LOGINFor the next five minutes, the only sound was that of Luca vigorously striking keys. Then he muttered a quick, "Yes!" and smiled. He turned the screen so that Massimo could better see it."We're in," Luca reported. "Only temporarily, of course—we've got fifteen minutes maximum."Massimo scanned the
"You know what," Massimo said into his cell phone, forcing his tone to stay casual. "You should clean up your place before you go anywhere.""I suppose I could be more thorough," Luca replied. "I don't like how much dust gets caught on the window's curtains.""Better to take care of that before alle
Massimo heard a car approach. He rushed to the windows, hoping that Elena had called a cab.But he didn't see a cab. Instead, he saw a nondescript black van pull up next to a nearby telephone pole. Massimo frowned.It didn't have any of the usual signage, but Massimo could recognize a repurposed FBI
Elena was so frustrated. Because this was the problem, wasn't it? How was she supposed to trust Massimo when he had been lying and sneaking around behind her back?Wasn't that just what her parents used to do? Wasn't Tyler using similarly ridiculous schemes—albeit with more force—to get her at his s
Elena tried to change directions but found herself at a dead end. Worst of all, the aisles were too cramped for her to slip by her step-mother. There was no way to avoid the woman."Are you ready to leave?"Elena hadn't been ready to hear that deep, steady voice again, but between Massimo and her st
Massimo stared at the fuel gauge, as if that would change the fact that the motorcycle didn't have much gas left. At least the damn thing beeped before it was completely empty—getting stranded on a deserted street with no easy way home truly would be the worst way to end this evening-into-morning ad
"I want you to understand that I'm in a... precarious situation," Elena explained. "My family, the Vitales, largely consider me a traitor because I've chosen to work for Don Massimo Ferraro—and he provides a fair amount of protection to me because of our working arrangements. I'm both at my safest a
"I want you to practice using this system," Massimo said. "You're doing this for the next two hours straight—you need to string together a natural conversation within seconds. Otherwise, this won't work."Luca released a silent sigh. His eyes did not hide his displease. "If that's what you want, Don
Massimo ran over to Fabio, using every bit of the old man's training to get there in mere seconds."Massimo," Fabio greeted, "this party is—"The old geezer was grabbed firmly and harshly pulled away from Elena's impending collision. Of course, the old bastard started swearing and kicking up a fuss,
Elena at least looked happier than she had went the trip had started. Plus, she was decent at using a gun now. She definitely wasn't a marksman by any means and Massimo doubted she would be able to use any weapon beyond the handgun she had practiced with, but she was at least competent.She could pr







