THE MORETTI HEIRESS

OL

ren't spoken.

ike fire; loud, consumin

n there

e slipped in like silence, unex

id, I want

ween my words, to the sigh I tried to

I think about

my coffee and always had it wa

mised, I'd n

to him, like he already kne

said, I

for my gun, he re

w, that fe

and still touched my face l

of a girl raised by kings who taught

belong i

ade it feel like I did

the most danger

e came to

came, q

ant to leave

set your s

t

ant to put t

eel peace

to fe

r sleeps.

sso bars, beneath the opera houses and cathedrals and curated

. Below, men moved crates into a black van. Inside those crates were antique vases, imported wine

ht, but he knew how to follow orders. That's all that mattered. At least he was competent, that would count fo

aring behind me like a shadow. "No b

across the border before sunrise." As much as the

bit. "Papà wan

Don Moretti never liked being sidelined, even by his own bloo

ny bit of business to take care of."

reason I liked working with him, he didn't

r floor, where our prisoner was waiting. I

-

n his cut. Thought he could skim from the top, lie about numbers, and sell our

ng to enjoy this. It gave me some sort of satisfaction, taking out people who did not deserve to li

ed him

. Blood on his lip. A black ey

hoarsely. "Come o

o the light. "You went ba

ou out. I swear

dead," I said.

in his eyes. "Wa

ught th

ew I hated repeating myself two times. It was exhaus

ingers to the base of his throat. M

nni," I said, voice low and

do, my subconscious

ed triple. I didn't mean to...I thought I

his eyes. He was trying to negotiate survival.

i

ol from the table beside

nt to die,"

" I murmured, and

he skull. He slumped, head

a shaky breath escaped me. H

at him for a

a call thro

clean the place up and burn it. ,"

Capr

o the darkness. "No,

-

ng out of a wine commercial. My father liked appearances, marble floors, crystal bright chande

e study, slumped in his armchai

" He was drunk again, it had become a routin

nding. "You

rooked, mean

he said. "You'

m wh

who don't like wom

an die

d. "That's

girl. He wanted a soldier. And the fact that I'd outgrown both made me danger

," he said after a pause.

t make

a toast. "To queens w

to his ghosts and his liq

by the grand mirror that str

ack-black coat, silk b

daughter, I was just an instrument in his many collection

s willing to taste how sharp I