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
Elena felt restless as she followed Massimo and Luca to Massimo's office. Luca closed the door and took a breath before speaking."I'm afraid that Matteo Vitale suffered an accident on his return home," Luca stated evenly. "According to eye witness reports, a truck came out of nowhere and crashed in
Elena wasn't stupid. She knew Massimo had only come to California to talk to other mafia men. She knew Massimo was testing these dons' and capos' loyalty to the Ferraros. After all, being so far away from the Mafia King's home meant that it was much easier to forget his power and might—so Massimo ne
Elena was immediately concerned by the question. Something about the man's tone—even though she could barely hear him through all the background noise—set her on edge."Who is this?" Elena asked in turn. "And how did you get this number?"The man's voice melted into the odd, chaotic noise of a city
Elena could only stare at Massimo as she clutched the tossed dress—it was a nice material but nothing flashy, which only confused Elena more."I thought we finished all the mafia meetings for the day?" Elena asked.Massimo nodded. "We did. This is for a mafia meeting."Massimo picked up the new snea







