ana'

deas, dismissing others, then starting over again. The plan had to

a fortress. The neon lights cast an eerie glow on everything, making everything loo

edger, and get out. Easy, right? Except it wasn't. Not

I muttered, glancing at I

ted him. I knew he hated me. And now, here we were, pretending to be something we wer

l, but there was a sharpness underneath it that told m

y lip to keep from saying

touches on our makeup. She was a genius when it came to

," she said with a smile as she stepped

someone I didn't even recognize-my hair pulled back, makeup done in a way that made

i teased, her voice laced with amuseme

s no longer just Adriana Moretti, the daughter of the mafia. I was someon

an-shaven. He looked younger, softer, as if he were a completely different person. It was almost a shock to see h

every movement, as we walked through the sleek, polished lobby. I hated the way his proximit

e of the games, the chatter, the clinking of chips, all of i

y. Ivan took the seat beside me, his post

you two," a voice

e. His voice was low, controlled, like everything about him. And I could feel the

rst," Ivan said, his voi

us. I hated this, hated that we were being watched, hated the fact that Ivan w

nd I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. The moment he settled, I

or a while," he repeated, his

ng I needed right now was for this man to figure out that we were

d away, but then, without warning, his fingers brushed mine, and he kept them there. The touch

he cards in my hand. But my mind was screaming at me to move,

I di

med that this was wrong. We were pretending, pretendin

with something I couldn't ignore. My pulse quickened, my breath shallow, as I tried to foc

, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes. I was

n. We couldn't afford to get distracted. But even as I to

lsewhere. Romano was watching us, his gaze never leaving us for a second, a

leaned closer, and in one swift

It was soft, almost gentle, but I could feel the pressure of his lips, the inte

hate

way my heart raced. I hated that it felt like I had no control over

him across the face and tell him to

afford to get caught. We couldn't a

d longer, then Ivan pulled away, h

l him everything I was feeling, b

f trying to gauge our next move. I didn't know if he believed

he kiss had been nothing, just a part of the game, right? B

t I didn't know