“You really do have a death wish, don’t you? Talk to me like that again, and I’ll make sure you get exactly what you’re asking for.”
“Fortunately, I’ll never have to see your face again. So don’t lose sleep over it.”
He straightened, one brow arched, and a cruel smirk twisted his mouth. “Oh? And what makes you so sure you’ll never see me again?”
“Because I’m leaving. Today. I’m going back to my country.”
He laughed. A real dark laugh. His face morphed into something almost unrecognizable, something darker than anger. I felt that drop in my stomach again. Oh God. Not again. When his laughter finally faded, he fixed that dark, unblinking gaze on me, burning with something primal.
“You’re not going anywhere, Emily.” His voice was low but absolute. “Not now. Not ever. From this moment on, you belong to me.”
I frowned and yelled at him. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m going home. I’m leaving this nightmare, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”
“This hell is your home now.”
“No,” I gasped. “No, it’s not. You can’t do this! My family, my friends, they’ll come looking for me.”
He pulled out his phone and shoved it in front of my face. On the screen was a photo. A funeral scene at a graveyard. My aunt, Jill, Frank, and a few of my friends stood there in black, their faces twisted with grief.
I heard him again. “This photo was taken this morning. At your funeral.Tony made sure no one would come looking for you. They think you’re dead. They’ve already cried for you. Already moved on. No one’s coming.”
Tears blurred the screen until all I could see was color and light. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. I must’ve been dreaming. Any second now, I’d wake up.
I tried to pull air into my lungs, but I failed. Something invisible pressed against my throat. The machines around me started beeping faster and louder.
I heard panicked sobs. At first, I didn’t know where it was coming from. Then I realized it was me. Carlo’s voice blurred in my ears as he shouted for help. People rushed in. The room spun. I felt a sting in my arm and everything went dark.
***
“Mr. Bruni, I really think it would be best if you gave her some space today,” Rosa said carefully. “She’s had a severe panic attack, and another one could seriously damage her lungs.”
“I don’t give a fuck what you think. Your job is to keep her safe. If even one hair on her head is harmed, I’ll make sure every single person in this building pays for it. So stop worrying about her, and start worrying about yourself.”
I slowly opened my eyes. It was night, and the room was dimly lit.
Rosa noticed I was stirring and came over quickly. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
After everything that had happened that morning, I didn’t care anymore. The weight of it all had emptied me. There was no energy left to feel anything. Lying there like a lamb sent to slaughter, all I did was stare at Carlo. My bald-headed demon. My new jailer.
His eyes never left mine as he told Rosa to leave the room and sat down in the chair beside me. If I didn’t know him better, I might’ve believed there was a flicker of concern in his eyes. But I knew better. This heartless villain wasn’t capable of that.
He started speaking. “Thirty years ago, Gianni, one of the bosses who worked with my grandfather, Don Francesco, betrayed him. Gianni had married twice. His first died, leaving him with a daughter named Amara. The second, Angela, was a widow with a little girl of her own, Sophie. Your mother.
Gianni adopted Sophie, raised her like his own. But when he turned on my grandfather, both he and Angela were executed. Amara was handed over as a slave to my father, Fernando. Giuseppe asked for Sophie. Even though she wasn’t blood, he still wanted her. Don Francesco agreed. Said it would set an example. The story everyone was told was that Sophie died in a car accident during the transfer.”
He paused for a moment and looked at me more intently. “But that wasn’t true. Her uncle helped her escape. He gave her to a farmer who smuggled her to America. I’m Amara’s son. My mother showed me old family photos when I was a boy. When I saw you, I recognized your eyes. You’ve got your mother’s eyes. Maxim found the same photos in your apartment. That’s why I looked familiar to you too.”
It was hard to take in everything he’d said, but somehow it all fit. I thought back to what Giuseppe had said, how I’d be more valuable to him than my mother ever was. And it made sense.
Carlo paused, letting the weight of it all settle over me before continuing. “Giuseppe’s gone into hiding. What Tony and Lucia did, stirred up shit I’m still trying to control. So I can’t hunt him down in the near future, but you’re his target now. And like a hunting dog, he doesn’t stop until he gets his prey. I’m not saying I’d let you go even if he wasn’t after you. That’s not happening. But if it helps you sleep at night, understand this: the safest place you can be is right here. With me.”
“But I don’t want this,” I whispered. “I don’t want to be part of the Mafia world. I don’t want to live inyourworld.”
“You were born into this world. Whether you like it or not, it’s in your blood. Your grandfather, Angela’s husband, was part of it too. This is your legacy.”
“There has to be a way out.”
“There isn’t.”
