She bowed her head, her hot tears falling onto Liam’s folded white hands.

I am here, Liam screamed in his mind. I am alive, girl! Look at me!

He fought the poison with every drop of willpower that had made him the head of the Falcone family. He willed his nerves to ignite. He pictured his grandfather’s ring, his father’s gun, the blood on Taylor Street. He pushed against the icy paralysis with the fury of a man trying to punch through stone.

A single droplet of Luna’s tear landed directly on the index finger of Liam’s right hand.

And then, deep beneath the skin, a nerve fired.

His right index finger twitched. It tapped against the satin lining. Once.

Luna gasped, stumbling back, her hands flying to her mouth. She froze, her wide eyes locked onto his hand. "No... no, I'm losing my mind..."

Liam focused every ounce of his remaining soul on that single finger. He pushed against the dark fog of the toxin.

Twitch. Tap. Tap.

Luna stepped forward, her heart hammering against her ribs so hard she could hear it. She reached out with trembling fingers and touched his wrist. She pressed two fingers beneath his jawline, right where his pulse should be.

For ten long seconds, there was nothing.

Then, a faint, erratic, thread-like thrum pushed against her fingertips.

Chapter 2 - The Resurrector

"Don't move," Luna whispered, her instincts taking over before terror could freeze her solid. "If I scream, Carmine's guards outside the doors will come in. They’ll finish you."

She knew the layout of the house better than anyone. She knew which guards were stationed at the front gate and which ones were drinking coffee in the security garage. Carmine had doubled the security detail around the estate, claiming it was to "protect the grieving widow," but Luna had worked in high-end estates long enough to know the guards were there to ensure no one asked questions before the cremation scheduled for Sunday morning.