KristoffI've been in New York for the past two days plus, putting finishing touches to what I've already executed in Tennessee. I would've gone home earlier, but I didn't. I couldn't face Titania. Not after what I've learned in Tennessee.Fucking smart girl. She lied to me. How was I so foolish not to suspect?I know the real truth now, and it's appalling how it all makes perfect sense. Yes, it's still disgusting, but logical. Sickeningly logical.This was never a battle for her to fight from the start. It has always been mine, but that doesn't make me an anti-hero of sorts. I've told her. I'm not her knight in shining armor. I'm not doing this because I have feelings for her.No. I can't dream that far.Running a hand through my hair and down the nape of my hair as I step out of the elevator and survey the club, I heave a sigh of relief and fulfillment. Too many months went into planning this event. Domi Sotto's five-year anniversary party. Everything is already set up, and the gues

TitaniaAs we rush down the hospital corridor, Kristoff holding onto my hand, I remember what my uncle told me the last time I visited. I remember his shaky, excited gestures, his words — firm, fearful, all-knowing. How he had acted so weird. It was as though when I told him that Kristoff had gone to Tennessee to finish Adrian off, he looked relieved. Pleased. As though some heavy burden has been lifted off him. As though Kristoff had absolved him of his guilt. Like he could finally look at me without any lingering clouds in his hazel eyes.All these years passed, and I thought he didn't know. I thought he didn't suspect. I care a lot about him — but with what happened in California, I could not stand to be around him. Which was the main reason I seldom came over to visit him, even though we talked every day. Which was why I never knew he'd begun working for the Mafia. I thought he told me everything, given the bond we share. But that was so hypocritical, even for me.I didn't tell hi

Kristoff“Fuck. Someone's broken in.”Shit. Real fucking shit, because I know who the hell broke in. And it's one hell of a surprise. But it's to be expected, right? Hearing about how much he owes my uncle, I know my brother would go to great lengths to pay back that debt, even if it means breaking into my club and stealing from me without shame.I facepalm, anxious, feeling caught in a fix. Titania watches me carefully, all the fire gone out of her now, her brows arched in confusion. I want nothing but I push her back to the car and drive straight to the mansion. Ensure she's safely inside until this passes. Until she's thinking straight again. But I need to pick up the souvenirs I'd brought back with me from Tennessee. Pete would've left it in my drawer, and I need to get it out of the office. I can't let it stay there past this night. It's dangerous.Titania's having a mental breakdown, and she knows it. She's refusing to accept that the world she's built ever since she left Califo

KristoffThe unexpected impact from the bullet jerks me backward, Titania's banshee scream piercing, bouncing off the walls, back at me, and intensifying the burn. I glance at my arm where there's a deep black hole now in the previously clean-cut jacket, blood gushing out like a stream. It fucking hurts like hell, and when I turn to glare at Harvey, I see that he's looking at it too, his eyes full of remorse and wonder. Like he couldn't believe he'd just handled a gun. Like he couldn't believe he'd just shot his own brother.“Hand the gun over, you wimp,” I bark, extending a hand. He trembles, and I push to my feet in disgust, whisking it away from his grasp. He falls backward on the chair, dazed, his lips parted in shock. I snort, empty the bullets of the gun and toss it into the trash can. It lands with a clatter.“Kristoff, fuck. I didn't mean...oh God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.”“Shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear a single word from you.” I glance back at Titania who's press

TitaniaI wake up the next morning, feeling like a fucked up train wreck. My heart clangs as though it's being pounded, and it's like I didn't get a wink of sleep at all last night. My joints quake as I move, my limbs so tired and heavy. I can't even drag myself out of bed and into the bathroom to brush my teeth and shower. When I eventually manage to stand and get the shower running, I stand in the cool water for a very long time, letting it stream down my body and disappear down the drain — a mixture of white soap suds and pink.I washed the blood out of my hair next. I didn't realize there was much of it on me, and to think I'd slept like that last night is appalling. I should change the sheets, hand them over to a dry cleaner later since I'm too lazy to wash them, and I've got a lot of stuff to sort out around the house. When I'm done, I towel my body dry, change into black shorts and a thin, tank top, then sit on the couch with my phone in hand.I place a dial across to the kind