“No.”
“Yes.” The certainty in his voice made something crack inside her.
“Stop saying that!” she snapped. “You don’t own me. You don’t control me. You don’t get to just—just decide things for me.”
“You want the truth?” he cut in.
Her breath caught. “Fine, give me the truth.”
His voice dropped. “You won’t like hearing this, Isabella, but your family sold you.” The words hit like a gunshot to her chest. Everything inside her went still.
“No, you’re lying,” she accused. Her words came out as a whisper. She sounded as broken as she felt. “That’s not true.”
Luca didn’t flinch. “Your location was leaked before the warehouse,” he said. “That scene in front of my nightclub wasn’t random.”
Her head shook. “No. No, my family wouldn’t?—”
“They already did.” Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
“Who?” she whispered.
Luca’s expression hardened. “I’m still confirming who it was.” Her stomach dropped at the thought of someone in her own family betraying her this way. But if he was right, there was a traitor amongst her family, and that was unforgivable.
“That means it’s real,” she said. He didn’t answer her right away, but she didn’t need him to. She didn’t need confirmation that he was right about her family—she could see the truth in his eyes.
Her legs felt weak and unsteady. She turned away, pressing her hand to her mouth, trying to hold it together. Her family—her father, and everything she thought she knew to be true were gone. Her life was shattered, and there was no way that she’d let Luca see her fall apart.
“You’re lying,” she said, but there was no conviction left in her voice.
“I don’t lie about things that matter,” he breathed. That broke something inside of her—deep inside her chest.
“Then why?” she asked, her voice cracking despite her best effort. “Why would they do this?”
Luca’s voice came from behind her. He was standing so close that she could feel the heat rolling off his big body. “Power,” he breathed. “Control.” He took another step closer to her, and she could feel his breath on her shoulder. “And survival.”
Her eyes squeezed shut. “No,” she breathed.
“They didn’t want your father dead,” he continued. “They wanted him removed from power, and they used my family and me to make that happen.” Her breath hitched. “And they used you,” he added quietly. Her heart felt as though it might beat right out of her chest. “They wanted you exposed.”
“They didn’t want your father,” Luca said. “They wanted me. They wanted to make an example out of me, and they knew that they could get to me through you.”
Her voice was barely a whisper. “Oh, God.” The truth settled over her like ice. She wasn’t collateral. She wasn’t a bystander. She was the target. Isabella slowly turned and met his eyes. For the first time since she met him, there was no defiance left—just understanding.
“And if I leave?” she asked.
His answer came without hesitation. “You die.” There was no drama and no threat in his voice. He was just stating a fact.
Her breath shook. “And if I stay?”
He shrugged as though it was no big deal, but she could tell that it mattered to him. “You live.” Her heart pounded hard and fast. The world around her had suddenly become terrifying, and she wasn’t sure what her next move should be.
“And the marriage?” she asked. A part of her wondered if the deal with her father might be off now that her father no longercontrolled the Romano family. Would Luca still agree to marry her, or would he break the contract?
His gaze darkened. “It’s still on,” he growled. She could see it in his eyes. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about power and control. It was about war, and her. Isabella was still a Romano, and joining her family to the Camorra family would give them the power that they needed to win this war.
She swallowed hard. “You already told people that you’re going to marry me, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he breathed. “I want to marry you still, Isabella.” She looked him over, trying to figure out if he meant it or not. Her eyes closed as she tried to calm her racing heart and mind. Of course, he wanted to marry her still. He had claimed her publicly, and if he backed out of the arrangement now, he’d look like a fool.
