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DeLuca

The buildings on either side ofto breathe as the air whips around me It’s crisp, with a breeze so sharp it feels like pinpricks along the skin of my face and hands My body is covered in all black, fros to the thick winter coat, its collar turned up I watch the area, checking for any passersby who ht notice my presence Luckily, this is an inner-city job, and in Desolation, New York, no one ever minds anyone else’s business Eyes forward, no distractions or encounters with each other That’s how this place has always been, and that’s why I call it home

Moving across the street, I head into the alley and step behind the first dumpster just a few feet fro back the brief niggle of guilt I still feel every time I’m about to break the Hippocratic Oath—to do no haro Taxis honk and screech, heels of pedestrians clicking on the sidewalks surroundingon the job that needs to be done

I’m here to kill the woman who betrayed one of the leaders of The Ruin—a consortiuanized crial aspects of humanity Arabella has threatened to expose our world outside of Desolation, and I can’t let that happen I’m not particularly a fan of Ferro Fetulli, her husband and one of the highest-ranking men in the Cosa Nostra, but it’s a paid job, and I don’t ask questions My world is threatened,I could be taken doith it And that simply can’t happen

The sleek car they toldin pulls to a stop at the curb, just beside the alley that leads to a private entrance to her penthouse I wait and watch as the car drives away She has yet to turn around and show me her face It’s as if she senses me

Her eyes follow the car as it leaves, finally showingthickly, taking an involuntary step toward her She’s stunning, a rare sort of beauty, almost old Hollywood, made for the silver screen

Dropping her head, she releases a breath, and I release one in tandem

Get your head in the game, DeLuca She’s the enemy

Before this thought can course throughme a clear view of her face This exquisite creature stands just a few feet away fronites with a flame that’s unlike any I’ve ever felt, let alone the one that sparks right before I attack No, this is a fire telling me I need to claim what’s mine

I don’t have time to think or hesitate I pull the hood fro it to her in five strides Just as she’s about to reach for the handle of the door that’s set into the brick building, I slide the murky material over her dark hair and down over her head I claainst me as I move backward toward an alcove where we can’t be seen, but she’s no th

I hit the button on h “Yes, sir?”