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My mouth falls open.
My father turns back to me, his eyes shooting daggers, silent and accusatory. “Did you do this?”hangs silently in the air between us.
I want to bite his head off so badly that it makes my teeth ache. How could he think such a thing?
He pushes past Edgar and grabs Ben’s body, roughly jerking his shoulders.
“Ben! Ben! Wake up!”
I slowly back away from the scene, until I’m draped in shadow, horrified by the image of him lying prone on the floor. I felt my heart pound in my chest, thumping hard in time with his mother’s wailing.
My back collides with something solid, making mefreeze. The warmth of the body permeates my body, causing me to shiver.
Suddenly, a familiar voice speaks into my ear.
“Hello, Antonella.”
I felt my toes curl in my heels. That delicious, spicy cologne works its way straight into my brain. Before I have a chance to turn around, he spins me and cups my face.
I stare deep into the black eyes of my dark stranger.
I feel my heart thunder in my chest. The world around me grows darker the longer I stare into those eyes. My body feels weightless, like I’m floating on clouds. I sag a little forward, growing more tired the longer the yelling behind us continues.
“Sleep,” he says to me quietly.
It’s the last thing I remember before everything turned black.
CHAPTERFIVE
Ilean back into my leather couch and watch Antonella’s chest rise and fall in slow succession. I grip the coffee cup in my hand, hot against my knee where it rests.
She is gorgeous—despite that cupcake of a wedding dress that she’s wearing. She looks beautiful, of course, but it doesn’t suit her at all. Her usual style is much more refined than this. Sleek. Designer.
It’s still so much better to see her in daylight rather than in the dank of a dark alleyway behind a sleazy bar. The smell of booze and cigarettes lingering in the air while I tried to breathe in Antonella’s intoxicating perfume was more than distracting.
From here, I can see her heart-shaped face properly, pressed into the arm that she is resting on. Her long eyelashes fan over her curved cheekbones, and her plush lips make me want to run my thumb over them.
My grip tightens on the cup, willing myself to stay put and behave.
Behind me, the door to my office opens. I tear my gaze away from Antonella and look over to see my cousin, Ava, heading over to me. Her honey-colored hair is pinned back from her face with two barrettes.
As my underboss, Ava isn’t your typical right-hand. Her soft features cover up her deadly charm. She knows how to use it against our enemies and lull them into a false sense of security. It makes it so simple for her to slip something into their drinks without them noticing.
The perfect viper.
Her dark eyes fix onto Antonella’s sleeping form. “She’s still out?”
I nod. “You used the powder.”
Ava nodded. “I gave it to her before they all left for the church.”
“She should wake soon, then.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ava put her hands on her hips. “You could finish up the rest of your paperwork.”
I wave my hand dismissively. “She looks peaceful like this. I don’t want to disturb her.”
“You haven’t done anything since we got here.”
