INICIAR SESIÓNMiaWe couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather to have our home opened and on display. With extra outdoor tables, our guests milled both inside and outside. Viviana had the serving staff ready and accessible with trays of champagne, wine, and sparkling water. There was a bar set up on the poo
Second Saturday in SeptemberMiaStanding on a chair, I secured the welcome sign above the table with a pink-icing cake decorated with ‘Welcome, Ariadna Gia’ scrolled in white frosting. While this gathering was to be our housewarming party, it would also be Ariadna’s first visit to the West Coast. S
MiaDante held me as I walked by his side, up the metal stairs in the hideout. Rei was leading the way. All I’d been told was that the mole was found, and my husband had been stabbed.Again.Without my brother’s strength, I’d still be lying on the floor of Nicolas’s house, in the same spot I fell wh
“That’s a lie,” Gerardo screamed.I held him down, my knife still at his throat.Andrés and Nicolas looked at their sons.“It’s the truth, Padre,” Em said. “I wouldn’t lie to you. You know that.”Andrés and Nicolas cursed under their breath. Andrés turned to me. “Patrόn? Does he know?”“Sí.”Gerardo
At his side, Ángel flinched, ready to attack me. Hatred shone like beacons in his eyes.Gerardo laid his hand on Ángel’s shoulder and retook his seat.I resumed my position, standing near the end of the table. “Today’s attack was different. The soldiers didn’t know our plan.”“The fucking famiglia d
AléjandroGerardo was the least happy about my emergency meeting. In his defense, he had the farthest to travel, I hadn’t given him the option of declining, and taking orders from me was not his strong suit. After what we’d learned over the last few days, his presence was mandatory. This meeting had
MiaThe hallways were covered with the kind of carpet that was laid in squares to be easily replaced. Mouse droppings and dead insects littered the path. Pieces of the suspended ceiling dangled while others were missing, exposing pipes, wires, and a vast network of thick spider webs. I tried to imag
MiaTwo days later and over a month earlier than I planned, I met my brother as he and Diego entered the gate to our home. Dante looked as handsome as ever, and while dressing up wasn’t his forte, he was impeccable in a custom suit. The months of separation came crashing down on me. I ran toward him
MiaThe realization of the phone number knocked a bit of my excitement out of me, replacing that emotion with something akin to fear.What happened to make her call me?Why didn’t she leave a message?Is she all right?I hit the green button, the call connected and began to ring. After about three r
I liked the way Viviana never complained, taking my ideas in stride. “I’m certain you’re better at that than I am.”She grinned. “You taught me how to make lasagna. I’d only eaten it before in restaurants. Yours was much better.”It was Chiara’s recipe, my mother’s cook. She’d even taught me to make







