Rise of the De Langes

The Five Families thought the war was over. They have no idea, I'm the very beginning. I kidnapped her to prove a point—at knife point, it seemed sharper that way. See what I did there? I used the perfect virginal daughter from one of the most powerful Families in the Cosa Nostra to fix the broken pieces, knowing that in the process—I'd spread hers for the world to see. I would embarrass her, shame her, use her, but I would never touch her…my one and only vow to her father in exchange for his allegiance.

The day I buried my boyfriend, the Families replaced him with the man who rejected me four years ago—Ace "Matchstick" De Lange. Cold. Calculated. Deadly. He has the bedside manner of a serial killer and the looks of a fallen angel. And now, he's my shadow, ensuring I don't end up in the grave beside the man who died for me. I despise that I'm the one left behind. I loathe how Ace provokes me, pulling me from the abyss of my sorrow. But most of all, I hate that the only piece I have left of my dead boyfriend is something others would kill to possess.

Careful little eyes what you see. Careful little ears what you hear. Careful... His breath hit my neck, lips brushing skin. "Little mouth what you say. Then again, yours has been doing a lot lately, hasn't it?" All it took was one phrase—"Wanna play a game?"—and I was already losing. To the enemy. To a Tinder date gone violently wrong. To the Syndicate's most dangerous heir. It was supposed to be my last middle finger to the establishment before they sacrificed me on the family altar of arranged marriage. So I took control. I made the rules. I chose the husband. Louis De Lange.