In the car, I text Marcello: He wants her tonight. I'm going to get her now.
His response is immediate: This is a mistake. Don't do this.
Too late. Already done.
I pocket my phone and stare out at the city.
I'm protecting the family. Making the hard choice. Doing what Antonio would do.
So why does it feel like I just destroyed the only thing that mattered?
Emmanuel pulls up to the compound. I sit there in the dark. Engine off. Just sitting.
This is it. The point where I cross a line I can't uncross.
Gemma trusted me. Loved me. And I'm about to...
My phone is still in my hand. Her text: Are you coming to bed?
I could go in there. Climb into bed beside her. Tell her we'll figure this out together.
Antonio's voice: "Family first. Always family first."
But which family? The one I was born into? Or the one I made with her?
I already know the answer. Already made the choice when I walked into Adrian's study.
I could still walk away. Could call Adrian back. Could tell him I changed my mind.
But I don't.
I get out and go to wake my wife.
To bring her to her brother.
To betray her in the worst way possible.
For the family.
Always for the family.
Even if it kills us both.
CHAPTER 19
Gemma
I wake to Saint's hand on my shoulder.
For a moment, one beautiful, stupid moment, I think everything is okay. That he's come to bed. That maybe we can talk. That maybe?—
"Get dressed." His voice is cold. "We need to go."
I blink sleep from my eyes. The clock reads 1:47 AM.
"What? Where?" Panic claws at my throat. What is going on? He's not panicked, so I don't think we are under attack, which means something else…
"Just get dressed. Now."
