"It was a strategic delay."
I laughed, the sound surprising me. When was the last time I'd laughed? The kitchen felt warm, safe. Sunlight streamed through the windows, catching dust motes in golden beams. Sabine's shoulders had relaxed slightly. Maybe we had more time than I thought. Maybe we could stay in this bubble a little longer.
The buzz from the command room cut through the moment like a knife.
Sharp. Insistent.
My coffee sloshed over the rim of my mug. Ellie's spatula froze mid-flip. Cam's head snapped up. Sabine's eyes went wide, finding mine across the kitchen.
No one moved. No one breathed.
The buzz came again.
Ellie bolted from the kitchen. The rest of us froze, suspended in that moment of not-yet-knowing. When she returned, her face looked stricken.
"It's Arturo," she said. "At the gate."
My stomach plummeted as if I'd stepped off a cliff. Arturo? Here? My brother wouldn't drive six hours from the city for a social call. Not now. Not after everything.
I forced my voice to remain steady. "Is he alone?"
"He has a driver with him." Ellie's fingers twisted against each other. "I don't recognize him."
Of course he had a driver. Arturo hadn't driven himself anywhere since he expanded the laundering operations into Philly and decided he was smarter than the rest of us. The fact that I could see the logic through my rising panic was almost comforting. Almost.
"He always has a driver," I said, keeping my tone casual while my mind screamed warnings. "Buzz him in."
The words hung in the air between us. Buzz him in. Let my brother onto the property where I was hiding the woman who had exposed our family's darkest secrets. The woman I had helped. The woman I loved—not that anyone needed to know that detail.
This was it. They knew. They had to know. Why else would Arturo come all the way out here without calling first? The Bellantes didn't make social calls, they made examples.
I swallowed hard, feeling the transition happening inside me. Alexandra Vaughn, the ex-military bodyguard who had exposed her own family, was slipping away. In her place stood Domenica Bellante, devoted daughter and baby sister, who would never betray her blood.
I couldn't let him see Alex. Not even for a second. Domenica would have to be flawless.
Kara and Ellie watched me, waiting for instructions. The buzzer sounded again, impatient this time.
"Hide Sabine. NOW," I hissed at Cam, my voice barely above a whisper. "My room, the closet. Tell her not to make a fucking sound."
Cam moved without hesitation, her hand clamping around Sabine's upper arm. I caught the flash of confusion in her eyes as Cam pulled her toward the stairs. Her mouth opened, questions forming, but there was no time.
"Her breakfast dishes," I said to Kara. "Wash them, put them away."
Kara gathered Sabine's half-eaten toast and coffee mug. The faucet ran, water drowning out the sound of footsteps overhead. I watched as five place settings became four, all evidence of Sabine erased.
My fingers found the clasps of my body armor, unfastening them with lightning speed. I slipped it off and tucked it inside the command room, closing the door firmly behind me. The weight lifted from my shoulders, but a heavier one settled in its place.
I caught my reflection in the kitchen window. My hair needed smoothing. I ran my fingers through the long dark strands, arranging them to frame my face the way I used to wear it back home. The woman staring back at me wasn't Alex Vaughn anymore. She was Domenica Bellante. Not a traitor. Not a mole.
Ellie and Kara watched me transform. I felt their eyes tracking each subtle change in my posture, my expression. Neither spoke.
Tires crunched on gravel outside. The distinctive purr of a Rolls-Royce engine, then silence as it cut off. Arturo’s gunmetal grey Spectre was his pride and joy. A car door opened, then closed with a soft thud. The driver remained behind the wheel.
Footsteps on the porch. Heavy, deliberate. My second oldest brother never rushed.
I moved to the front door, feeling Kara and Ellie position themselves just out of sight. My fingers wrapped around the knob, cool metal against suddenlywarm skin. I drew in a breath that filled my lungs completely, held it for three seconds, then released it slowly.
I opened the door.
