Page 10 of Corrupted Heart

Dante turns to grin at me before a shadow crosses his face. “Hey—speaking of which, do me a favor.”

My brow arches. “Okayyy?”

“No going out late by yourself right now.”

I frown. “I mean, I don’t, but why?”

He shrugs. “Just lookin’ out for you. I can put some of my guys or some of Vito’s men on your detail?—”

“Hard pass,” I shake my head. “I don’t need bodyguards, and I definitely don’t need any big goons following me around. Not that Madame Kuzmina would even let them into the building during a rehearsal.”

Dante’s mouth turns up a little at the corners, but his demeanor stays scowly.

“What’s going on, Dante?”

His mouth twists. “I just want you to be safe.”

“Bullshit. You’re keeping something from me.” I frown. “You know if you hold out on me, I’ll just get Tempest to flip.”

My older brother exhales heavily. “Fine. There’s just been some reports of…” He lifts a shoulder, his eyes firmly on the road. “There might be a new player in town.”

I swallow uneasily. “Oh?”

Dante frowns. “Yeah. Someone took out two former enforcers for the Carveli family last night.”

My pulse skips. I usually stay out of most things “family”—by which I mean “criminal”. But it’s been impossible to ignore the political drama affecting the Italian mafia world over the last few months, after the Carveli family was basically wiped off the board.

“Took out?”

“Killed, Bianca. Viciously, too. Possibly a drug deal gone bad. But no one in our world typically slashes throats.”

My heart tightens for a second, my blood running cold as it all comes rushing back. The violence. The savagery. The raw power lurking behind the creepy neon smile and crossed-out eyes of that inky mask.

“You know what, it’s probably just some old beef with the Carveli family. I’m done trying to freak my baby sister out.”

I smile weakly. Dante grins at me.

“As if you’re not immune to being freaked out by anything anymore, after all that creepy horror shit you read.”

“True crime.”

Dante rolls his eyes as he pulls up outside of my building. “Whatever. Just be safe out there, okay?”

Once again, my mind flashes back to the events of last night. The blood and the violence. The raw power in his huge arms and shoulders. The sinister blackness behind his mask, like ink pooling in water.

…The sinful dreams that chased me all night afterward.

“Bianca—”

“Relax, Dante,” I grin as I open the Range Rover’s door. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled for murderous psychos.”

His jaw tightens. “Bianca?—”

“I’ll be fine, Dante. Hi to Tempest for me. Bye.”

3

BIANCA

---