KillianFred Bagnoli leaned forward in the chair in front of my desk, eyeing me behind his black-rimmed glasses.He was an old man—wise, long-lived. I didn’t know many caporegimes that made it into their sixties, especially when they ran with the Bianchis over the course of their careers.Fred wasn’t my enemy. But I knew that could change in an instant. This man could have been a boss. I didn’t take that lightly.“She’s just a kid,” he said, his expression darkening as he looked me right in the eyes. Not many people had the nerve to do that. “She left this life years ago and made a new start for herself. You have some nerve taking that from her.”The corner of my mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile. “I wasn’t the one who started this.”“Well, you have her now.”“And I will continue to have her. I am not letting her walk out of this house, Bagnoli. You knew what my answer would be before you decided to come here and face me.”“What I want to know is,” he said with the firmness onl
KillianJim.This must be the guy Sera’s friend Emma mentioned during their phone call. The same Jim that witnessed her abduction. I couldn’t tell if I was more amused by his heroic, albeit pathetic attempt at a heroic rescue, or pissed. I had more important shit that needed my attention. This clown? He should have stayed away.I shoved him on his ass into a seldom used room on the first floor of the house and slammed the door shut behind me. The blue-eyed, blond-haired, all-American poster boy looked up at me and sneered. Blood flowered from a split lip and stained his teeth.I flipped on the light and crouched in front of him. Overhead, the fluorescent bulb buzzed. I had to admire the way he kept those blue eyes fixed on me instead of looking around to get his bearings.His hands balled into fists as he pushed himself up to his knees. “Where is she? You piece of shit, I know she’s here!”My right eyebrow lifted toward my hairline. That settled it. Amusement outweighed my irritation.
SeraHeavy footsteps pounded in the hallway outside my room. Turning from the window, I barely had a chance to catch my breath or process what was happening, what I was seeing, before Jim was thrown into my room.Jim landed hard on his knees before toppling onto his side, and I registered several things at once. Bruises. Blood splatter. And Killian, standing in the doorway, knuckles bleeding, a smile curling his wicked lips.I screamed.“Shut up, Sera,” Killian growled, teeth bared.I immediately snapped my mouth shut as the tone of his voice licked up and down my spine. He was furious. I’d never seen a look like the one he gave me now. Pure death flashed behind those haunting gray-blue eyes.Jim groaned, cursing under his breath as he brought his swollen, cracked fingers to the top of his head. Blood seeped through his hair, turning the silky golden curls to crimson.“What did you do to him?” I hurried across the room and fell to my knees in front of Jim. But he moved away from me, h
Sera“Try me, Sera.”I stood on shaking legs, balling my hands into fists. He stood so casual, almost bored. He smirked, the stupid mouth of his curving into a smile that sent both heat and despair ripping down my spine.“You’re a monster,” I whispered. “Why did you make me do that?”“Do what?” He took a menacing step toward me. “Give you a chance to save that asshole’s life? Oh, I am so, so sorry.”“You didn’t have to be so mean,” I hissed. “Whatever it is you want from me is between me and you. Not my friends.”“Oh, cara mia. You involved them the second you made that phone call.”“You were baiting me on purpose.”His eyes gleamed with something I could only describe as pride, which made me even more furious with him. That initial terror I’d felt in his presence evaporated and was replaced by pure, burning fury.If I died right now by his hand, would that be so bad? Death now could spare me pain later.“Jim is just a teacher, like me. He teaches PE for God’s sake. I hate you, Killia
KillianPining over a woman’s attention didn’t fit my persona. I’d also never felt like my knees were going to give out, or that I’d gladly rip the world in half if it meant making a woman happy.Bracing myself against the wall of the hallway outside Sera’s bedroom, I forced myself to take a breath and ignore her sobs. Her pain and fear ate away at my resolve when I finally broke free of whatever trance she’d put me in and wove through the hallways until I reached the stairs leading down to the foyer.How many people had I kept up here over the years? Dozens, probably. The carpet in each room was stained with their tears and blood. Delaney remained locked up here as well, but the thought of her crumpled on the floor with her face pressed to the carpet as she screamed did nothing in comparison to the image of Sera in the same position.I placed two fingers over my lips where she’d brushed that featherlight and damning kiss. It took all of my strength not to pin her to the wall and tast
SeraI wasn’t sure what time it was when Olivia waltzed into my room and tore open the heavy curtains to reveal another cool autumn day. Rain drops speckled the windows as gray clouds swirled over the sweeping grounds of my prison.“You missed breakfast, again,” she chided, clicking her tongue at me as I remained curled in bed with the sheets tucked around my chin and neck to shield my face from the sun. “You really need to get yourself together, girl, or you’re going to end up dead.” Her sing-song voice grated on my nerves as she fluttered around the room, gathering laundry and dishes. She gasped at the bloodstained carpet, but her exclamation had nothing to do with the fact that someone had been beaten and bleeding in this room. “What a mess! This will take ages to get out now that it’s dry.”How could someone be so chipper and lighthearted living this kind of existence? Did none of this faze her?“I left you some lunch,” she called out with a touch of annoyance as I continued to li
KillianNo one would assume anything about tonight was abnormal. My men moved between the crates stacked nearly to the ceiling while others mingled in small groups, the air thick with cigarette smoke.I moved toward the open bay of the main warehouse. It sat on a property I owned across the city from my house. Not too close, not too far. Alonzo had been right. Giuseppe’s revenge for his father’s death at my hands would happen tonight, right here, any minute now.I imagined his guys were already waiting somewhere in the tree line surrounding the trio of warehouses. I glanced up at the twinkling starlight and ripple of golden haze drifting up from Philadelphia in the distance before turning my back to the garage bay and walking toward the back of the warehouse, where Tommaso, Francesco, and Mikey were waiting.“Tonight might be the night for you, Mikey,” I said with little warmth as I checked my watch. “Get one of these fuckers alone and gut them, and I’ll make you a caporegime.”Mikey
SeraI dreamt of black lace and red velvet. Of a warm body gliding over mine. Everything about space and time was nothing but fragmented glimpses of a man I wasn’t sure I recognized, but his voice, full of smoke, want, and pure unadulterated longing, felt so out of place.Shouts broke through my slumber and I sat straight up in bed, the memory of the dream fading into nothing as a huge commotion rattled the house all around me.Gooseflesh rippled over my arms as I slowly crawled to the end of the bed and perched on my knees, the silk chemise and robe I was wearing bunched and wrinkled over the curves of my body as I strained to listen.More shouting broke through the silence. What was going on? Were we under attack? Given that I was in serious danger just being in the presence of the Mano Della Morte, why was I so calm and assured that that same man would protect me from whatever was happening downstairs?I went to the door and rattled the knob. Locked, of course. I banged on it, shou