didn’t fear Leon.Johannes was the only man in the history of the mafia to have killed a ma
Saya approached him and slapped him on the shoulder. “You keep on believing that, buddy. I know the truth. I’ve known you for years, and you want to slit my throat. It’s fine, but maybe you need to know what it is you want first, before you ask people to do this.”“Laura is a slut.”“I don’t think she is. If so, then I’m not the kind of man she goes for. We all know the ladies drop their panties for me.”Johannes couldn’t help but look at Saya’s neck and think how good it would look oozing with blood.“You know that murderous rage you’re feeling right now? That’s not what a guy who wants to have other men sleep with his wife should feel like.” Saya winked at him and left to rejoin the party.Running a hand down his face, he attempted to clear his mind. Tonight was not going well.He was running on only a couple of hours of sleep, and to be frank, he was exhausted. For the last three days, he’d been chasing a goddamn rat, one who wanted to trade their secrets for money and a safe life.
Saya approached him and slapped him on the shoulder. “You keep on believing that, buddy. I know the truth. I’ve known you for years, and you want to slit my throat. It’s fine, but maybe you need to know what it is you want first, before you ask people to do this.”“Laura is a slut.”“I don’t think she is. If so, then I’m not the kind of man she goes for. We all know the ladies drop their panties for me.”Johannes couldn’t help but look at Saya’s neck and think how good it would look oozing with blood.“You know that murderous rage you’re feeling right now? That’s not what a guy who wants to have other men sleep with his wife should feel like.” Saya winked at him and left to rejoin the party.Running a hand down his face, he attempted to clear his mind. Tonight was not going well.He was running on only a couple of hours of sleep, and to be frank, he was exhausted. For the last three days, he’d been chasing a goddamn rat, one who wanted to trade their secrets for money and a safe life.