The Venice Hotel

Prologue

P ROLOGUE

She stood above him while the air left his body in a low, final exhale. She never considered herself to be a violent person; in fact, she prized her gentleness. It made her feel superior. But that moral high ground collapsed beneath her when he died.

Now she’s been forced to rethink what she’s capable of. Murder, apparently. This new understanding is an epiphany of sorts, one that’s come to her on the twelfth day of Christmas. Because life’s funny like that.

Would her actions be the same if she had her time over? Unquestionably. She’d gleefully watch the canals of Venice run red with his blood, over and over again.

That’s who she is now.