◇ KEL ◇    Belgrade, Serbia "Stop staring." I blinked at the guy wearing a black button-down and a frown, my senses almost recovering from the numbing shock. The guy's warning snapped me out of the daze almost instantly. Was I hallucinating? Or was this just a nightmare? "Act normal," Niccolo mumbled. A sigh of what I could tell was annoyance was his initial reaction to my speechlessness. He even scowled at me as if my utter shock bothered him a great deal.  "Wanna eat something else? Drinks?" I couldn't stop the palpable throbbing in my chest. As if the sight of a dead man asking me what I'd like for brunch wasn't traumatizing enough, the guy even poured me a glass of water, his movements impressively calm and casual.  "Sorry." Niccolo leaned forward so we could resume talking quietly.  "You good to talk?"  I distractedly glanced past the large crowd arou

◆ MILES ◆ Brichese, Italy   A house, a car, a career, a steady job that paid well, enough savings to let me live comfortably for another year... Not long ago, I rarely thought about those things for myself. Back then, I just couldn't care less. But, my parents were right. Like always.  My young, stupid, carefree years were over. I oughta act like a man now.  No more "trust fund kid" attitude.  It was my own choice to quit the family business, and like my father said, renouncing my current job in the company would mean kissing my affluent future goodbye.   No other choices, no considerations, no other compromise whatsoever.  Take it or leave it. I chose the latter—only because my sanity was on the line. Pondering my existence after a job well done was one confirmation.  SF Shipping would survive without me, since I was nothing but a glorified erran

◇  KEL ◇   "Hey. You alright?" I looked up and saw a mildly frowning Enzo approaching me with his main bodyguard, Berto.  He was wearing the same sweater and pants, but his hair looked more tousled than I remembered.  Enzo had only been gone for more than an hour. Perhaps he met up with one of his brother's business associates here in Serbia. Enzo never mentioned particulars and I felt like I shouldn't ask, either. "You look really pale," he commented once he got near enough to put his arm over my shoulder. "I just..." I leaned against the rental car he'd paid for. I probably did look like my entire face got drained of color.  Undoubtedly, my anxiety was forming tighter knots in my stomach, threatening me to some extent. I might just spew my entire lunch meal if my thoughts got even more out of hand.  As we stood in the restaurant's parking lot,  his security detail guarded the perimeter,  d

◇ KEL ◇The remote island of San Pietro surpassed my imagination.Situated along the northeastern coast and facing the Italian peninsula, the island boasted deep cerulean waters and white sand beachfronts that rivaled the tropics' best.In the distance, private yachts passed by as we stepped off the private jet.

× WARNING! × CONTENT BELOW NOT INTENDED FOR YOUNG READERS × READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ×   ◇ KEL ◇ "You're dead." "A breathless corpse." It was all I could think of while trying to stay motionless on the ground.  The ominous sound of the metal bolts locking from inside the room deflated every muscle in my body. Darkness had replaced my vision, cold sweat covered me from head to toe, and the inside of my chest was coiling from all the anxiety. Meeting Leandro Tomassini might just be the end of me.  Now that he had thrown me into a cold and dark room somewhere in the basement, I didn't know what to think of my fate. Was he going to murder me now? Slit my throat open? Dump my chopped remains in the ocean?  Leave me in a ditch somewhere on the island? My flesh had succumbed to a state of weakened numbness.  The nervous aches and the trembling of my hands had subsided,