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I stare at pictures of her.

Valentina Esposito, identified at the scene of a fire at the McCarthy family estate. Daughter of Lorenzo Esposito Sr. The Esposito family has a long, sordid history in America.

There are three photographs, including one from the lawn, taken on someone's phone, her face visible over a paramedic's shoulder.

“Those are my brothers,” she says, showing me a picture of Lorenzo and Giuseppe. “They’re making a statement.” She sighs. “They know I’m with you.”

“It's alright,” I tell her. “We're going to work this out, one strand at a time. Okay?” She nods.

I reach over and put my hand over hers. We sit like that until Uncle Cormac enters the room.

“You alright?” Cormac asks, rough.

We nod. Yes, we both are. Concussion, smoke inhalation, and a few cuts, but we're fine. We're alive. “How's everyone else?”

He nods. “Similar. Alive.”

“We need to regroup,” I say. “Any word on the house?”

Cormac nods. “Aye, fortunately, stone doesn’t burn easily. They were able to keep it mostly contained. That said… safety is another question. Could go to the safe house,” he says in a low voice meant only for me. “Or it might be best for you all to come back to mine and Aileen's. But we don’t have the security measures the big house does.”

That’s not an option, then.

“We need to find them, not retreat,” I growl. “They're here for a reason, and it probably isn't just for us.” Valentina's head tips to the side. That's a good question. Why are they here? We baited them to come, and they sent a few, but then they tricked us. Something is off.

“They said they were here for you, Torin,” she says quietly. “Why?”

“Because I bought you. Because I bested them at their own game. Because they've discovered who's been buying at auction and what it means.”

Cormac growls, “Declan started it, but you'll be the one who finishes it. Won't you?”

I nod.

“I've been thinking about this,” Valentina says.

“I'm listening.” I'm well aware of the dangers around us, and I'm not going to let her talk her way out of me protecting her. “If what you have to say means putting yourself at risk, lass⁠—”

“I thought I was just a means to an end,” she says, teasing.

“We'll talk about that later when we're alone,” I murmur. She shrugs, as if to say she's not too worried about that.

“Hypothetically, if my brothers were involved in this situation,” she begins. “They knew you bought me. They knew I was an option. They were somehow in league with the O'Briens. You said they haven't proven that they punished the imposter.”

“They haven't.”

“Then we would've seen them by now, Torin. I know my brothers. They wouldn't just let this happen.”

“With all due respect, lass, I am too experienced in this to trust someone's feelings or judgment. We sometimes trust people we shouldn’t.”

Footsteps sound, and then Declan himself shows his face. “We need to talk.”

“Do you need privacy?” Cormac asks, a quiet nod to the second generation of McCarthys assuming leadership.

“No, sir, you can stay.” Declan turns to Valentina and me. “Let me ask you two a question.” Declan pulls out his mobile and shows her seventeen missed calls from America. “Any idea who this is?”

Valentina blinks, and her eyes fill with tears. “My brother,” she says, her voice cracking. “It’s Lorenzo.”

“I figured,” Declan says. “The minute your name and picture were revealed online, he was blowing up my mobile.” He holds my gaze. “That's not the behavior of a man who's guilty.”