e

the

they seemed to suck the light right out of the room. There were no designs on the full-faced mask. It was just a void, a black hole, a vacant space where his face sho

locked on the ring and the insig

e scorre per

uns for th

no famil

om, seeing nothing but gold trim and gilded wallpaper that brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. I knew

a handful of things on the floor where I knelt. Handcuffs caught the light of the impossibly expensive crystal chandelier above our

is voice distorted by th

da

neck so fast I didn’t have time to react. He lifted me off the flo

ed me, and I crumpled to the floor, the zip ties bindi

d to rough up the girls!” a male v

ractically see the shit-eating smirk that followed his words. In re

y shadowed by his figure, his face hidden by another black, faceless mask. He reached down and pinched my lower

m him. His hand met my cheek, and fire erupted o

is dark brown eyes, taking in that familiar face and black hair. Niccolò Marino looked down at me without an ounce of sympathy in his eyes. He rea

answer but needing confirmation to ensure I wasn’t

tment in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. I tripped over my own feet as I locked eyes with an elderly maid. Her uniform smelled sharply of cigarette smoke

’t catch myself with my wrists and ankles bound, so I

and kicked me in the ba

am I

around my shoulders. She roughly pulled my sweater off and unclasped my bra. I shielded myself

time. I shakily stood, tears streaming down my cheeks and along my jaw as she pulled my skirt down

ver a decade ago for my tenth birthday that I always wore around my neck, but it was gone. Pain cracked som

k chemise over my shoulders. I sucked in a ragged breath as she

o,” Niccolò barked from

and I nearly reached out and clasped the woman around the neck. It wouldn’t take much

t problem. It was the dozens of men from every prominent, powerful crime family on the e

fingers around my unbound wrist and pulled, leadin

else did you thi