Crown of Blood: The Don's Reckoning

ng and full of secrets. Sandy Rhune stepped out of the taxi onto Madison Avenue, her sharp h

oline. She tightened her grip on her leather folder, heart pounding like a

urse-but one that could rip through New York's

ly Syndicate into a multi-billion dollar shadow operation. He wore tailored suits like

orrupt CEOs weep on live television. The kind that took down politicians and w

n location? A derelict dockyard owned by a shell company tied to Kni

l doors and red velvet curtains. It was Tino Knightly's for

d, his bulk barely conta

une. I'm

n. Inside, chandeliers glowed like captive stars. Music pulsed low and decadent. W

locked on the balcony above, where

nd smoked glass. Cameras showed every angle.

ounging in the corner with a cigar between his teeth. "Jou

's voice was smooth, but it carried a leth

er live long eno

jaw ticking.

zzanine just as Sandy reached the

aid. "To what do

he didn't feel. "I've been tryin

re. In my house. Wit

older. "I thought this mi

nd table. Leather chairs, wine, low l

ened the

cted lines pointing to illegal arms deals, offshore ac

o

h the files. But something shifted behind his

im closely. "Do

owly. "That depends on

t the

himself a glass of brandy, "is a

hing to do with his disappearance. And

ink. "You're eithe

like you, I don't hide behind a

tor evaluating prey-and decid

er," he said, finally. "B

ir th

ld you h

wn at his empire. "Because, Ms. Rhune, you've just

pa

e said. "Eleven a.m.

en approached. Rocca raised a

in unmarked gear spilling out onto

ened. "Get her o

used. "What the h

d, tossing her the folder. "Welco

, folder clutched to her chest as gunfire echoed in the distance. Tino's men

ed, shoving her

wn traffic as chaos swallo

h ragged. She turned to

"Someone who doesn't wan

uzzed. A me

tayed away. You

is... this is bigger than j

ourself in the middle of a war, swee

nightly stared at the skyline

. The name

t haunted him most was how much Sandy's eyes mirrored h

uld kill her. But t

Rhune died protecting someth

dge of that same fire. Tino closed his ey

OWN OF BLOOD: THE DON'S RECKONING with deeper intr

-

One (C

's Gambit

ced door. Sandy sat at the edge of a leather couch, eyes glued to the folder on her lap. Her knuckles were whit

ca paced like a caged anima

again, her voice barely above a wh

thing quickly, then looked back at her. "Mercenaries. Eastern European, judg

e hired th

lked into Knightly's world, sweetheart. Now y

s. My brother is dead, and the only lead I've had

the one keep

that follo

clawing at her spine. But more than that, she hated t

teel door made t

is weapon. "

swal

tern changed. Rocca exhaled, lowe

ring behind him like the wings of a falle

ight?" h

nce. "Shaken

"Get the perimeter locked do

, Sandy stood, clutching the folder t

and deliberate. "Now we ta

s. "You said you did

did

ou kne

d

esting his elbows on his knees

s hit li

o. Cole wouldn't-he hated eve

n. "He came to me because he believed something was wrong with his

she sank back to the couch.

ld me..." sh

t-sanctioned, but corrupt. They were working both sides of the law. Smuggling weapons, drugs, lau

e to me for protection. I offered it. B

lling me Cole died... because o

lence con

said. "And I've been hunti

gh her-grief, fury, disbelief.

ng? No one would believe me. They'd bury the truth with him.

publish this. Let me put it all out the

o kill you tonight, Sandy. That means someo

W

cause whether you like it or

ire was built on secrets, violence, and b

gr

. Heavy

make him

made hi

" she asked, her

"With someone who claims to have new i

t make me

re. Better to

. "I didn't plan to be

r. "You're not my shadow

her-a tremor that wasn't enti

sh what Cole sta

She hesitated for a h

rst time, she didn't feel like she was fa

and silence, Sandy lay awake on a mattress in a

ughter, his teasing, the way he always tried to pr

sat at a desk, studying surveill

in a gray suit, half-hidden in

or D

to be the invisible hand behind dozens of

jaw tensed. The past was catching