Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
I was better than this. I was stronger than this.
The phantom feel of fire licking over my skin, and the smell of charred flesh was enough to cauterize whatever warmth Adrian’s memory had left behind.
I had a plan. A meticulous, patient, devastating plan. My husband—the man who destroyed everything I had, who stole every bit of happiness in my life—would break.
His impending fall was inevitable.
Adrian Salvatore would die.
I was going to make sure of that.
With a frustrated sigh, I stood and crossed to the window of my hotel room, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. Darkness stretched beyond it, the streets below nearly lifeless at this late hour.
I had moved again this morning, trading one motel for another in Monaco. It was beautiful here. I loved the city, the glittering coastline, the quiet luxury… and the illusion of safety.
But I couldn’t stay.
I had already overstayed my welcome.
I knew Adrian would find me again, if he hadn’t already.
I kept moving because despite how much I hated to admit it, some twisted part of me had been enjoying the chase. The constant movement, the pure adrenaline, and the sick knowledge that my husband was tearing through countries and every hiding place I could find just to catch a glimpse of me… to simply watch me as he kept his distance.
But Adrian wasn’t the only reason I was running.
No… I was running because I possessed something Matteo wanted, something he needed. Something I had lied to him about.
Matteo Salvatore didn’t like liars or traitors. And I was both.
Fortunately for me, the only reason I was still breathing was because whatever I knew was worth more to him than my death. I suspected that once he got what he wanted, no amount of distance between us could keep me safe.
Maybe not even his brother could save me.
Once, I had begrudgingly partnered with him to ruin my husband. In my desperation, I had willingly stepped into Matteo’s vicious game. I thought I could use one monster to bring down another monster.
I was wrong.
It was too late when I realized Matteo was every bit as ruthless and evil as his younger brother. No… he was perhaps worse. But I had already been too deeply entangled to walk away.
I had been a fool to trust him, to play his game.
And I paid the price.
The thing was, I lied to his face, and I thought I could get away with it.
Except, men like Matteo and Adrian—there was no escaping them.
There was something almost poetic… well, ironic, about being hunted by both Salvatore brothers.
Though, for two very different reasons.
Adrian wanted answers… and revenge for what I did to him.
Matteo wanted something far more dangerous. One tiny piece of information I had kept buried.
A secret I had guarded through lies, false identities, and one effective escape after another.
And Matteo was so desperate, he was willing to burn the world down to get it.
Because only I knew where it was.
And unfortunately for me, I was the only person who could give it—her—to him.
An unfamiliar sound interrupted my thoughts.
A rustle.
I went completely still. A soft rustling noise came from the hallway. A gentle thud and the faintest creak of weight shifting on hardwood.
Someone was outside my door.
I turned slowly, every nerve in my body pulling taut. I chose the motel because it was quaint and safe; it wasn’t a place where people wandered the halls at three in the morning.
And then there was a knock.
One small, precise rap against the door.
I moved, and my hand found the gun on my nightstand before my mind could finish processing the sound. The weight was cold and familiar in my palm as I moved to the door on silent feet, pressing my back against the wall beside the frame before I took a quick peek through the peephole.
I found nobody there. The corridor was empty, lit by the dim amber lighting.
I waited and slowly counted to thirty in my head. The silence remained. There was no shadow or retreating figure, no more rustling, and not another knock.
With the gun raised in my hand, I turned the handle and pulled the door open just enough to peer outside. The hallway was lifeless, but something else caught my eyes.
On the carpet directly in front of my door, there was a rectangular package. Plain brown paper, no markings, no label, roughly the size of a shoebox.
A package for me.
A package I didn’t order.
I scanned both ends of the corridor again but found it as empty as it had been when I peeked through the peephole. Whoever had delivered this package was already gone.
I picked it up. The weight was slightly heavier than I had expected, and whatever was inside shifted with a dull thud when I tilted the box. It didn’t sound fragile or delicate. It was dense and thick.