gerou

ength of the pentho

ll lingered in the

you to

e wanted to use her. To t

orst

er already

Salvatore DeLuca was untouchabl

re was

drian took her. No rans

or-to-ceiling window,

oice last night. Walk awa

e had

h

eps behind her made

tless," Adr

near the bar, another glass of whiskey in

ing," she

ked. "Dange

u want me to break?" She stopped just short of h

in his cold blue ey

our family. That he's a liar."

ed her for a

aised you." His voice was deceptively smo

tomach twis

ze. "I'm asking

p of whiskey before s

," he

pulse jump

you everything. But when I do

voice sent a shiv

planning to tel

g to make h

w-once she saw it, there

se of t

she kept her expression blank

ad been waiting

for he

locked onto hers. "Are you ready to see t

t her entire life in a world of d

f a cliff, knowing one wrong step wou

the world, Valenti," she sa

there was something else in hi

ee," he

he back of the penthouse. He didn't look back to ch

r only a second befo

dimly lit room. Not an

hing

ith files, photographs

ar

Adrian reached for a file on

man she didn't recognize-tied to a

arco Renzetti. One of my father's closest alli

eath hitched

d in the halls of her father's e

s calm. Controlle

traitor. He w

d. "You expect me to be

le. "No, princess. I expect

a remote and pr

flickered

d playing-Valeria felt

hat Change

e was grainy, the timestamp in the corne

xpression blank. She wouldn't give Adri

voices

man beggin

bound to a chair, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. His right eye was swoll

im stood

ecognized

fa

h hitched, but

a wasn't yellin

as c

pens to those who

is words slurred through the pain

a lump form i

er smile

roven in acti

from his pocket, twirled it between his fing

gged, choking gas

her fists. Her

uted for betraying the family. That he ha

wasn't an

as a w

ed, the scree

between them, heav

d herself to

es-**those piercing, merciless eyes-**wer

softly. "Somewhere d

lowly, hating him

she bit out. "Except th

stepped closer, his voice dropping l

ground. She would

first time

ch side of the war