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
"Then it's the only thing that isn't a huge problem," Massimo sulked.Elena sat down next to him. "What's bothering you?""The Contis keep pushing for more and more power," Massimo admitted. "That lucky number nonsense was made up on the spot to make us look bad. And why would anyone bring up the la
"But," Massimo continued harshly, "they were barely on decent terms with us when my father was alive. Now they're polite and formal, but they're certainly not strong allies."Elena would not be swayed. "That's why you need to change that. The Contis have so many lower families serving under them—the
"I can't believe you would do something so thoughtless," Luna shouted. Though her voice was louder and higher than Massimo's ever got, Elena recognized that dangerous harsh tilt she'd come to hear in Massimo's own speech when he got particularly angry.Elio either didn't recognize the tone or didn't
"There's less cops this way," Massimo had said simply.As if that explained it all. Elena truly couldn't understand him sometimes.It wasn't long into their return trip when they both agreed to take a break. They stopped at a small town diner to get some breakfast."I love small towns like these," E







