Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 51 - Chapitre 60

Taryn VescariThe idea of walking out of a Moretti Syndicate lockdown on a wrecked knee sounded completely insane, but sitting around waiting for Vittorio’s hitmen to come back was a death sentence. I pushed the iron cell door open with the toe of my boot, refusing to touch the frame again.The underground corridor was dead silent. I limped past three empty holding cells, their iron doors hanging wide open. None of the Vescari crew was locked up down here.Rocco hadn't sent a rescue team, and he hadn't lost any men. He’d simply sold my position to the Moretti family to settle his own ledger.I dragged my useless leg toward the concrete stairs, my heart hammering against my ribs with every step. I knew I was going to run into Syndicate guards the second I hit the upper floor. I didn't have the strength to sprint, and I certainly couldn't take down an enforcer in a hand-to-hand fight right now. I had to rely on raw street instinct—fake it until I found a back window or an open side exit

Taryn VescariKicking and twisting against the iron grip pinned across my shoulder blades, I fought to break free. "Let me go!""Keep her quiet!" a guard barked from the corridor."Better yet, knock her out," another growled.A heavy leather glove swung toward my face, and the cellar went pitch black.My head throbbed with a brutal, sickening pulse as my eyes fluttered open. The dim, yellow glow of a single hanging bulb stung my vision. I dragged myself up into a sitting position on the narrow metal cot, but the basement room spun so violently I had to squeeze my eyes shut and press my back against the damp brick wall.I was locked right back inside the lowest holding cell of the Moretti Palazzo. Twice I’d tried to break out into the Vescari District, and twice Vittorio’s Syndicate enforcers had dragged me down by my neck. The memory of my confrontation in the parlor with Vittorio slammed into my head all at once, making my skin flush hot.Was he really telling the truth about Rocco F

Taryn Vescari"Good news, Vescari," Luciano said, keys jingling against the iron door lock. "My guys caught one of your crew members alive."Vittorio wanted me to turn Rainer Volkov over to the Syndicate, claiming he carried the sole fallout for the vault job. I couldn't tell if the dizziness pounding behind my eyes was from pure stress or total lack of food."I don't see how that's good news for anyone," I said, my back pressed hard against the cellar wall. "I have exactly one partner in this town, and Sienna is sitting safely at Belladonna Flats.""Ah, the righteous street orphan," Luciano sneered. "Does it help your appetite to know two of your conspirators weren't so lucky?"My pulse spiked hard. "What are you talking about?""They split up after your vault distraction went sideways," Luciano said, unlocking the latch. "We caught three of them holed up near the district line. Two of them didn't make it to the holding cells.""You killed two runners?" I demanded, pushing myself off

Taryn VescariThe heavy weight of the envelope tucked deep inside my sports bra kept me from closing my eyes. I was exhausted, every bone aching from the beating Luciano gave me, but the sheer panic kept my pulse hammering. Sitting on the cold concrete of the cellar frame, I couldn't stop questioning everything.Was this document really the dead-end leak Enzo Caradonna intended to deliver to the Commission, or was it a staged piece of bait? What if Vittorio Moretti was playing me for a complete fool? Just because a electric, terrifying heat spiked through my blood whenever he touched my skin didn't mean I could trust the Don of the Moretti Syndicate.On the flip side, I knew I could no longer trust Rocco Falcone. I had let him into my bed at Belladonna Flats, believing I could leave the street trauma behind, but locked in this basement, the brutal truth was clear. I was a fool to ever let a syndicate heir touch me. Forgiving a man for using you as a decoy wasn't the same as trusting h

Taryn Vescari"Taryn!" Rocco shouted, sprinting across the gravel pier to sweep me into a bone-crushing embrace that lifted my feet right off the pavement. He set me down and cupped my face with both hands, his thumbs dragging over my bruised cheekbones. "I thought I'd lost you to the Morettis forever." He pulled back, his dark eyes scanning the purple cuts across my skin. "What did those bastards do to you in that basement?"I placed my hands flat over his wrists, fighting the sudden, sickening recoil inside my stomach as I realized how wrong his hands felt on my body compared to Vittorio's dark, possessive touch. "I'm still breathing, Rocco.""I'm going to turn the Moretti Palazzo into a graveyard for this. I swear it on my father's memory," he growled."Can we just get back to the Vescari District?" I asked, my voice flat.He kissed my forehead, his lips cold against my raw skin. "Of course, sweetheart. You must be completely exhausted."Rocco wrapped a heavy arm around my waist, s