he peaceful vacuum of my own thoughts. But today, the silence was jagged. It was occ

n him; the sharp, bitter scent of fear mixed with the floral notes of too much expensive

bs turn into the sharp, steel lines of the North Side. I felt the weight of my wedding ring, a

lies and her soft laughter. She had been a prize of tradition. Luca? Luca was a prize of war. He was a sac

ll wearing those ridiculous dark glasses. He looked like a child playing dress-up in his father's

tting through the hum of the engine. "The sun isn't out, and I've a

stayed there, a little pile of discarded South

is tongue clumsy from the drugs. "It filters out the parts of this we

spoke to me in whispers or with a stammer. This boy, even when he was half-comatose,

head, fixing my gaze on the side of his face. I wanted to see him crumble. I wanted to see the exact momen

he floor mat as if they were trash. When he looked at me, I saw the storm I'd noticed at the altar. His eyes

swagger that failed miserably because he was vibrating with nerves. "You've go

n't offer a hand. "Don't flatter yourself, Luca," I said, my voice dropping. I wanted him to feel the cold

ping in his neck. He was terrified, but he was fighting it wi

ks I'm his spy,

. I knew Don Santis wouldn't send hi

ut of him. It was the drugs, I suspected. They made him loose

ed his eyes go wild, his body tensing as he tried to pull back further into the leather. He looked like

from me,"

ll," I c

beige jacket. I pulled him toward me until I could smell the terror on his skin. I reached inside the silk lining of his suit, my k

. A small, hard bump

care that I'd probably left a faint red mark on his skin. I held the tiny device between m

of the winter air, then flicked the wire into the street. "Your father is a man of low imagin

ck, breathing hard. He looked smal

all, cracking under the pressure. "Kill me? Throw me out? My

is eyes that no amount of makeup could hide. I saw the way he gr

as an observation. "I could see it in the way you swallow those pills and the way you lo

t. The truth was too heavy f

rive estate. It was a monument of glass and black stone, standing against the crashing waves of

trance. The silent valet opened the door, and the Chicago wi

ng. I stood by the door and watched Luca. He didn't want t

shift in power. He looked at my palm, his eyes narrowing, then he deliberately ignored it. He climb

and trembling as he reached for the handle. He turned to look at me, th

is sarcasm again. "It's a museum. And I'm just the la

pushed the heavy door open, and ushered him into the dark, marble fo

e high ceilings. "The bedroom is upstairs," I said, pointing to the gr

catching in his throat. He looked

want to go up?"

resence alone. I leaned down until my lips were brushing his ear. "Then I'll ca

another pill on you, you'll learn exactl

and started climbing the stairs, his shoulders hunched, heading t

t beginning, and I had a feeling the South had sent me something muc

e most dangerou