PaigeI tucked my feet underneath me on the leather couch in the den and changed to a new channel on the huge TV. Reality show I’d never heard of, reality show I’d never heard of, infomercial, news. With a sigh, I settled on the third random reality show and dropped my head back against the couch. I had the old action-comedy movie my dad always watched when summer started to drift into fall queued up on one of our many streaming services, but I didn’t even know if it was worth waiting for Tom to come home. He’d looked wiped when he kissed me goodbye. I knew any call from Stan was serious, but I also knew he needed a break, and something longer than an evening in New York. I’d been so busy with the shelter that I hadn’t noticed, but Tom had been burning the candle at both ends for too long. I just didn’t know how a crime lord took a vacation without doing what my family did.Tom walked in, pulled his tie off, and dropped onto the couch next to me.“That good?” I turned down the volume

PaigeI walked out of the bulk home goods store outside the city laden with bags. A few extra plastic containers for personal items, a whole bunch of nice, new sheets, and a couple of puzzles that looked interesting dangled off my arms, all for the Haven. The doors shut behind me, and I paused.After a moment, Sera stepped out after me, her arms equally full of bags. She puffed a sigh. “I feel like it’s back to school season.”I smiled. She’d been volunteering at the shelter occasionally and insisted on making all the bigger supply runs with me. They were the only shopping trips I’d agreed to so far, and I suspected she went to convince me regular shopping for clothing and accessories would be fun too.“Oh yeah?” I said as we headed for the car.She nodded dramatically. “My school was far from the worst off, but every year, they sent these huge supply lists to parents, and every year, at least half of the kids came in trying to hide that they didn’t have most of the supplies because t

PaigeI sat at the kitchen island after a long day at the shelter, nursing an after-work salted caramel cookie and trying to convince myself to go shower when Tom stumbled in, looking exhausted and rumpled. His tie hung askew, his curls stuck up in random directions, and dark bags drooped under his eyes.“Hey.” I smiled worriedly. I hadn’t seen Tom since dinner yesterday, when he told me he had a raid that night. He was asleep in bed when I woke up and left for the shelter in the morning, so I knew nothing bad happened to him, but I didn’t know what exactly had happened. His expression told me there was a chance nothing good happened either.“Hi.” He dropped into the stool next to me. “I heard you come in. I was thinking it’s time for you to brush up on your shooting.”My heart skipped a beat. “Did the raid go that bad?”“No, no.” He shook his head. “Nothing to do with that.”“Well, then what—”He stood and held his hand out to me. “Do you want to go shooting or what?”I frowned but t

TommasoI blinked awake in the morning sunlight, feeling better rested than I had in months. Paige lay next to me, still naked, so I hadn’t woken up too late. I pressed a gentle kiss to her shoulder. We’d woken up a few more times after our afternoon to enjoy each other and have Miranda bring food up that we grabbed from the hallway, snickering and wearing sheets, like kids in a hotel room. Paige had been right, of course. I needed to rest. And her fingers in my hair, the gentle way she took care of me before turning into one of the sexiest women I’d ever seen, made her point better than words ever could.She stirred under my lips, her red hair catching the sun like flames. “Mm, morning.”“Good morning.” I kissed her. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to be late to the shelter today?”She kissed me back. “No more than you’re willing to stay out of your office.” Paige rolled out of bed, her body shining in the morning light.I groaned and reached for her, but she was right. I’d taken e

TommasoBefore I could even process what Miranda said, the door swung open further, and she squeaked. Behind her stood Riccardo Marino, flanked by two goons so broad I half thought they wouldn’t be able to get through the door. I shot to my feet.“Tommaso!” Riccardo spread his arms wide, as if we were meeting at a party. “It’s been too long.”“Too long.” I circled around my desk and shook his hand, fighting to keep my cool with everything I had. Where were my fucking guys? How did another boss march in through not only my front gate, but my fucking front door without anyone stopping them?“Thank you, Miranda.” I nodded at her, trying to signal with my eyes that she should leave.She curtsied, something I’d never see her do before, and scrambled away, leaving Lyle and me behind.“She’s charming, that Miranda,” Riccardo said. “She just left the door open a crack when she went to fetch you, and I thought I’d save you the trouble. We have some business to discuss.”My heart skipped a beat