Alexander's POV:

The villa is quiet when I get back. I strip the day off fast—jacket, shirt, everything that carries the smell of antiseptic and fear. The suit I put on is dark and precisely cut, a thing I wear when the performance requires it. Anthony watches from somewhere low in my chest, unhappy in the specific way he gets unhappy when he knows a necessary thing is still a wrong one.

'After tonight,' he says. 'One move at a time.'

The ring ...