a Harri

er, aged scotch, and Elia Harrison's signature Cuban cigars hung thick in the air. This room was

offer comfort; she offered a

ed, her voice a raspy,

bootlegging turf wars, a numbered Swiss bank account, and bearer bonds for l

id, her dark eyes locking onto mine. "You wil

n naive enough to accept it openly, only to have Karly and he

"A list this valuable is safer with you. In a house like this, secrets h

tened the harsh lines of her face. "Smart girl," she murmured. "I will send my mos

k her, the study do

their faces twisted with greedy indigna

fia decorum. "Karly is marrying Barrett! She is a Harrison

n sanctuary was a death wish. Elia didn't yell. She didn't even stand up. She merely

a thin, pathetic sheet of paper-Karly's original,

ghter and touched the flame to the corner of the parchment. We watched in dead silenc

pping to a lethal whisper. "Now she has nothing

ite. They stumbled backward and fled the room, their petty rebellio

y the night of August eighth, the

silk drapes, a massive four-poster bed, and the cloying stench of expensive lilies.

nds of the Gallo Don's rage echoed through the hallway.

hick carpet. "Miss Isabella, the Don is furious. Kyle..

tic calculation. "They say he's with his mistress. G

is father's iron rule. He thought his absence was a weapon against me, completely oblivious to the fact that

ght, and pulled the heavy veil from

of any heartbreak. I turned my back to the door. "Help