THE DEAD WOMAN’S VOICE IN THE DINING ROOM

Leo Bellini stepped fully into the house.

He closed the door behind him, locking out the biting winter wind.

I couldn't breathe. My father. The man who had sacrificed himself twenty years ago so my mother and I could escape. The man whose gold signet ring I had held in my hand.

“Leo,” my mother sobbed, running forward and throwing her arms around him.

He caught her, holding her tightly, his face burying into her auburn hair. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m so sorry it took so long.”

I stood frozen. I felt like the floor was tilting.

“How?” I asked, my voice cracking. “Vanessa said Luca’s father killed you.”

Leo pulled back from my mother and looked at me. His icy blue eyes were filled with profound regret.

“Luca’s father thought he killed me,” Leo explained gently. “His men shot me three times. I fell into the Chicago River. But I didn't drown. A barge crew pulled me out. I spent two years in a hospital in Indiana under a fake name, learning how to walk again.”

“Why didn't you come find us?” my mother cried, hitting his chest lightly. “We thought we were alone!”

“Because Luca’s father was still looking for the body,” Leo said grimly. “If he knew I was alive, he would have tracked me down. And he would have found you and Emma. I had to stay dead to keep you safe.”

I backed away, wrapping my arms around myself.

“So why come back now?” I demanded. “After twenty years? Why today?”

Leo looked at the diamond necklace resting against my collarbone.

“Because I saw the news, Emma. I saw that Arthur Greene was dead. I saw that the Morettis and Bellinis had made peace.”

He reached into his camel coat and pulled out a folded newspaper. On the front page was a society photo of Luca and me at a charity gala, announcing our engagement.

“I came back to stop a mistake,” Leo said, his voice hardening.

“What mistake?” I asked defensively.

Leo looked at me with a tragic intensity.

“You cannot marry Luca Moretti, Emma.”

“Excuse me?” I snapped. “Luca is a good man. He isn't his father!”

“It doesn't matter who he is,” Leo said, stepping toward me. “Do you know why my family and the Morettis started this war? Do you know why Catherine Bellini hated Elena Moretti so much?”

“Because they wanted power,” I said.

“No,” Leo shook his head. “Because of a curse.”

I stared at him. “A curse? That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s a blood oath,” Leo corrected quietly. “Fifty years ago, our grandfathers made a pact in Sicily. If a Bellini and a Moretti ever married, the families would unite, but the penalty for betrayal was total annihilation.”

He pointed to the diamond necklace.

“That necklace was the physical seal of the oath. Whoever wears it carries the target. Catherine stole it to break the pact. Elena took it back to enforce it.”

Leo took a deep breath.

“Emma, there are men in New York—the Commission—who still hold that oath sacred. If they find out a Bellini and a Moretti are marrying, they will demand Luca step down and surrender the Chicago territory to them. If he refuses, they will kill both of you.”

Before I could process the sheer weight of what he was saying, the guest house door banged open.

Luca stood in the doorway, covered in snow, breathing hard. Marco was right behind him, his hand hovering over his holster.

Luca’s eyes locked onto Leo.