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
As Elena blinked her eyes open, she saw Massimo's men dragging away the traitor, Don Conti—who wasn't moving at all. The band was playing again, though no one was dancing. Everyone near Elena had already moved, and they gave Massimo a similar wide berth.She struggled to lift her upper body from the
"We can save your real first time for later, yeah?" Those words still ran through Elena's head like a broken record. She could still feel the stains of what they'd done in her drenched underlayers.Weren't they both on the same page? Didn't Max want a real marriage—a real partnership with Elena?Bu
"The one studying to become a doctor?" Elena asked.Lucilla nodded. "Yes, she's—"Footsteps pounded on the ground. Lucilla rolled her eyes in fond annoyance."You can meet the little shit herself," she muttered.Lucilla's sister could've been her twin—just shrunken down and not filled out in all the
Elena ignored Massimo's phone. Luca had said backup was on their way—Massimo's subordinates were probably texting him updates. She wasn't surprised someone was trying to reach the Don of All Dons in the middle of this deadly gunfight.Elena waited for her husband to text her back. She stared at her







