Page 145 of SINS & Riley

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Her eyes brim, tears balancing on the edge. “Tuscany.”

The name detonates inside me.

It’s not just sound—it’s shrapnel. Lodging in my chest, shredding air, forcing me back a step as my lungs seize.

Three hundred and fifty women and children. Innocent. Fragile. Sitting ducks.

And now? Now they’ve been painted with crosshairs.

Because Tuscany isn’t just geography. It’s a refuge. A new life carved from the ashes. The second chance every single one of them earned ten times over.

And now, it’s a goddamn target.

My pulse hammers, frantic and useless.

And fuck.

My uncle is about to pull the trigger.

And there's not a goddamn thing I can do to stop him.

45

RILEY

“It’s just a quick trip to the coffee shop,” I explain to Boris.

I would’ve preferred Dominic at my side today, but there’s something brewing at the house—something to do with whoever Zver’s meeting with.

And if I’m leaving Chicago again, I’m damn well stopping at my favorite coffee shop and bookstore first. Wig on, Velma glasses in place.

Boris taps the face of my watch. “One hour.”

Normally, I’d beg for more time. But Boris isn’t the teddy bear Dominic is. He’s more like the guy who ate the teddy bear.

“I’ll be close.” He points two fingers at his eyes, then at me. “I’m watching you.”

Yeah. That’s not terrifying at all.

Then he fades back, and gives me space. And for the first time in longer than I can remember, I breathe.

I am going to soak in the afternoon.

Like a normal person.

I mosey around, then scout the vampire romance section.

Strangely, I’ve read most of these already—Zver keeps me stocked up like I’m preparing for a three-year book famine.

I’m about to drift over to the shifter shelves when a woman steps into my path.

I shift right.

She blocks me.

I shift left.

Blocked again.

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