All Chapters of Catch Me If You Can: The Devil of Verona: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Renese's povThe bright red dot of a sniper laser rested right over my heart.I didn't flinch. Instead, I leaned over the stone railing of the third-story balcony and tossed a piece of fresh salmon down to a black stray cat hiding in the bushes.A second laser dot appeared on my forehead. A third settled on the back of my neck.All three snipers were stationed on the towers of the Augustus Manor. All three were connected to private comms. And all three reported directly to one man: Killian."You're going to get cold out here, Miss Renese," a smooth voice called out from behind me.I turned around to see Lane standing by the balcony doors, clad in his usual pristine black suit. Nestor stood right beside him, arms crossed, looking as grim as a thunderstorm. Killian’s top two hitmen—men who could clear a room of enemies in under five seconds—were currently stuck on babysitting duty."Lane," I said, giving him my sweetest, most innocent smile. "Did you bring the salmon from the kitchen li

Renese's POVAnd that, ladies and gentlemen, has been my life ever since.Under total surveillance.I remember one time I got so sick of the red lights flashing in the corners of my bedroom that I screamed right at the lens, asking Killian why he didn't just put a camera in the bathroom too. At least then he’d get a private show.He didn't answer, but the next morning, Lane handed me a box of silk pajamas with a note from Killian: Wear longer pants.Unbelievable.Now, I sat at the center of the grand banquet table, staring across the crystal chandeliers at the woman sitting next to Killian.Camilla Thaddeus.She was wearing a sleek silk dress in my exact favorite shade of emerald green. When the waiter brought out the dessert, she laughed—a soft, melodic sound that matched my exact rhythm. And when the sommelier approached her, she ordered the exact French wine I drank every single night.It was sickening. Killian hadn't just picked a fiancée to secure money for the empire. He had cho

Killian's POVThe morning sun broke through the bulletproof glass of my master bedroom, casting golden light across the rumpled silk sheets.I opened my eyes, my brain still foggy from the long, wild night. My hand automatically reached out to grab the soft waist of the woman who should have been sleeping right beside me.My palm hit cold, empty bedsheets.My eyes snapped open. I sat up so fast the silk duvet slid off my bare chest."Renese?" I called out, my voice rough from sleep.The master bedroom was completely silent. The bathroom door was wide open, the lights off, the marble shower dry. Her clothes from last night were gone. Her scent of sweet vanilla and subtle trouble was the only thing left lingering in the air.I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand.8:00 AM.The wedding was scheduled for ten o'clock. In two hours, I was supposed to stand at an altar in front of half the cartel bosses in Europe and pretend to pledge my life to Camilla Thaddeus."Renese!" I shoute

 Killian's POV "If you tell me one more time that the cameras just went dark, I'm going to put a bullet through your shoulder." The technician’s hands shook so hard he dropped his stylus onto the glass desk of the security office. It was 10:00 AM. Outside, the rain had started to pour over Augustus Manor, but inside the control room, the air was suffocating. Lane, Nestor, and four terrified IT specialists stood behind me as I forced them to replay every single feed, access log, guard rotation, elevator record, and gate scan from the previous night. "Replay it again," I growled, resting both hands on the edge of the console, leaning in close enough to see the pixels on the monitors. "Boss, we've watched the blackout seven times," Lane said gently, stepping up to my shoulder. "The cameras went offline at exactly four in the morning. The backup power grid stopped

Renese's POV The news anchor on the TV screen looked like she was about to have a heart attack. *"Breaking news out of Verona Ridge,"* the woman breathed into her microphone, holding her ear piece as camera crews rushed past the gates of Augustus Manor. *"The wedding of the decade between Killian Augustus and Camilla Thaddeus has been abruptly cancelled. Reports indicate the Augustus heir left the altar thirty minutes ago, ordering a complete lockdown of the estate..."* I took a sip of my lukewarm coffee, leaning back against the sofa of my other safe house. "Look at him," I whispered, a small, witty smirk playing on my lips as the screen flashed a quick photo of Killian's furious face leaving the room. "He looks like someone stole his favorite killer robot." A sleek black laptop sat open on the small kitchen table behind me, green lines of code scrolling silently across the scre