جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

I was exhausted and about to rest when I heard Leon outside.My fingers froze on the edge of the blanket.Five years ago, Leon had hated me with every fiber of his being.He'd risked being hunted by rival families to wait outside my safe house for three days, demanding to know why I'd betrayed him.I'd hidden the agony of the poison and told him I was sick of living on the edge of death. He'd put his fist through the bulletproof glass, blood streaming down his hand.He hadn't pulled the trigger that day, but every bit of love he'd felt for me had turned to disgust.After that, if he ran into me in the family's halls, he'd turn and walk the other way. Just hearing my name made his lip curl.He never went back to the underground bar we used to visit.If any of his men dared to say the name Elena in front of him, he'd coldly have him thrown into solitary."Why bring up that woman?"It was the same on the day he left to expand his territory.Still reeling from the poisoning, I'd dragged my

Leon had told me to be ready at ten in the morning.Afraid I'd miss him, I had my mother wheel me out to the alley entrance just after half past nine.By noon, he still hadn't come.I even worked up the nerve to call him twice. Both times, he hung up.My mother tried several times to take me back inside.I gripped the wheels and refused to move.That one trip outside had drained every bit of strength from my failing body.Next time, I might be too weak ever to get out of bed again.Finally, at one in the afternoon, Leon arrived.My mother was furious. She only kept from drawing her gun because I'd threatened to kill myself if she did.As soon as my mother lifted me into the SUV's back seat, Sofia turned with a smug smile. "Sorry, Elena. Leon kept me up so late last night I couldn't get out of bed this morning. I hope you weren't waiting long."I clenched my hand beneath my trench coat.From the driver's seat, Leon glanced coldly at me in the rearview mirror, then turned to Sofia and sa

After leaving the hotel's private club, Leon felt as if a hand were squeezing his heart. He could barely breathe.Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Elena lying in a pool of blood, staring at him with that hollow, final look.The doctor had assured him the baby in Sofia's belly was fine.Even so, the tightness in Leon's chest left him struggling to breathe.Once Sofia fell asleep, he went to the smoking room at the end of the hall.His hand shook as he lit a cigar. The first drag made him cough violently.The truth was, his relationship with Sofia had begun with a terrible mistake.In his fourth year carving out territory in North America, he'd just swallowed up the biggest gang there and was stretched to the breaking point.Sofia, the daughter of the North District's top arms dealer, had been chasing him for four years.At a victory party, she'd slipped a hallucinogen into his drink and worn the black trench coat Elena loved.Drugged and hallucinating, he'd mistaken Sofia for Elena

Leon dropped to his knees. Carl was so startled he stepped back.The once untouchable Don was kneeling before him.Carl gritted his teeth, pulled a medical report from his coat, and threw it in Leon's face."Read it yourself! See what her so-called betrayal five years ago was really about!"Leon unfolded the report with trembling hands.Every word hit him like a hammer, shattering the composure he'd always prided himself on.He stared at the words "five years ago" as a roar filled his ears."No... that's impossible..." he muttered.Carl looked down at him, angry and grief-stricken."What's impossible about it?"Five years ago, a Lucchesi hitman fired a poisoned bullet at you in a back alley. She took it in the back for you!"There's no antidote for Viper! She was in agony from that poison every day for five years!"She was afraid you'd do something reckless and get yourself killed. So she played along with the Donna, pretended to betray you, and drove you off to North America!"She dra

That night, bloodshed swept through the estate.Leon began a brutal purge of the Moretti family.The elders who'd sided with Maria and tried to control him were disarmed and secretly executed.By the time the enforcers dragged Sofia before Leon, the once arrogant heiress had wet herself in terror.He sat in a high-backed chair, slowly wiping a silver revolver."Leon! You can't do this! My father won't let you get away with it!"Leon looked down at her, his eyes utterly flat."You enjoyed pretending you were losing the baby, didn't you?"He snapped his fingers. Several men came forward with a bowl of thick, black medicine and forced Sofia's mouth open."Then I'll make it real."Sofia screamed as blood ran down her legs.Leon gave his final orders without expression."Take every piece of ID she has, break both her legs, and dump her in the seediest red-light district you can find."Tell those thugs they can do whatever they want with her as long as she stays alive."Once he'd dealt with