The Empire of Darkness

br

blood linge

ing unintelligible, his body twitching, his hands clawing at

can

y command. The man has been begging for his life for the past ten minutes, but I stopped listening a lon

here, Luca?" I ask, my v

s lips as he tries to lift his head. "P

ng him struggle. "Lyin

thout hesitation and presses the barrel of his gun against L

ole from me, Luca. You tried to cheat me. And wor

was set up! I

A

le

or, blood pooling beneath him. The sound of the gu

Enzo. "Cle

. "Yes,

them mops up the blood. I button my suit jacket, stepping a

y dollar that moves through my territory does so because

t, somethi

ing-I can feel

-

c smells like antisep

ookstore, one of those places most people walk past without noticing. But in my

here for

ng life-threatening, but enough to need stitches, and

tor is

t expec

rk curls fall over her shoulders, framing a face that doesn't belong in a place like t

beau

rousl

e cool, indifferent. "You could have

her carefully. "And you

eyebrow. "Dr.

cc

rest

already making connect

l

men like h

d bends around them. Gabriel Moretti is exactly that kind of man-powerful, arrogant, and

, as if he's already dissecting me, pulling me apart pie

ld be

in my positi

xury I abandoned

ting on my exam table, his arm bleeding through the bandage I just finished wrapping

ady. "The stitches will hold, but if you start throwin

ided grin. "Guess I

feel his presence behind me, a

His voice is smo

looking at h

e it. I hate the way my body reacts to his nearness,

n't let

my chin. "If that's all, I

words amuses them. But Gabriel... Gabriel doesn't laugh. Hi

fter this time, but it holds an ed

s, holding hi

't ask q

t. It's an observati

my job to ask.

that isn't quite a smile but i

s my instincts scream to stay away. But I can't. Not becau

rom one

ed straight into t

I lock the door and

underground without brushing shoulders with the w

th money. Men who think they can

d to think it.

hat makes hi

the corner to wash my hands. The cool water does nothing to soothe the heat burning

mn

be reactin

to escape men lik

s frame my face, my cheekbones sharp from too many sleepless nights. Ther

what Gabrie

en li

t go of somet

ries to break into my cl

been dozing off in my chair. The sound of metal

ing to force

seless against a gun, but better than nothing. My breath

led curse, a struggle

e scalpel

r creak

d intruder, maybe one of my fathe

tead, i

e, but there's a faint stain on his sleeve-blood. His expression is calm, unread

an slumps against the doorf

hard. "Wha

voice is quiet, but the wei

m. "I don't n

slow, deliberate

using to let him intim

the scalpel in my gr

use to back down. "You don't get t

vade my space, his scent-smok

lcezza." His voice drops, low and s

lips at the way the Ital

he first to look away. "And what,

erate smirk c

in

sleep t

ause Gabriel Moretti took it upon hi

words keep ech

s, stupid part of me, wonders what it

th

rous than any enemy lu