Lethal Love

rs, curling lazily through the dimly lit back room

dark tendrils across the polished mahogany table. I sat in the middle of it all, feelin

e was etched with the lines of age and power, a man wh

sharp. Around him, his most trusted men lingered like shadows, thei

son. I was Luca, the heir. The next in line to carry the Romano l

r greatest enemy. Tonight, though, felt different. Darker. The tensi

ther finally said, his voice a low growl

the Ferraras. If it isn't him, it's s

the streets of Verona. The Ferrara and Romano fami

ove was a chess piece on a bloodstained board, an

us for as long as I could remember. Loyal. Or so I thought. But l

ad started to get louder.My father pushed an envelop

u'll get on the next flight. My contacts there will take you to where he was last seen," he said

ty lay-or he would meet the consequences. This wasn't just a famil

ath sentence.I sat up straighter, keeping my expr

is eyes gleamed with somethin

lies. Make sure he gets it." The words were l

any weakness, if I hesitated, I'd lose more t

ir back and stood. My father's voice,

his table, Luca. Show

ut onto the streets of Verona. The city, with all

ver escape from.I pulled out my phone, dialing the one person

first thing I heard was the noise of peop

ulling the phone away from

early intoxicated. I pinched the b

urprise to me anymore, but tonight

me. We have so

Marco spoke again, his voice was sharp,

ossed t

t, but then the words spil

eant. In our world, betrayal wasn't a word thrown around l

is tall figure standing like a sentinel in front of the building. H

side my apartment, we grabbed what we needed-cash, knives, g

y spine, but I buried it. If I showed weakness now,

eak. Unreliable. I couldn't a

or this?" Marco asked, br

doorway, his eyes dark with

the knives, letting the we

If I don't do t

urous, the hum of the engines doing litt

but the weight of what I had to do foll

nce as we made our way to a small bar downtown. It was a hole-in-the-wall, th

ing the room with quick, practiced eyes. That's w

t me, his gaze focused ahead, but some

re was a charge in the air, like we'd just cross

in a dingy apartment on the edge of the city, a place so far remov

was sitting alone, a bottle of

s bloodshot and full of something tha

aid quietly, my voice carrying the

ought I saw a flicker of recognition, o

hed on, heavy and thick, unt

eside me, wat

ough I wasn't sure who I was

the shot