All Chapters of Blood Ties And Silk Chains: Chapter 11 - Chapter 18

Liora woke to the faint clink of china. Varian was already in her doorway, a mug in hand, steam curling into the air.“You drink coffee, not tea,” he said flatly, stepping in without waiting for an invitation.“I don’t drink anything you bring me without asking first.” She sat up, the pendant on her chest catching the light.He glanced at it — not a casual glance. His eyes stayed on it long enough that her hand moved reflexively, curling around it.“Still not wearing it because you trust me,” he said.“I wear it so you’ll stop watching me.”“Yet you hold it like it’s a lifeline.”Her grip tightened. “Or like it’s a leash.”He set the coffee on her nightstand and sat on the chair across from her bed. “Let’s not circle each other this morning. Who’s calling you?”“No one.”“That’s twice now you’ve lied in the first five minutes of a conversation.”“Maybe you’re asking the wrong questions.”His gaze sharpened. “Alright. Wrong question: What’s the right one?”She shrugged. “One that doesn

“You chew with your back teeth, never your front. The knife never touches your teeth. And for the love of my reputation, don’t rest your elbows on the table,” Ines said, circling the dining room like a drill sergeant in four-inch heels.Her nails clicked across the polished walnut as she stopped behind Liora’s chair. “Straight spine. Chin level. You want them thinking controlled elegance, not stray-cat defiance.”Liora sat stiffly at the long table, shoulders tight, a glass of water untouched in front of her. “Why do I need to know how to eat with a salad fork when you people solve problems with guns?”Ines’s dark eyes flicked over her like a laser sight. “Because when a gun is pointed at you, words might buy you seconds. And those seconds can mean your life.”At the far end, Varian lounged with a phone in his hand, thumb scrolling. He looked absorbed, detached even, but Liora could feel the weight of his listening. He was always listening.“Let’s start with safe phrases,” Ines said b

The call came just after breakfast.“Boss,” Bram’s voice crackled through Varian’s phone, “you’re gonna want to see this.”Varian glanced across the table at Liora, who was pushing eggs around her plate without eating. “Put it on live feed.”A shaky camera angle popped up — the alley beside the diner where she’d worked. Big red letters splashed across the brick wall:MARSELLI BUSINESS. BACK OFF.Liora’s fork froze in midair. “That’s—”“Your diner,” Varian said, not looking away from the screen.Bram’s voice was flat. “It wasn’t there last night.”“Any witnesses?” Varian asked.“Two kids across the street said a black van rolled up around three a.m. Four guys jumped out, masks, spray cans, out in sixty seconds.”Varian ended the call and set the phone down slowly.Liora’s voice was tight. “They’re not after me.”“They’re after anyone they think belongs to me,” Varian said.She shook her head. “This is because you keep showing up there—”“This is because the Marcellis are looking for so

The penthouse hall was quiet, too quiet. Liora moved like a shadow, coat tucked under her arm, shoes in her hand.Elevator at the end. Thirty more steps.She pressed the call button, heart pounding so loud she was sure the cameras could hear it.The doors slid open—And Bram was inside.He looked down at her bare feet, then at her coat. “Going somewhere?”“Out,” she said flatly.He leaned against the frame. “Boss said you don’t leave without him.”“I’m not asking him.”“Funny,” Bram said, hitting the ‘close’ button, “because he’s the only one who can stop me from carrying you back.”Her chin lifted. “You going to drag me? In front of your precious security feeds?”“Feeds are his,” Bram said. “He’ll see either way.”They rode in silence back up to the penthouse.When the doors opened, Varian was already there, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of something dark.“Shoes in your hand,” he said calmly. “Coat under your arm. That means you weren’t planning on asking me.”“I