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Prologue

This day was turning out to be the strangest day of all days It all started when I overheardnew My father had said so et a divorce Then the mafia families showed up, one of which was my dad’s sworn enemy and they locked themselves in oing on; desperate to knohat on earth they could all be doing together

“What do you think they’re doing in there? Soal I bet,” I say to h theThe wooden box I’h up that, even onexcept the tops of people’s heads through the

Layton shrugs, glancing nervously around the backyard “I don’t know Lola, and honestly, I don’t really care”

I peek over my shoulder at him “Your dad and mom are in there, too, you know You have to be curious what they’re doing All of theether It’s weird”

“Not really” He shakes his head and stuffs his hands into his pockets

Layton is unlike uys I know He acts older, h I won’t ads I like about hirown up and takes care of et myself into trouble, which I’ll admit, is a lot

The longer I stare at him, theive him “the look”

“Lola, please don’t look at h “I know you want to knohat they’re doing in there, but…” He es the back of his neck tensely “Didn’t you notice they were all carrying guns?”

I shrug as I hop off the box and dust the dirt off uns That’s what they do”

“Yeah, but…” He seeain There are so many places for someone to hide back here The yard is over-flourished with trees, shrubbery, a srass; so I don’t get what he’s expecting to see

Sighing, he leans in and lowers his voice, his silver-grey eyes filled orry “They’re all in there together My dad and uys, even the Defontelles are in there There has to be soerous You know they just don’t meet up like that” He ss hard “In fact, the last tiot killed”

“How do you know that?” I wonder I rarely know anything about my mother and father’s business world, and what I do know is frouns—they’re always carrying theal

“My dad tellsanother word, he grabs uides me over to the trees, away froo of round and stares at the land “Sometimes I wish he wouldn’t”

Confused, I sit down beside his “Sometimes you wish he wouldn’t what?”

He picks at the grass “Tell oing to have to grow up to be”

“You don’t have to be anything but what you want to be” I grab his hand and hold onto it

He shakes his head, staring down at our fingers laced together “I have to, Lola I don’t have another choice It’s my destiny, or whatever, to live here, die here, and do exactly what my father does” He seeer’s body

I sit there, listening to the wind blow, the grass dancing with the breeze “We could always run away together,” I suggest “You and I If they can’t find you, they can’t make you take over the family business”

He glances up at me, and for the briefest instant, he looks like he’s considering it, but then he frowns “If I ran away from it, then it’d all fall on e of things…?” He laughs, but it sounds co “That’d be a et himself killed in a day”

“He could change He’s only twelve right now” Layton gives me a sad look, however before he can protest, I add, “Just think about it”

He hesitates then nods “Okay, I will”

I don’t believe him Layton is the most loyal person I know, and I doubt he’ll ever actually run away and bail out on his fa to run away froer brother when he dies, not me

“We should go do soive Layton’s hand a squeeze

“Like what?”

“I don’t know… et into” I smile the smile I know he can’t say no to

He tries to restrain a grin, but it eventually slips through Then he gets up and pullshands, Layton’swith each step

“We should do this all the ti

“Hold hands?” I question “But then, wouldn’t people think ere like dating or so?”

He shrugs “So what if they did?”

I look at hih; which confuses the shit out of me I mean, we’ve been best friends for al, with dark hair and gorgeous eyes—a lot of the girls at ht of hiht of anyone that way honestly, ain that I’ets so intense about uys that I swear she hates men

I’m about to slip my hand out of Layton’s when I suddenly hear a screa from—the front area of the house

“Just wait aate “Lola, wait! You can’t just…” He trails off as he rounds the side of the house, just steps behind me

I’ve stopped dead inin the driveway,her lifeless body in his ar, tears already pouring out of my eyes

“What happened?” I ask my fathe