Raphella Scarlatti is the cherished, caged treasure of the powerful Scarlatti crime family. Protected—and smothered—by her five formidable older brothers (Vincenzo, the heir; Luca, the strategist; Marcello, the enforcer; Dante, the wildcard; and Gabe, the charmer), she yearns for a life beyond their gilded fortress. Her world cracks when she confesses her long-hidden love for Alexander "Lex" Conti, her oldest brother's best friend and the only man who ever treated her as an equal. Their forbidden passion is a spark in a tinderbox.

⚠️ Trigger Warning ⚠️ This book contains explicit sexual content 🍑 and graphic violence 🔪💥. Reader discretion is strongly advised. ——————————————————————— “No… no, no, no…” My voice cracked as I reached for her hand, my fingers shaking uncontrollably. “Stay with me, baby. Please. Don’t you dare leave me.” I tried to pull her closer, but my strength was slipping fast. Every breath burned through my chest, and the world around me was starting to tilt. Our hands were slippery, warm, and I felt her going still in my arms. Her eyes were closed. Her chest wasn’t rising. My vision blurred as I pressed my forehead to hers, a broken sound tearing out of me. “Not you. Not again…” My mother’s face flashed through my mind, the loss, the helplessness — the nightmare repeating itself. “I can’t lose you too, Isabella,” I whispered, voice barely there. “I can’t…” My arm dropped beside her. My body began to give out, the weakness dragging me under. The last thing I saw before everything faded was her face — the girl I loved, the only light I had left — lying motionless beside me. And then darkness swallowed me whole.