ログインDamien POV
By the time we reached Brooklyn, I had already decided I was going in.The message had come through three different mouths before it reached mine, each one carrying the same claim with a slightly different shape. Sokolov had Lilith. Sokolov had moved her through one of the old industrial corridors near the river. Sokolov had taken her somewhere fortified enough that no one would get her back without bleeding for it.I did not waste time testingLeo POV I watched her leave on a screen no larger than my hand. The camera above the eastern service entrance caught her in profile first, coat dark against the stone, hair tied back, stride fast enough to tell me she had already decided not to be stopped. She didn’t look over her shoulder. She didn’t hesitate at the gate. "Good," I thought. Then I poured myself a drink. The office stayed quiet except for the low hum of the monitors. I had six screens in front of me, all feeding me the sort of information men like me are supposed to care about. Ports. Accounts. Names. Movement. Threat. The only one I kept looking at was hers. Salvatore knocked once and came in before I answered. Mid-forties, steady hands, old-school loyalty, the kind of man who still believed there was dignity in doing ugly work properly. He glanced at the screen, then at me. “Capo… la signorina sta lasciando la villa.” (Boss… the young lady is leaving the mansion.) I lifted the glass and took a sip. “Should
Lilith POV“Where are you?”His voice hit me so hard I forgot to breathe.Not because he said my name. Not because I hadn’t expected him to sound like himself. It was the way the words came out, too fast, too stripped down, as if he had no room left for distance or pride or whatever lie he had tried to bury me under the last time we stood in the same room.“Lilith—where are you?” he said again. “Tell me where you are.”I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.“Is Sokolov holding you?” he asked. “Did he touch you?”There was movement behind him. I could hear it through the line. Someone shouting far too close for comfort.Then his voice changed.“I swear I’m going to kill him myself.”The words were low, furious, not for effect, not for me. A vow spoken to someone who was already dead in his mind.I stood in the center of my room with the phone pressed hard to my ear, my whole bod
Damien POVBy the time we reached Brooklyn, I had already decided I was going in.The message had come through three different mouths before it reached mine, each one carrying the same claim with a slightly different shape. Sokolov had Lilith. Sokolov had moved her through one of the old industrial corridors near the river. Sokolov had taken her somewhere fortified enough that no one would get her back without bleeding for it.I did not waste time testing whether any of it was true.Maleek drove. Rafe sat beside me in the back, saying very little, which usually meant he was thinking hard enough to be irritated by sound. I checked the magazine in my gun, slid it back into place, and looked out through the windshield.The structure came into view gradually, first as a line against the dark, then as a building with too many reinforcements to still pretend it was abandoned. Windows either boarded or blacked out. A perimeter tha
Lilith POV I took longer than necessary getting ready. Not because I didn’t know what to wear. The dress had been laid out already, chosen earlier with less hesitation than I was pretending to have now. It was simple, soft against my skin, nothing that demanded attention. The kind of thing that blended into this house, into this version of my life that still felt like something I was stepping into, not something that belonged to me. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the sleeve, then letting it fall back into place. My reflection didn’t look different. But I felt… aware. Just aware of the fact that I had said yes. There was a knock. “Come in.” The maid opened the door slightly. “Signorina, he’s here.” Of course he was. I nodded once and walked out before I could think about it any further. Matteo was waiting near the entrance, hands loosely in his pockets, leaning just enough against the wall to look comfortable without being careless. He straightened when h
Lilith POV Two weeks in Florence had taught me where the floorboards sounded different in the hallway outside my room, which maid preferred roses over lilies in the breakfast room, and how long Leo took to answer a question when he was deciding whether I needed comfort or honesty. I knew the staff now, or at least enough to recognize the rhythm of them. I knew which doors opened onto family rooms and which ones opened onto offices where men lowered their voices when I passed. I knew which gardens got sun in the morning and which ones stayed cool until late afternoon. I knew that if I asked for coffee, someone would bring it stronger than I was used to, and if I asked for tea, three women would immediately disagree over the correct kind. I knew, too, that everyone in this house feared Leo a little. Not visibly. They just straightened when he entered a room and listened when he spoke. Men who carried guns for him lowered their eyes by a fraction. Staff moved faster without makin
Lucian POV By the time the third call came in, I stopped asking for details. Not because I didn’t care, but because I already understood the pattern. “Capo, the south warehouse—” “I know,” I cut in, stepping out of the car before Enzo could even come around to open my door. The line went quiet for half a second. “…two men down,” the voice continued. “Shipment intercepted before we could reroute.” “Send me the footage,” I said. “And get the rest of the inventory out of any exposed location. I don’t want to hear about another loss today.” “Yes, Capo.” I ended the call and walked straight into the building, my mind already moving ahead of the situation. Phones rang somewhere in the background. Men spoke too quickly, passing information that overlapped, contradicted, then corrected itself.
Lilith’s POVThe first thing I felt was warmth.Not the kind that comes from a blanket or a heater, but from a body. A real body. Somewhere behind me, a slow, steady breath touched the back of my neck. An arm lay across my waist, heavy but gentle, holding me like someone afraid I would disappear if
Lucian POVThe door closed behind Damien and I stood in the quietness he left behind.I gave it exactly three seconds, then my phone rang.Enzo never called unless the information couldn't wait, and Enzo's version of urgency was not the kind that announced itself with raised voices or unnecessary w
Lilith POVI still can’t explain exactly how I got here.All I know is that one moment I was standing in front of Damien’s door, and the next, his mouth was glued to mine, tongues mixing up like we had been starving for years.I wasn’t even sure if I kissed him back first, or if he simply pulled so
Lilith’s POVSophie’s hand didn’t just grab mine, she practically yanked me forward.Her face was pale, her breathing uneven, but it wasn’t anger in her eyes, not suspicion, It was fear.A real fear.“Lilith, we need to go inside,” she whispered harshly, glancing over her shoulder as if someone mig







