I answer anyway. "What?"
"Luna went public." Dante's voice is clipped. "Press conference an hour ago. She's taking over the Torrino operations."
My hand tightens on the phone. Beside me, Sophia goes still.
"She actually did it?" I ask.
"Full announcement. Said she's Francesco's rightful heir, that she's been in Europe learning the business. Made it sound like Francesco groomed her for this."
"And the other families?"
"Mixed reactions. The Corellis are pissed. They wanted those territories. Benedettis are staying neutral. Russians are... unclear."
I process this quickly. We knew this was coming. Luna made her intentions clear when she revealed she'd killed Francesco. The question was always when, not if.
"Lorenzo?" Dante prompts when I stay silent.
"We stick to the plan. She knows the terms."
"You sure? Pietro's going to?—"
"Pietro agreed. Luna stays away from us, from Sophia, from the family, and she lives. She comes near any of us for any reason, she and her son are dead."
"She knows you mean it?"
I think about that moment in Pietro's office, when I told Luna exactly what would happen if she crossed us again. The way her face went pale when I described in detail how I'd make her watch while I killed her son first.
"She knows."
"What about Sophia's claim to the Torrino empire?"
I glance at my wife, who's watching me with those honey eyes. "Sophia made her choice. She's a Sartori now."
"Understood. There's one more thing—the Corellis want a meeting. Tomorrow."
"Set it up."
I hang up and pocket the phone. Sophia's still watching me, waiting.
"Luna's officially taken over your uncle's operations," I tell her.
She nods slowly. "Good."
CHAPTER FIFTY
ONE MONTH LATER
Lorenzo
The New York hotel room smells like sex. We've been here for two days, and I'm pretty sure we've only left the bed for room service and the occasional shower—which usually leads right back to bed anyway.
Sophia stretches beside me, her naked body pressing against mine. She traces lazy patterns on my chest, her wedding ring catching the light.
"Where are we going tonight?" she asks, voice still rough from screaming my name an hour ago.
"Wherever you want."
She props herself up on an elbow, hair falling like a curtain. "I want to see everything. I haven't been to New York since I was eight, and that was just for a day with my mom. We saw the Statue of Liberty and ate hot dogs in Central Park."
