SAY THANK YOU AND SMILE. YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL YOU EVEN HAVE A JOB,” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE TOLD THE YOUNG HOUSEMAID, HANDING HER A WHITE ENVELOPE IN FRONT OF FORTY GUESTS—BUT WHEN LUCA MORETTI SAW WHAT WAS INSIDE, HE QUIETLY ASKED, “WHY DOES THIS SAY SHE RESIGNED YESTERDAY?”**

The marble foyer felt like an icebox.

I stared at the severed finger, bile rising in my throat. The heavy gold signet ring glinted under the chandelier.

“Whose ring is that?” I whispered, backing away.

Luca didn’t answer immediately. He stared at the gold crest—a roaring lion holding a broken sword. His jaw tightened so hard I thought his teeth would crack.

“It belongs to the head of the Chicago Commission,” Luca said, his voice deadly quiet. “Don Carmine. He’s the man who keeps the peace between the five families.”

“If they killed Don Carmine,” Daniel swallowed hard, “it means the truce is over. Someone is making a play for the entire city.”

Luca picked up the typed note with two fingers, careful not to smear the blood.

Your mother didn’t empty the trust, Luca. We did.

“Where is my mother?” Luca demanded, spinning around.

“She drove back to her penthouse downtown after the auto shop,” Daniel reported.

“Get her on the phone. Now.”

Daniel dialed rapidly. He held the phone to his ear, his face growing paler by the second.

“It’s going straight to voicemail, boss.”

Luca cursed violently in Italian.

“She lied,” Luca realized, pacing the foyer. “She didn’t empty the trust to protect Leo. She tried to empty it, and realized someone else already had. She came to the auto shop to stop Marcus from telling us the truth.”

“Who else could access a sealed trust?” I asked, my mind racing.

“Only someone with the original bank codes,” Luca said. “And my father only gave those codes to two people. My mother, and his personal lawyer.”

The heavy oak doors of the study opened behind us.

Vanessa walked out.

She wasn’t bound, but two massive guards walked closely behind her. Her champagne gown was ruined, stained with dirt and sweat. The arrogant fiancée was completely broken.

“You’re looking for Arthur Vance,” Vanessa said, her voice raspy.

Luca stopped pacing. He stared at the woman who had deceived him for a year.

“Arthur Vance has been dead for six months,” Luca stated coldly.

“Arthur Vance faked a heart attack, Luca,” Vanessa laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. “He’s the one who hired my brother to take Leo. He’s the one who promised me a cut of the ten million if I got the adoption papers.”

“Why would my father’s lawyer want the money?”

“Because Arthur doesn’t just work for the Moretti family,” Vanessa sneered. “He works for the Russians. They’ve been quietly buying up the city for two years. Killing Don Carmine was their final move. With the peace broken, they’re going to use the trust money to buy an army and wipe you out.”

The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity.

Vanessa wasn’t the mastermind. She was just a pawn, desperately trying to get a piece of a pie she didn’t realize was poisoned.

“Why are you telling me this?” Luca asked, his dark eyes narrowing.

“Because they left me to die, Luca,” Vanessa wept, genuine tears spilling over her cheeks. “Arthur promised he would pull me out before you found out. But he didn’t. He used me to distract you while he emptied the accounts.”

She looked at me, her eyes filled with a pathetic kind of remorse.

“I’m sorry, Hannah,” she whispered. “I just wanted a way out. I wanted my life back.”

I didn’t feel pity for her. She had tried to fire me, humiliate me, and let her brother kidnap a ten-year-old child.

“Lock her back in the basement,” Luca ordered. “Keep her alive. We might need her testimony.”

The guards dragged Vanessa away.

Luca turned to me. The exhaustion in his eyes was profound.

“You need to pack a bag,” Luca said softly. “You, Maya, and Leo. I’m sending you to a safe house in upstate New York.”

“I’m not leaving you,” I said instantly.

“Hannah, this isn’t a negotiation. A war is starting. The Russians won’t hesitate to kill you to hurt me.”

“And what about you?” I challenged, stepping closer. “You’re just going to stay here and wait for them to attack?”

“I’m going to find Arthur Vance,” Luca promised, a terrifying darkness settling over his features. “And I’m going to get my nephew’s money back.”

Before I could argue, the sound of shattering glass echoed from the back of the house.

Gunfire erupted.

The heavy, rhythmic thud of assault rifles.

“They’re here!” Daniel yelled, drawing his weapon.

“Get to the panic room!” Luca roared, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the main staircase.

We sprinted up the marble stairs as bullets chewed through the antique vases and expensive artwork below.

I ran into the guest room, scooping a terrified, half-asleep Leo into my arms.

“Uncle Luca!” Leo cried as the gunfire grew louder.

“I’ve got you, buddy,” Luca said, shielding us both with his body as we moved down the hallway toward the master suite.

Luca pressed his hand against a hidden panel behind a massive oil painting. The wall slid open, revealing a reinforced steel door. He punched in a code, shoving us inside the dark, concrete bunker.

“Stay here. Do not open this door for anyone but me or Daniel,” Luca commanded.

“Luca, please don’t go out there,” I begged, grabbing his shirt collar.

He stopped. He looked down at me, the sounds of war raging in his own home.

He didn’t say a word. He just leaned down and pressed a hard, desperate kiss to my lips. It tasted like fear and adrenaline and a promise.

“I’ll come back for you,” he whispered.

He stepped back, slamming the heavy steel door shut, plunging us into total darkness.

I sat on the cold floor, holding Leo tight against my chest, praying to a God I hadn’t spoken to in years.

Suddenly, the emergency lights flickered on inside the bunker.

I looked around the small room. There was a cot, a radio, and a small metal desk.

Sitting on the desk was a leather briefcase.

It was open.

And resting on top of stacks of hundred-dollar bills was a photograph of me.