Chapter 11

"This is the truth you wanted."Elio slammed the bloody investigation report against Ava's face. The edge of the thick file left a red mark on her pale cheek.In the three days since he had returned from the abandoned church, all human warmth had vanished from his eyes, replaced by an icy emptiness."Elio, please, just let me explain…""Explain?" His voice was unnervingly calm. "Your father didn't die taking a bullet for the family. He was executed for stealing arms money. The kidnapping at the racetrack? You staged the whole thing. And you planted the bomb yourself."Ava cowered in the corner, her lips purple with cold. "I just… I just wanted you to notice me…""Notice you?" Elio crouched down, sizing her up like an animal for slaughter. "You have my attention. Now it's time to pay the price."He reached out and ripped away the only warm coat she wore."No! Elio!" Ava screamed, trying to scramble away."Take it off," he ordered, his tone flat. "And put this on."He threw a flimsy silk

Chapter 12

"Mama, look!"Leo's small hands tapped against the studio's floor-to-ceiling windows, pointing at the gulls flying over the sea.I put down my brush and looked at my three-year-old son. He had the same black curls as Elio, but his eyes were as clear as crystal, without a trace of his father's darkness."They're beautiful, aren't they?" I said softly, sketching the deep blue of the Mediterranean onto my canvas.This was a secluded town in the south of France. No gunfire, no blood, no betrayal.Just me and Leo."Nora."Dante's voice came from the doorway. He was dressed in a simple white shirt, his warm golden hair tousled by the sea breeze. He looked more like a nobleman on holiday than the shadow king of Europe's criminal underworld."Uncle Dante!" Leo ran over excitedly and was easily swept up into Dante's arms.It had been three years. Since the day he rescued me, Dante had never crossed a line, never pushed for anything more than friendship. He simply watched over me and Leo, giving

Chapter 13

At the opening of the Paris art exhibition, I wore a simple mask and stood quietly at the back of the crowd.No one here knew me as Nora. This was exactly what I wanted."Your painting is very popular," Dante whispered in my ear.I nodded, watching as a group of people gathered around Mediterranean Dusk, discussing it. Leo was at the other end of the hall with his nanny.Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the entrance.Black-suited bodyguards flooded the entrance, parting the crowd of ordinary guests. A familiar figure appeared in the center of the path they cleared.My blood ran cold.Elio.He was thinner than I remembered from three years ago, the line of his jaw sharper. But his black eyes were still as dangerous as an abyss.His gaze swept through the crowd, finally locking onto me.Even through the mask, he recognized me instantly."Eleonora."His voice cut through the noise of the hall, stirring a familiar ache in my chest.I turned to leave, Dante close behind me. But Elio's men h

All Chapters of Racing Away From Forever: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13