For Logan (Chicago Syndicate Book 5) by Soraya Naomi Page A

tone.
    A tentative smile tugs at her lips. “Yeah. It only works if you have two heat sources. When I blew out one candle, the heat of the flame vaporized the candle wax and it remained in the air briefly. If you apply another heat source quickly enough, you can ignite the wax and use that reaction to relight the wick of the candle. So I blew out one candle first, then the second one quickly, and that ignited the first one again.”
    I grin, fascinated by her knowledge. For a moment, we’re unable to break from our stare until I’m forced to focus on the road and shift our clasped hands onto my lap – just to reassure her .
    Once we get to the club, I’ll need to figure out how to handle this situation. The Syndicate men must inform Rosa about everything that’s going on that involves her – I’ll insist upon it. She’s putting herself in danger, and I can’t do my job like this.
    ***
    D ragging Rosa along with me, I barge into Adriano’s office, where Luca is sitting behind the polished glass desk and James is seated across from him. For once, the black floor-to-ceiling curtains are drawn open, bathing the black and white furnished office in the midday sun.
    The corners of Luca’s eyes wrinkle as he looks at a point between Rosa and me, so I follow his line of sight to my hand, which is still entwined with Rosa’s. My gaze then shoots up to her, and we release one another just before James pivots around in his chair.
    James rarely shows any emotion in front of us, but his silver-streaked hair is messed up as he rises and takes Rosa into his arms, relieved that she’s safe. “ Stai bene? ” Are you okay?
    “I’m fine. I-I’m just...” She blows out a heavy sigh, letting go of the tension she’s kept bottled up. “I’m trying to understand what’s going on. This is the second time within a week I’ve been involved with your business. Why, suddenly, now? Am I in danger?”
    James rubs his hands up and down her arms to calm her, but Rosa won’t relax. “I’m not sure it’s smart to tell you—”
    At that the moment, I intervene, because putting people at risk due to enforced ignorance is something I can’t abide by. “No, James. She had to shoot a man; that’s what happened. She’s actually very fearless and smart.” I deliver each word with a cool, crisp inflection, surprising even myself. And I look up a fraction, just enough to catch the fetching smile she casts my way. No one affects me like she does.
    “You don’t have to tell me that,” James retorts.
    I raise a brow. “Then inform her about what’s going on, because you’re all putting her in unneeded danger by keeping her in the dark.”
    Luca stands and rounds the desk. “She shot a Ukrainian?”
    “Yes. She had no other choice,” I explain to Luca, all the while watching Rosa, attempting to quell the seeds of guilt within her. The human mind needs guidance to cope with shooting a person; I know that from experience.
    Rosa glares at Luca and James, prompting one of them to speak. I admire the way she’s standing up to them and how she refuses to accept the current status of things.
    James strokes his chin thoughtfully and then says, “There’s a mafia war going on between the Ukrainians and the Italians. We’ve been hunting Dimitri and Mykhail Medlov, and I guess they’re interested in you.”
    Rosa stiffens. “ Che cosa vogliono da me? ” What do they want from me?
    Astounded, I stare at Rosa, entranced by the sexy Italian accent.
    “Nothing. They’re retaliating because we’ve been eliminating their members,” Luca fills in.
    “And now what?” I inquire.
    Luca explains it further to Rosa and me, “We’re going into lockdown for one night while we dismantle that entire crew – Henry’s discovered all their safe places. Adriano and I have teams already in position; but first, every family member of the Syndicate needs to be in one of our safe places. Most of the women and children have been brought here. There