Chapter One
Gabriel
Istare down at the cold, blue face of the dead body. John Simmons. Some asshole who thought he could kill me, so I killed him first by sticking his face under water and drowning him. The small bathroom I’m in is covered in water. But at least there won’t be any traces of my DNA behind. Nothing to link me to this murder.
I’ve been in hiding for the past couple years, ever since I went after Luca Moretti, a fellow Italian mafia man. I wanted his power, his territory, and even his wife. It’s not that I had feelings for the woman. Nina. Not at all. It’s that I wanted her just to upset Luca.
Luca represents everything I never had. I never grew up with money or status or love. Luca was born into the mafia world. His father gave him everything to succeed whereas I was given nothing. I had to work and claw my way up to the top only to be beaten by Luca and forced into hiding to save my life. He has teamed up with Alek Morozov and Dimitri Ivanov, the Bratva, in hunting me down. So far, I’ve evaded them. But they’ll catch up to me eventually and then I’ll have to figure out how to stop them.
So for now, I’m taking it one day at a time.
John Simmons was sent to kill me. A hitman from Luca. A gift if you will. But it was easy to kill John. I’ve been on high alert ever since I went into hiding, waiting for a hitman to strike. I got one over John and drowned his ass in the bathtub of the small apartment I’m in.
I still have my money. I could buy myself a nicer place. Maybe it’s time. Time to hire guards again. Time to get back into business. Time to make a name for myself once more.
Luca has tried striking fear inside of me for the past two years. Now it’s time for me to strike fear inside him. I was able to do it before. I know I can do it again.
I leave John behind and go to the nearest hardware store to buy tarp so I can wrap his body up and throw it in the ocean. But as I’m walking through the hardware store, the glint of knives catches my eyes and I can’t help myself. I grab one. It’s large. A butcher knife.
Perfect for cutting off a body part and sending it to Luca as a threat. Let him know I’m coming for him.
When I get back home, I lay John’s body in the tarp before I cut off his hand. That will make it easy for Luca to identify John. Know it was me. I wrap the hand in plastic and, feeling funny, place it inside a box filled with bubble wrap. Let Luca have fun popping it when he gets this hand.
I think it’s time I go back to the way I was. Killing people. Instilling fear inside of them. Butchering people and leaving their body parts behind as a warning to not mess with me.
This time though, I won’t go after Luca’s wife. Oh no. Nina will make things messy. Luca cares too much for her. It will make him wild and there’s a chance I could end up dead, which is the last thing I want.
I have to be smart about this. If I want to make a splash in Luca’s life, I need to go after someone that will hurt him without making him reckless enough to kill me. Someone like…
A sister. Except Luca doesn’t have any sisters. His mother isn’t around anymore. He doesn’t have any other women in his life he cares about other than Nina. No brothers or father either. His father is dead and he never had any brothers.
I pace around the room, running my hand over my brown hair. It’s gotten long and I should cut it before entering society again. I want to make a good impression.
There has to be someone that I could take that would impact Luca’s life. A taste of revenge for trying to kill me. For sending me into hiding.
That’s when the thought hits me.
Luca may not have a sister… but Nina does. I remember seeing Nina’s sister when I kidnapped Nina but I didn’t pay her sister much attention. Nina was who I was after.
Does Luca care for his sister-in-law? Even if he doesn’t, I’m sure his wife cares for her sister. If she was taken, it could put a strain on Luca and Nina’s relationship. Perfect.
Now, I just have to do some digging. I can’t remember the sister’s name. But I will find her and let the entire world know that I am back and more dangerous than ever.
Susanna
It’s my twentieth birthday. I have always loved my birthday because it’s the day that everyone celebrates me. They have to. They have no choice.
Since it’s my twentieth, which means I’m officially no longer a teenager, I want to make a splash. Which is why I have hired a party planner to deck out my mother’s house to the full extreme. I want this party to be elegant. A way to introduce me into society as an adult. I’m no longer a vapid teenager. I’m a woman grown.
Which is why it’s frustrating when the caterers arrive with the food and everything is wrong.
“What is this?” I demand, tossing my hand down at the roasted chicken.
The caterer, a woman named Francis – an unfortunate name really – looks at the chicken and back at me with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“This!” I pick a piece of rosemary off the chicken. “I hate rosemary. I made that perfectly clear. I can’t eat this.”
“But rosemary and chicken go great together.”
