I fiercely jump off the stairs, closely tailing Levi as he forcefully fights his way through Gios' mob. Levi swiftly brings one of them down, while I quickly notice Roberto approaching me. I lift my firearm high, urgently reposition myself, and strike the back of his head. I watch the scene unfold in slow motion as he tumbles to the ground, landing face-first on the bottom step. Blood slowly seeps from his skull, pooling around his head. Abruptly, I find myself ensnared in a tight embrace, feeling the air being pressed out of my lungs. Lowering my head, I forcefully thrust it backwards, striking my opponent squarely in the face. The impact jolts him, causing him to lose his hold and stumble backwards a couple of steps. I aim my gun at his shoe, pulling the trigger and he roars with agony. Without hesitation, I pivot and deliver a decisive shot to his head, killing him instantly. Scanning the foyer covered in debris and timber, I search for Levi. The sound of him growling and s

I can sense the torrent of torment that is weighing Arnica down. Anchoring her mind in an abyss of destruction, plucking away at her already fragile heart and making it almost too difficult to open up and trust anyone. And that’s all because of me, Matthias and my father. The Quinns as she prefers to dub us.The guilt and shame of being her tormentor all these years is eating me up, and I want nothing more than to tell her the truth.Because we all know that secrets are weapons and weapons kill.I crave to explain to her what happened that fatal night, with the hopes that she can eventually learn to forgive me and find some solace in knowing that I was forced to etch my sins into her innocent soul. Going to church and confessing my depravities hasn’t changed anything. For most of my life, I believed Arnica was my first kill.Her agonising screams that night tore through me, embedding the gut-wrenching sound in the back of my mind—bleeds my ears dry each time I am reminded of what I

“Fuck!” I curse in a muffled tone, pulling my hand back and cradling it against my chest as pain splinters across my hand. I don't know what came over me to physically assault Matthias, or why I said that Maverick swooped in to save me when that part isn't true at all. Ugh, I'm just going to patiently wait for the sense of humiliation to gradually melt my insides like acid, hoping that Maverick doesn’t use it against me in the future. Perhaps I'm getting a bit too into character around Matthias, as I would never admit that a certain male, especially a Quinn, has ever saved me in any way whatsoever. I do know one thing for sure: I will never forget the shocked expression on Matthias's face when my fist made contact with him. His jaw felt like I had just punched a concrete wall. Yup! My knuckles are most likely going to be severely swollen in an hour or two. But it's worth it. With my gaze still glaring daggers at Matthias. I watch as he cups the side of his face and turns

I stare outside the window of Mavericks’ silver sedan, watching the buildings and fields as we pass them by, and trying to smother the urge to turn and face Maverick at the same time.Wow, I have to say that today's service has got to be the most interesting funeral I’ve had the displeasure of attending. As we were leaving, I couldn’t help but notice that Maverick was almost dragging me behind him as we crossed the cemetery to get to Dan who was waiting in the sedan with the engine running.We probably drew more attention than Maverick could manage in a public setting.Brushing my fingers over my tender knuckles, I sigh, wishing I had ripped Matthias’s nose ring out of his nose over jabbing him in the face.I wonder if it hurt him and has left a bruise on his jaw. Reminding him of me every time it aches when he’s kissing his new whore.I shouldn’t call her that, but shit doesn’t come labelled and well…If the shoe fits and all that other stuff.I can't help but notice that we have be

Maverick.As we enter the dining room, I move past Arnica and pull her chair out for her to sit in. Her eyes dart between me, the chair and the large dining table that could fit another twenty people — minimum. Arnica raises her brows when she notices that there are only two places set on the table. “Will we be dining alone?” She asks curiously as she takes her seat and I push the chair forward.Combing my fingers through my hair, I nod my head. “I thought it might be more comfortable for you if we eat alone tonight.”I walk around the table and sit across from her, moving the large centrepieces made up of candles and large vases with fresh lilies out of the way so nothing is blocking my view. Leaning forward, she places her elbows on the table and clasps her hands together, with her gaze never swaying from mine.“Thank you, that’s… thoughtful.” She manages to say without choking on her words, and the faintest smile touches her eyes.“I haven’t had the chance to ask you how you’re