ena
the evening, a sharp knock
iere says through the thick wood. "
ke a deep breath to steady the frantic beat in my chest, but it d
oom and descend th
foyer, in the process of shrugging
tretches across his back as he moves, and I catch myself staring at the way the material pulls taut before I force my gaze away. His dark hai
e Consigliere and turns
rtbeat, I feel utterly naked under that gaze-as if he has already catalogued every secret I've ever kept
he texture of sand scraping against metal, a sound that seems to abrade the quiet of t
say. "My nam
oves-large, lethal hands that I know have ended lives, yet they handle the crystal with an
" he demands, no
cal Medicine," I say. "I mi
. The full weight of his attention lands on me like a physica
applying to be a governe
r. My lashes do not so much as flutter, though a fi
the mone
s to increase, as if before a storm. Those ice-blue eyes hold mine for a beat too long
ed seven days," Lucian says. "How lon
But he didn't throw a vase
rim of his crystal glass. He remain
," the Consigliere says quietly
t me. Something flickers in his expression-s
e leaves no room for negotiation. "Nico's routine is absolute. He di
rstand,
a step closer
ice dropping into a dark, threaten
"I wi
ive cologne and something sharper, like burnt gunpowder mixed with clean male skin, trails behind him. It invade
d," he says as he
move away, I hear the Consigliere qui
rve well," the Co
ainst the heavy wood, a tremor fina
, unwelcome heat still lingers. This is absurd. The man is a killer. A monster in a bespoke sui
down violently and
y mother's medical fee of twelve thousand dollars is due tomorr
dragging air through wet concrete, a dry, rasp
text me the estate rules earlier today, and type out a mes
n advance on my salary?
ng a mafia syndicate for a loan on my first nigh
ater, my scre
starting from day one of your probation. One thousand six hundred and s
and cover my face with my hands,
tell myself to be afraid, my traitorous mind conjures the image of ice-blue eyes catching
ly as afraid of t
-
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