IN THE DARK, EVERY SECRET COMES TO LIGHT

Marcus pushed his way into the apartment, kicking the door shut behind him.

I grabbed my brother’s arm, pulling him back toward Mrs. Russo and the boy.

Dominic didn't back away. He stared down the barrel of Marcus’s gun with absolute calm. "You survived the fall."

"I aimed for the shoulder," Marcus grunted, holstering the gun.

We all stared at him in shock.

"What?" Dominic asked.

"Downstairs, at the house," Marcus said, wincing as he held his bloody shoulder. "I had to make it look real for Paulie’s men. If I didn't hold you up in the hallway, they would have shot you in the back. I gave you an excuse to use the chute."

"You betrayed me," Dominic growled.

"I lied to Paulie," Marcus corrected, pulling a heavy file folder from his jacket. "My loyalty is to your father, Dominic. Always was. I knew Paulie and Celia were plotting against you. I needed proof. So I played along."

He threw the folder on the kitchen table.

"Bank statements. Wire transfers. Celia was paying off the orphanage director to keep Leo hidden while she tried to get legal guardianship. And Paulie ordered the hit on your brother."

Mrs. Russo let out a ragged breath.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dominic demanded.

"Because you were blinded by her!" Marcus snapped. "You were going to marry the woman! If I told you without absolute proof, you would have killed me for the insult."

Dominic looked at the folder, the weight of the betrayal finally crashing down on him.

"They're downstairs," Marcus said, checking his watch. "Paulie, Celia, and six men. They tracked the watch."

"The Commission is on their way," Dominic said.

Marcus nodded grimly. "We just have to hold them off for fifteen minutes."

Suddenly, the intercom buzzed.

I jumped.

Dominic walked over and pressed the button. "Yeah?"

"Dominic," Paulie's gravelly voice crackled through the speaker. "It's over, kid. Send down the boy and the old lady, and I'll let you walk away."

"You killed my brother, Paulie," Dominic said, his voice cold as ice.

"It was business, kid. He was soft. You were strong. I made you the boss you are."

"You made me a widower."

"Ten seconds," Paulie said. "Or we come up and kill everyone. Including the maid and her brother."

Dominic let go of the button. He looked at Marcus. "Are you ready to die for my family?"

"Born ready, boss."

Dominic turned to me. He took a heavy gold ring off his right hand—his father’s signet ring—and pressed it into my palm.

"If I don't come back," he said softly, "take this to the address engraved on the inside. They will protect you, your brother, and my family for the rest of your lives."

"You have to come back," I whispered, tears spilling over my lashes.

He leaned in, his lips brushing my forehead. "I promise."

Dominic and Marcus stepped out into the hallway.

A second later, the stairway erupted in deafening gunfire.

I clutched the gold ring, praying to a God I hadn't spoken to in years, as the sound of war echoed up the stairs.

And then, abruptly, the shooting stopped.

A heavy, terrifying silence fell over the building.