Twisted Loyalties (The Camorra Chronicles, #1)

by Cora Reilly

I stared up at the night sky and began reciting the oath I’d memorized months ago, in preparation for the day of my induction. The Italian words flowing from my mouth filled me with loss and despair. I repeated the oath over and over again. It had been my destiny to become a Made Man. There were voices to my right. Male voices in a foreign language. Suddenly a black-haired guy stared down at me. He was bruised, though not as badly as me, and dressed in fight shorts. “They say there’s a crazy Italian fucker outside, spouting the Omertá. I guess they meant you.” I fell silent and studied him. He’d said ‘Omertá’ like I would say it, like it meant something. He was covered in scars and was probably a few years older than me— eighteen, perhaps. “Talking that kind of shit in this area means you’ve either got a death wish or are bat-shit crazy. Probably both.” “That oath was my life,” I said. He shrugged, then looked over his shoulder before turning back with a twisted smile. “Now it’s going to be your death.”