The mansion still smelled of smoke and blood, the acrid sting clinging to the heavy velvet drapes and seeping into the cracks of the floorboards. Alessio hadn’t slept; his body was wound tight, alert in every nerve, every muscle coiled for violence. His hands were steady, precise, but his pulse carried that hard, insistent edge that came when chaos was only half-resolved. One intruder had been buried behind the garage, left in silence beneath the earth; another remained tied in the cellar, broken, quivering, a half-finished punishment. But Rico… Rico was still out there. Somewhere, watching, waiting. The thought was a jagged itch under Alessio’s skin, and he savored the anticipation of it, letting it tighten his grip on reality.Noa stood at the window, wrapped in Alessio’s jacket. It was far too big for him, sleeves hanging past his fingers, the collar pulled up against his neck. His skin, still chilled from the night air, contrasted sharply with the lingering heat of Alessio’s body,
Last Updated : 2025-10-27 Read more