THE MAFIA BOSS NOTICED I WAS SERVING DINNER WITHOUT EVER TURNING MY LEFT SIDE TOWARD THE TABLE—AND THE MAN BESIDE HIM STOPPED EATING. At first, I thought nobody had noticed.

The drive to my apartment building took less than eight minutes, but the silence in the SUV made it feel like hours.

Luca drove with terrifying precision, his jaw locked tight. I stared at the blue Amtrak ticket in my hand, the reality of Leo’s sacrifice settling heavily over me. He hadn't been a coward running from his family. He had been a father walking into his own execution.

We pulled up to my brick walk-up building. The street was quiet, the rain washing the cracked sidewalks clean.

“Stay behind me,” Luca ordered as he cut the engine.

I didn’t argue. The pain in my ribs was a constant, dull throb, and exhaustion was pulling at the edges of my vision. But the thought of a five-year-old girl sitting alone in my dark closet forced me to keep moving.

We climbed the three flights of stairs to my apartment. I fumbled with my keys, my hands shaking so badly that Luca gently took them from me. He unlocked the deadbolt and pushed the door open, sweeping the room with his eyes before letting me step inside.

The apartment was exactly as I had left it. Small. Tidy. Cheap furniture.

“Mia?” I called out softly.

Silence.

I walked toward the tiny bedroom, Luca shadowing my every step. The closet door was shut. I knelt on the worn carpet, wincing as my side protested, and gently tapped on the wood.

“Mia? Honey, it’s Anna. You can come out now. Your daddy sent us.”

Slowly, the closet door creaked open.

A pair of huge, terrified blue eyes peeked out from the darkness.

She was so small. She had Leo’s dark curls, tangled and messy, and she was clutching a ragged stuffed bear to her chest. She looked exactly like the photograph I had seen in Leo’s bracelet.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I whispered, forcing a warm, reassuring smile. “You’re safe now.”

Mia didn’t say a word. She just stared at me, then her gaze shifted to the massive, imposing man standing behind me.

Luca Romano, the most feared man in the city, dropped to his knees on my cheap carpet.

He didn't try to touch her. He didn't speak loudly. He just sat there, making himself as small as possible, tears welling in his dark eyes as he looked at the niece he never knew existed.

“Ciao, piccolina,” Luca whispered, his voice cracking with an emotion so raw it made my chest ache. “I’m your Uncle Luca.”

Mia hesitated. Then, very slowly, she stepped out of the closet. She walked past me and stood directly in front of Luca. She reached into the pocket of her little denim dress and pulled something out.

She held it up to him.

Luca let out a choked breath.

I looked at the object in her tiny palm. It was a heavy, ornate gold ring. A family heirloom. The Romano crest was etched into the flat face of the gold—a lion holding a shield.

“My father’s ring,” Luca breathed, carefully taking it from her hand. “Leo was supposed to wear this when he took over the western routes.”

Mia finally spoke. Her voice was tiny, hoarse from disuse.

“Daddy said to give this to the man who looks like him,” she whispered. “Daddy said it means you protect us.”

Luca closed his eyes, a single tear escaping and tracking down his cheek. He pulled the little girl into a desperate, gentle hug. She buried her face in his neck, wrapping her small arms around him.

“I will protect you with my life,” Luca vowed, his voice thick with tears. “I swear it.”

I leaned back against the wall, overwhelmed by the beauty of the moment. The Romano family was healing right in front of me.

But the peace lasted exactly ten seconds.

Luca’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He pulled back from Mia, wiping his eyes, and answered it. “Marco. Tell me you have Anthony.”

Luca’s face went completely blank.

“What do you mean he’s not in the study?” Luca asked, his voice returning to its deadly, commanding tone.

I stood up, fear spiking instantly.

Luca listened for another five seconds. Then he hung up. He looked at me, and the Reversal hit so hard I felt dizzy.

“Anthony didn't escape,” Luca said quietly. “Marco found him in the greenhouse. Dead. Two shots to the chest.”

I gasped. “But… who?”

“Dr. Bennett was the middleman for Chicago,” Luca said, standing up and pulling Mia behind him. “But someone else inside the estate pulled the trigger on Anthony. Someone tying up loose ends. Someone who knew exactly where to find him.”

“Who?” I asked, panic making my voice shrill.

Luca looked at the gold ring in his hand, his eyes darkening with realization.

“The only person who knew Anthony was hiding in the greenhouse,” Luca said, “is the person who told him to go there.”

Before he could explain, heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs outside my apartment.

Not one person. Several.

“They tracked my car,” Luca realized, drawing his weapon. He shoved me behind him, pushing Mia into my legs. “Anna, take her to the fire escape. Now!”

“I’m not leaving you!” I cried.

“Go!” Luca roared, flipping over the heavy oak dining table to create a barricade.

I grabbed Mia’s hand and scrambled toward the kitchen window. I threw it open, the cold rain blowing inside. I lifted Mia out onto the rusted metal grating of the fire escape, then climbed out after her.

As I turned back to look at Luca, my apartment door was kicked open.

Three men in dark suits stormed in, guns raised.

But they didn't shoot Luca.

They lowered their weapons.

And from the hallway, a figure stepped into the apartment.

I froze on the fire escape, the rain soaking my uniform, staring in absolute horror.

It was Maria. The housekeeper.