“This isn’t about protecting family,” Ignazio says. “This is about the key and getting what we can out of Zinc Co so we can finally see the payday Nero’s been hoarding for himself! Nothing else matters. Not family, not loyalty, not trust. All that matters is the green! Now hand it over.”
I think of the snow globe Matteo has forced me to bring along. Inside it, hidden where no one would think to look, is the key they've killed for. The key to whatever twisted game they've been playing.
"Even if I had it," I say, backing away until I hit a table, "what makes you think I'd give it to you? After everything you've done?"
Ignazio raises the gun, pointing it at my chest. “The key, Nevaeh. Now.”
My pulse hammers in my throat, the moment feeling surreal. My parents are standing back as I’m held at gunpoint for the thing they seem to care about even more than their own daughter. It’s so jarring and disorienting I can barely bring myself to react.
"You want the key?" I lift my chin, channeling every lesson Caelian ever taught me about strength in the face of danger. "Come and take it."
Ignazio’s top lip curls. “Don’t mind if I do, you little ungrateful ballerina bitch?—”
"Actually, Ignazio," Dad cuts in suddenly. “You’ve become quite the liability yourself. There’s one thing you said that was wrong—family always matters, and you’re not one of us. Which means one less share of the profits to be divided.”
Ignazio's eyes widen. "What the hell are you?—"
The gunshot echoes through the restaurant, somehow even louder than the couple that did Matteo in only minutes ago.
Ignazio staggers for a few steps, then drops to the ground with his mouth agape.
“He was always too pompous for his own good," Mom says. “He had to have guessed he was next.”
“His ego was in the way,” Dad quips.
I'm frozen in place, bile rising in my throat. My parents just executed someone with the such casual indifference it tells me this probably wasn’t the first time. The people who gave me life are monsters, and I’m the only thing keeping them from getting exactly what they want.
"Well," Dad says, crouching over Ignazio to steal his handgun. “That's that problem solved."
“One less thing to worry about.” Mom turns toward me to undo the ropes. “Alright, sweetheart, the moment of truth has finally come. Time for us to collect our prize as a family.”
TWENTY-SIX
Caelian
My fists connectwith Carmelo's jaw over and over again, the cracking noises instantly satisfying. Blood sprays from his mouth and nose and even splatters on the floor.
My cousin is crumpled like a broken marionette.
“Get up,” I snarl, grabbing him by his expensive shirt and hauling him to his feet. His legs wobble, but I don't give him time to recover. I slam him against the wall hard enough to rattle that brain inside his skull.
Blood pours from his swollen nose and split lip, painting his teeth crimson when he tries to speak. “Caelian, cousin, don’t?—”
“What the fuck is going on?” I demand, pressing my forearm against his throat. “What's this bullshit about Zinc Co? And don't you dare lie to me, you piece of shit!”
Carmelo tries to shake his head, but I tighten my grip. His eyes bulge as he gasps for air. “I… I can’t…”
I press harder against his throat, showing no mercy, then drive my fist into his ribs. Yet another satisfying crack tells me I've broken at least one. He doubles over, retching.
“Wrong answer.” I grab his hair and yank his head back up. “Try again.”
“Okay, okay!” he gasps. “Your father... Uncle Carmine… he… he partnered with Nero years ago. They were developing a cure for heart conditions.”
I grit my teeth. “Explain!”
“They needed a test subject,” he blurts out in a rush, blood dribbling from his swollen mouth. “Someone who already had a serious condition and met the criteria. Someone they could experiment on!”
“And all of you were in on it, were you?” I growl.
