All Chapters of The Glass Rose : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Alessia Moretti’s POVI snatched the burner phone from Lucien’s hand while my thumb shook against the screen, and those words about the wrong sister seemed to grow larger until my head started to throb.Across the hallway, the floorboards groaned because Rafael was sprinting toward the supply closet, and the metallic clatter of rifle magazines hitting the floor echoed through the house before he shouted that the blacked-out SUVs were already cutting through the fog half a mile away.I looked at Lucien while my mouth felt dry like it was full of sand, but when I tried to ask him how this could be happening after he promised me she was gone, my voice came out as a weak rasp that I barely recognized.Lucien didn't even look up at me while he worked, since his fingers moved with a cold rhythm to eject the magazine from his pistol with a sharp click that sounded like a bone snapping in the quiet room.He stared at the brass casings for a second before he slammed the clip back into the grip

Alessia’s POVThe floor of the cabin tilted sharply to the left and I had to brace my feet against the metal base of the table to keep from sliding off the bench, and the sound of the waves slamming against the hull was so loud that it felt like a giant was hitting the boat with a hammer over and over again.Matteo was curled into a tight ball on the mattress next to me with his face buried in a damp pillow, and every time the boat dropped into a swell he let out a low moan because the smell of diesel and old fish was making his stomach turn. I reached out to rub his back and I could feel how cold and clammy his skin was through his shirt, so I pulled a thin wool blanket over his shoulders and told him to try and focus on his breathing while the engine rattled the walls around us."I hate this, Alessia, I just want it to stop moving so I can stand up without feeling like I'm going to throw up," Matteo whispered into the pillow, and his voice was so muffled that I had to lean down close

Alessia’s POVThe morning light in Berlin was gray and filtered through the thick layer of grime on the hotel window while Rafael sat hunched over his laptop at the small, wobbly desk, and the sound of his fast typing was the only thing filling the room because Matteo was still asleep and Lucien was busy cleaning his weapon for the third time since the sun came up. I stood by the door and watched the progress bar on Rafael’s screen slowly fill up while he tried to trace the encrypted server from the blueprints, and finally, he let out a long breath and turned the screen around so we could see a website for a place called Romano & Associates Investment Firm. It was located right in the middle of the financial district where the buildings were all glass and steel, and Rafael pointed to a staff directory that showed a woman named Elena Romano who was listed as a senior wealth manager with a background in international banking."I knew it, I knew there was someone else because Isabella

Alessia’s POVThe elevator doors slid shut with a soft hiss that felt like a final warning, and I watched the floor numbers count down while my legs felt like they were made of water and my heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought it might actually break. I walked through the lobby and past the guards without looking at them because I was afraid they would see the terror on my face, and as soon as I pushed through the heavy glass doors and hit the cold Berlin air I started to lose my balance. Lucien was already out of the car and moving toward me before I even reached the curb, and he had to grab me by the shoulders to stop me from falling onto the pavement because I was shaking so violently that I couldn't even find my voice. He didn't ask any questions right away but just guided me into the back seat and slammed the door shut while Rafael pulled the car away from the curb and started navigating through the heavy city traffic."Alessia, talk to me right now because you look

Lucien’s POVI slammed the final detonator into place and wiped the sweat from my forehead while the heavy silence of the basement felt like it was pressing in on me, but suddenly the phone in my pocket let out a sharp and high-pitched vibration that I knew was the silent alarm for the hotel room. My heart skipped a beat because that sensor was only supposed to go off if the door was forced open from the outside, and I grabbed my radio to tell Alessia that Elena’s people were already at the hotel while she was still fighting in the office fifty floors above me. I told her that she had to finish her business with Elena and get out of the building before the main charges blew, because I couldn't stay to help her when Matteo was sitting in that room alone with nothing but a handgun he didn't even know how to use. I didn't wait for her to argue with me but just sprinted toward the service exit while my shoulder felt like it was being poked with a hot iron, and I threw myself into the c