1. The Lies We Told

Chapter 1

The Lies We Told

Lilyanna

5 years ago…

I did something heinous years ago. I killed powerful men long before I met my husband Liam, and I've been running ever since. But they found me, and now they want me to play their games as penance for my escape. I have to spill the blood of people who went against their orders while abiding by the rules of their game, or else Liam dies.

I don't even know how to tell him I have a list of people to kill. How do I tell this perfect man, My Romeo, that I'm a ruthless killer with an appetite for blood and now his life is on the line? How the fuck do I tell him without losing him? I can't lose him; he's my lifeline.

They will have to kill me before I ever give him up. I've been hiding my identity for far too long. I got comfortable with my new life and the person I've become.

Getting comfortable was my first mistake. I should've known better, that they would stop at nothing to find me and force me to play their games by holding the man I love over my head.

With the information I keep close to my chest and the diamonds I have hidden, I could end them, but doing that will cost me everything. They have proof of the men I killed.

But no matter the cost, they will never get me back. I will never return to that life. I was their greatest weapon, but I was also the one puppet they couldn't control.

If I have to play their games, I'll do it while hunting them on the sidelines. Like the ghost they created, I'll hide in the shadows.

These monsters won't get away with all they have done, and they will not touch my perfect Romeo. He's mine!

I sit here in my car, too afraid to go inside and tell the man I love that our story has been a lie. That I'm not who I say I am.

How the fuck can I spin this? How can I reveal to him that I am the daughter of the infamous Mafia Queen Vasalise Bendetti? That I was abducted at twelve years old, traded to the highest bidder and shaped into a remorseless murderer with no respect for human existence.

Can I preserve the affection between us?

FUCK!

This is going to be one hell of a first fucking Devil's Night that he will never forget.

Liam

My sweet Lilyanna doesn't have any idea the kind of life I led before we met. She has no clue how many souls I've taken over the years, just for shits and giggles.

When I got out of the military eight years ago, I went on a little killing spree; not enough to draw too much attention to myself, but enough to earn me the nickname "Reaper" amongst the more ‘undesirable' crowd.

Little did I know, someone was watching me all those years ago, and now it's coming back to bite me in the ass.

How am I supposed to look the woman I love in the eyes and tell her that our lives are about to be turned upside down, and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it? My past has caught up to me and I'm not sure how I am going to protect her from the chaos I created all those years ago.

The day that I met my wife, I vowed to never take another life, and I've stayed true to my promise for the past three years.

Now? I don't have a choice in the matter. The biggest kicker? The sick fucks have demanded that my sweet Tigerlily take part in the killings, and if she doesn't, they will kill her and make me watch. I've been given a list of people that need to pay for their sins, and I'm expected to reap their souls tonight-Devil's Night.

I've heard rumors about these people for most of my life but was lucky enough to stay off their radar. Or so I thought.

Devil's Night is about to be a night she will never forget. I just hope it doesn't taint both our souls to the point of no return.