by J. L. Drake
“Where to?” He started to drive. “Your mother’s hotel?”
“No.” I stared out the window, mentally filing away every little aspect of this place. “I booked myself a room by the water just outside of town.” I handed him the address, and he glanced at me in the mirror.
“That’s near the train station. Sienna, are you thinking of leaving? Because despite what happened, you’re still at a huge risk.”
“I’m thinking I need some time alone, and that’s the perfect place.” I tugged at my thin sweater, feeling a cold touch brush over my sensitive skin. “I promise I won’t leave without a word.”
I wouldn’t do that, not when I knew the risks.
“Very well.”
I settled into the seat and let my tears fall, not caring that I wasn’t alone. I hurt, and I was tired of hiding it. I plucked the tiny velvet bag from the corner pocket of my purse, and with two fingers wiggled out the ring and glared at my own birth date that was imprinted there next to my father’s. I let it drop onto my lap as if it burned. How could such a tiny thing change my entire life?
To Elizabeth Clark and Jamie Johnson for spinning with me for hours and for letting me ask endless mafia questions at all hours of the day.
To Christina DeTori for beta reading and helping me keep my dark side at the surface.
To Rachel Womack for all her help with Italian foods.
To my mother for once again being my person while I write my beloved stories.
To Kim Kelchner and Veronica Lane Nelson for always being there and for being such a huge part of the Blackstone Reader Group.
To Cody Hale and Lori Rossi for the Italian research, videos, and photos.
To editor Lori Whitwam for rocking another book with me.
To my street team for reading and reviewing my work early, helping me catch mistakes, and for your endless support.
To my reader group for always being a safe, fun, wild place to hang out.
And of course, to my readers. Without you, where would I be?
I thank you!
A peek at what's to come in
Ugo gripped the top of my arm as I swayed in fear in front of a sign that read Dager’s Den.
“Why here?” I couldn’t look at him.
“Because,” I heard him rub his face, annoyed with my questions, “she’s like clockwork. She’d never miss a day to flaunt her power to the other men.”
Sweet Lord.
“I think I might faint.”
He cut me a quick glance then shook his head and cursed.
My entire body froze with fear, and my eyes went wide at the sound of the handle being pulled. The door opened to reveal a woman with eyes as black as coal in a face with skin so white it almost glowed. Her dark hair was pulled tightly back into a bun, and a pair of glasses hung from the collar of her blue blouse. Her perfectly ironed gray slacks stopped at her ankles just above her small-heeled boots. Both hands rested on a glass ball that sat on the top of her black cane. I felt like I had been transported directly into a nasty scene from a Disney movie.
“Ugo.” She only spoke his name then closed her eyes slowly, and when they opened again, they were on me. I stepped back, but Ugo pressed me forward, rooting me back in place. She was like a cobra only inches from my face. It made me want to run and scream at the same time, but my brain seemed to have shorted out at the simultaneous commands.
So, I just stared.
“Nonna Michele,” Ugo addressed her, and I felt him look down at me, “I want you to meet someone.”
A cold chill passed through my body, and I became lightheaded as my heartbeat pulsed in my ears. “This is Theo’s Alessia, your granddaughter.”
She lifted her eyes to stare at him for a brief moment then turned those black pools back to me. Her colorless lips pressed into a hard line as she tried to see inside my soul.
“Prove it.”
I stood frozen, completely unable to respond. She had awakened such a deep fear inside of me I was completely at her mercy.
Ugo reached for my hand and held it up to show her the ring.
She grabbed my hand between her icy fingers and held it close to her face. She closed one eye and twisted the band around and gave a low gasp.
“Impossible.”
Coming March 24, 2022
J.L. Drake was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to southern California. Though she loves the weather in Cali, she would sell her left kidney for a good rainstorm. Jodi’s love of the seasons back home in Canada definitely appear in her books.
When she’s not writing, you can often find her sitting somewhere along the coast of Huntington Beach, reading, or at home curled up on a couch with her two children and husband, binge watching Marvel movies.
Authorjldrake.com
Broken
Shattered
Mended
Honor
Escape
Freedom
Courage
Trigger
Demons
Unleashed
Darkness Lurks
Darkness Follows
Darkness Falls
Behind My Words
Christmas at the Cabin
Quiet Wealth
Quiet Secrets
Quiet Power (Coming March 24, 2022)
Want to know about a cool cross over?
Simply turn the page!
When Two Worlds Collide
When two authors become so close, their fictional stories sometimes cross over, making their worlds collide.
Wide-release author J.L. Drake crosses worlds with KU author Vivian Fiano, merging a mafia boss with an obsessive stalker.
You just met Cavaliere Bianco, the obsessive stalker who will stop at nothing to get the woman he wants. To read more about his story and those who are caught in his crossfire, check out Seductive Prey, book 1 of The Relentless Trilogy.
Seductive Prey
Graceful Abduction
Delicate Recovery
Contents
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Pronunciation of Main Cast
Main Cast
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Acknowledgments
A peek at what's to come in
About the Author
Books By J.L. Drake
When Two Wolds Collide
Landmarks
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Beginning
About the Author
Books By J.L. Drake
