*******April glanced around her vicinity, banging her car door closed before striding towards the dingy apartment occupying a vast space of uninhabited land. April knocked, listening carefully to pick up any movement inside the house. Two soft taps came from the other end."Prime rib" April stated, wincing at how ridiculous the secret code sounded. The door opened and she walked in, taking note of the space before going down the heavy-lidded staircase. She reached a door at the end, it was not the first time she had been in the apartment, so she was familiar with the room she had stepped into. April stared at the face scanner, then entered the password that she had been given. The heavy-lidded door swished open and she sauntered into Blair's secret lair. The girl's cropped hair made her look mannish, and she was dressed completely in black. April got a sideward glance of acknowledgment from her, then it was back to the computers that surrounded her..."I know you hate my choice of

Genovese roared, his finger itching as he paced around the dungeon where he'd had Vincenzo tied and beaten up until he couldn't move without groaning. He raised his hand to strike the man who had dared to betray him, then thought better of it. Genovese had thought the Valquez deaths had been an accident but the call had changed that. It was absurd that Vincenzo had been a mole right under his nose, reporting back to Gabrielle about every little move he made, because of such a breach, he'd had to order for all his men to be tested, cause he didn't know whom Gabrielle had bought with her influence, it was mind-boggling for him because she was just a little girl- but with the heart of the devil. Genovese also had to step up his security because having no replacement in his old age, and his empire threatened by his granddaughter gave his rivals the guts to try to take over his organization. When did everything start to go shit? Why was this crap happening just because of a child he'd ra

GABRIELLE POV.Tender hands trailed through my hair, their effect calming, and it was like I was a kid again, resting my head on my father's lap while he petted my hair and told me a bedtime story... it wasn't him that calmed me now, it was Blake Moreno, my Angelo.He'd taken the cuffs off but I couldn't will myself to move, to breathe... To do anything. The memory of that night wasn't supposed to affect me anymore, but I've been on the edge lately and Blake attacking me without warning made it feel like I went back in time, where I was beaten and held down, the face of my assailant unknown, but he had been cruel, too evil for me to forget in a hurry. It had been years, but it still hurt, the memory of that night made me feel as if I was drowning.Maybe if I knew the man and had him killed, I'd have felt better. I shut my eyes, the quiet room amplifying the sound of my breath mingling with those of Blake's. The situation was embarrassing, I wasn't one to allow myself to appear weak,

APRIL POV.Getting into the company's parking lot turned out to be way harder than I thought, which was understandable, considering that some rival clan was always choosing that particular spot to attack Gabrielle Genovese- that info was provided by Blair with footage as proof- which was why only specific workers were allowed to make use of it. So if I wanted to get in, I had to be extra careful and incognito. I wore the outfit I'd picked out specially for the job. It was a uniform that was identical to those worn by the special workers who used the VIP parking lot.The outfit was to help me blend in with the other workers in such a way that suspicion would be eradicated, yet as I moved through the building it felt as if someone had their eyes on me. It was eerie and detrimental to my investigation to be under such scrutiny but I was a hundred percent certain that someone was watching me, I just didn't know who it was, or what their motives were. Could they have figured out that I

BLAKE POV.I stared at Gabrielle, my ears ringing. Those lips that had professed their love for me just the other night were saying the same thing to the guy who stood wrapped in her embrace. It felt like I was getting whiplashed from all directions. The guy was extremely good-looking, and his hair was a bluish hue that curled around his face highlighting his rare set of eyes. He looked like a model and everything about him screamed delicate. My heart tugged as I saw the way Gabrielle held him as if he'd break if she applied too much pressure. The guy's hands tightened around her but she didn't shove him off or even look angry. I felt like I was going to be sick, I knew enough about Gabrielle to know that she hated people coming close to her without her permission, so if she was allowing this guy into her arms without a fuss, that only meant one thing. The guy was important, and she loved him because her voice had been sincere when she said it. Gabrielle tugged the guy away and I