THE EMPTY HOSPITAL BED

I stared at my name written in perfect, aggressive calligraphy: Emma Sullivan.

“Why are they summoning me?” I asked, my voice barely steady.

Luca walked into the foyer, buttoning his cuffs. He saw the envelope in Marco’s hand and his expression hardened into granite. He snatched the letter, broke the seal, and read the single page.

“They aren’t summoning you,” Luca said, his jaw tight. “They’re threatening me.”

“What does it say?”

Luca crumpled the paper. “The council claims the Bellini territory is now vacant. They want to divide it among the other families. And they’re demanding I step down as Head of the Commission because I broke a betrothal to an Underboss’s daughter.”

“Because of me,” I realized, a heavy weight settling in my chest.

“Because they are greedy,” Luca corrected sharply. “They smell blood in the water. They think because I eliminated Richard and Vanessa, I’ve weakened my own house. They want to use you as proof that I’ve lost my mind.”

“Will they hurt her?” Marco asked bluntly.

Luca looked at me, his eyes fierce. “They won’t get within a hundred miles of her.”

“Luca,” I said, stepping forward. “If I don’t go, they’ll call you a coward. They’ll say you’re hiding a weak maid behind your guards.”

“You are not going to that table, Emma. It’s a den of wolves.”

“I’ve dealt with wolves before,” I said, touching the silver bracelet on my wrist. “My mother didn’t run from them. I won’t either.”

That evening, I didn’t wear a ballgown. I wore a tailored black suit I had bought for my mother’s funeral. I pulled my hair back tight. I wore no jewelry except my mother’s bracelet and Luca’s ruby ring.

The meeting was held in the private dining room of the Riverside Hotel.

The room was dimly lit, reeking of expensive cigars and old leather. Four ancient men sat around a massive oak table. They looked up as Luca entered, but their eyes immediately snapped to me.

Disgust. Amusement. Pity.

“Moretti,” the oldest man, Don Carmine, rasped. “You brought the help.”

“I brought my future wife,” Luca said, pulling out a chair for me before sitting at the head of the table.

Carmine sneered. “You bring chaos, Luca. You executed a Bellini and put a mop-pusher in her place. The families are restless. We demand you hand over the Bellini ports to keep the peace.”

“The ports belong to my family now,” Luca said smoothly.

“You have no leverage!” another boss slammed his fist on the table. “You broke the alliance! You are isolated!”

I watched them yell. I watched them try to intimidate the man I loved.

Then, I reached into my blazer pocket.

I pulled out a small, heavy iron key and tossed it onto the center of the oak table. It landed with a loud, metallic clatter.

The room went dead silent.

“What is this?” Carmine asked, eyeing it like a snake.