"I'm dying here." She flops back against the cushions. "I've been stuck in this house forever. Do you know howlong it's been since I've gone dancing? To a real club with music and people and energy?"
I sit up straighter. "There has to be somewhere we could go."
"Oh, there is." Her eyes light up. "Omertà. It's this amazing club my family owns downtown. Great music, incredible vibe..." Her excitement fades. "But Damiano would never let me go."
I watch her face fall, and something inside me shifts. The disappointment in her eyes reminds me of myself at thirteen, trapped in Byron's world of rules and restrictions.
"What if we ask him?" I suggest, surprising myself.
Lucrezia laughs, but it's hollow. "You don't know my brother. He'll shut it down immediately."
"Let me try." I stand up, smoothing my clothes. "I might have an angle that could work."
Lucrezia sits up straight. "Really? You'd do that?"
"Of course. We deserve some fun," I say and storm out of her room.
I march straight to Damiano's office, not bothering to knock. The heavy wooden door swings open with a satisfying bang as I stride in.
Damiano looks up from his desk, pen frozen mid-signature, those dark eyes narrowing at my intrusion. "By all means, make yourself at home."
"Lucrezia and I are going out tonight," I announce, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Is that so?" His voice is dangerously soft as he sets down his pen.
"Yes. We're going to Omertà. That club downtown."
His mouth quirks into something between a smirk and a sneer. "Are you asking permission or making an announcement?"
"I'm letting you know as a courtesy," I say, lifting my chin. "Lucrezia's been cooped up in this house forever. She deserves a night out."
Damiano leans back in his leather chair, the movement slow and predatory. "And you've decided to champion my sister's social life after knowing her for what—a week?"
"She needs this. We both do."
He actually laughs then, a deep rumble that sends an unwanted shiver down my spine. "There is absolutely no way I'm letting my sister and my wife walk into Omertà without protection."
"We'll take security?—"
"You don't understand what kind of place it is." His voice hardens. "Every criminal in New York goes there. Every enemy I have would love to get their hands on either of you."
I step closer to his desk. "So what are we supposed to do? Stay locked in this fortress forever?"
"Not forever." His eyes rake over me with infuriating smugness. "Just until I say otherwise."
"That's ridiculous," I snap. "I'm not asking to wander alone through a bad neighborhood at midnight. It's a high-end club with security everywhere."
"You can go," he says suddenly, surprising me.
"Really?"
"If I join you."
My stomach drops. "That defeats the whole purpose."
"That's the deal,lupacchiotta." He stands, walking around the desk until he's right in front of me. "You want to go? Fine. But I'm coming with you."
We're standing so close I can smell his cologne—hell, it suits him. I take asmall step back.
