CaraThe grounds surrounding the Khazan mansion are like a pristine, manicured forest. Gravel paths snake through patches of flowers, shaped bushes, benches near bubbling fountains, at least one pool set beside a series of hot tubs, and a dock on the lake with several boats tied off.I find a chair near the water. The smell of kelp and algal bloom blows in with the breeze and I let it comb through my hair. I stare at my finger, now ringless, and I feel strangely naked without it.I want to wear my ring. I love my engagement ring, and the wedding ring means something to me even if it's a symbol of a fake relationship.It pisses me off to no end that he refuses to put his on, even if only to satisfy me."I thought you'd be jetting off somewhere warm and exciting by now," a woman's voice says nearby. I jump slightly and look back to see Helen coming toward me. She's smiling, her hair pulled back in a chic bun, wearing white pants I could never pull off in a million years and a lightweigh

ErosI suck at the last of the whiskey. Exhaustion weighs me down as the sun rises outside of my office window. Birds sing in a nearby tree. I keep hearing the gunshots, the many gunshots from the night before as I went through my family and purged all of the traitors.So many dead. So many wasted lives.It would be easy to blame Cara, but she was only the catalyst, and a weak catalyst at that. This unrest had been simmering for some time now, and she was simply the most convenient excuse.I'll have to find a new captain to take over for Zale. I suspect Alonzo will be a good choice—I spared his life, and he's intensely aware that he owes me his continued existence. I need strong men, loyal men, in positions of power.I smell like alcohol and blood. I need to shower for an eternity to wash away the sins I've committed, but there's no cleansing me.There's a knock at the door. "Come," I say wearily.It opens a crack and Cara steps inside. She's wearing her work outfit, the diner's unifo

CaraThe guards don't try to stop me as I walk down the long driveway, tears streaming down my face.I don't look at the trees, at the bushes, even at the ground. I keep my chin up, my eyes forward, and my hands balled into fists.None of this is mine. None of it ever will be.This was a joke from the beginning. I let myself be seduced by him, by his words, by that stupid nickname, by the way he kissed me and fucked me. I let myself start to think this could work.I was always lying to myself.Eros is what he is—a mafia lord.Maybe not as bad as Christopher, but heartless.He'll never care about me the way I was beginning to care about him.He'll never love me.Once I'm past the guard house and beyond the gate, I let the emotions swell and crash through me. Tears roll down my face. I feel silly as I walk along the early morning sidewalk crying like a child. I have to pause on a bench and bury my face in my hands, my body shuddering. A nice older man asks if I'm okay, and I tell him th

ErosHelen arrives to take over with Cara. The two of them sit shoulder to shoulder in the living room drinking wine while Real Housewives shout at each other on the flat screen.I find Lycus downstairs. "Situation," I bark at him. I'm on edge, itching to find my enemies, but Cara's words keep playing through my head. This is fake, it's fake, it'll never be more than what it is.No matter what I want. No matter how I feel.Several of my captains and soldiers stand at attention, looking grim."Cameras got the shooting," Lycus reports. "We have the plates and we're running them now.""No need to wait for the results. It was the Italians." I look around and nobody argues. "Get a squad together. Reliable men, good men. I want you to lead them personally."Lycus nods sharply. "Consider it done. What's the target?""Burn Conti's house to the fucking ground."There's a long moment of silence. They stare at me, saying nothing, as the gravity of my orders falls on them.For years, residential

CaraHelen comes down from the house. I introduce her to Phel, pour her some champagne, and listen to her stories about Eros and the other mafia guys. Most of them are funny, if a little violent, and Phel gets along with her perfectly."You know, Cara, I noticed something recently." Helen gives me a sidelong grin. "You and Eros haven't been talking much."I look down at my hands. "I don't know what you mean.""Come on, there's trouble. Is it stress from—" She stops herself, glancing at Phel. "You know, what happened?""That's not ominous," Phel says. "I know about the diner.""It's that and it's a lot more." I stretch my legs, sighing. "Things are complicated between us. You know, my ex-husband, the whole Italian thing, the divorce, the paperwork—""Paperwork?" Helen raises her eyebrows.I grimace. I shouldn't have said anything about that—we're still trying to keep it a secret. "Just stupid divorce stuff. He's been so busy with his, uh, business that it's like he doesn't live here."