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
Massimo stalked through the house. He couldn't believe Elena was even entertaining her half-brother. She had told Massimo herself she held no love to her family, so why was she helping him!In his anger, Massimo moved quickly. He located the Marino's ledger quickly—hidden underneath the master bed.
As Massimo's lawyer finished speaking, everyone in the court fell silent. Elena couldn't blame anyone—the idea that the Mafia King hadn't tried to kill her but save her was something no one would ordinarily expect."Think about," Mr. Barbieri continued. "Really think about it! You're surrounded in a
"It looks ridiculous," Massimo observed."Good," Elena replied. "Parties should never be too serious.""I've been to plenty of mafia parties," Massimo continued, "and none of them looked like this.""Those aren't parties—they're meetings," Elena corrected. "They're for business. This is just for fun
"It's a little hard to believe that the girl who was so worried about her curfew now works for the Mafia King," Joshua continued.Elena sighed. "Does everything with you circle back to work?""I'm just worried about you," Joshua said softly. It was hard to doubt his sincerity."I don't plan to work







