Chapter 2

Lucia POV

The ride to the estate was filled only with the scent of treated leather and the low hum of the engine.

I stared out the tinted window at the rain-slicked reflection of a passing neon sign, my mind a blank slate.

As we pulled up to the heavily guarded gates of Lorenzo's territory, the iron gates retracted with a low groan.

"Good evening, Miss," the guard said, his voice muffled by the thick glass.

I walked into the lavish penthouse—a cold expanse of glass and steel.

I had overseen the contractors to build this exact safehouse.

I had designed the security systems to protect his Capo status.

But looking around the massive living room, there was no trace of me.

It was a monument to Lorenzo and his ego.

I bypassed the empty living room, walked straight into the master suite, and approached the hidden wall safe. My fingers found the familiar sequence on the keypad, and the heavy steel door clicked open. I reached past stacks of emergency cash and forged passports, my hand closing around a velvet box. I pulled it out and flipped the lid.

Inside lay the blood-oath betrothal token Lorenzo had presented to me ten years ago.

It was a heavy gold coin, stamped with the Family crest.

I picked it up, the metal cold against my palm.

I walked over to the massive stone fireplace, where embers still burned from earlier this evening.

I tossed the coin into the flames.

I watched as the fire consumed the gold, its surface blackening with soot until it was indistinguishable from the coals.

In the master bedroom, I pulled a single duffel bag from the top shelf of the closet.

I packed my clothes and my laptop with a detached efficiency.

It was the exact same amount of things I brought with me when I moved from Chicago to New York.

Ten years of my life fit into one bag.

"The security room is too close to the master suite," Gianna's oiled voice echoed in my memory from a month ago.

"You are right, Gianna," Lorenzo had agreed.

He had moved my workspace to a windowless basement the very next day.

I zipped the bag shut, the sound a sharp rasp in the silence.

It was one in the morning, and Lorenzo had not called.

He had not invoked a Vendetta over my text message.

My loyalty had been a one-sided delusion.

I dragged the bag out of the bedroom and into the lobby.

"Are you going somewhere, Miss Lucia?" the night guard asked, his expression one of genuine confusion.

"I am leaving," I said, though I had nowhere to go in this city.

The glass doors of the lobby slid open.

A bulletproof SUV was parked at the curb.

Lorenzo stepped out of the driver's side, and Gianna stepped out of the passenger side right behind him.

They were surrounded by his soldiers.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was a text from Lorenzo.

"I am too exhausted from Family business to deal with your insubordination tonight."

I looked up from the glowing screen as Lorenzo placed his hand on the small of Gianna's back, guiding her toward the entrance.

I had seconds to disappear—and no idea what would happen if he caught me trying to leave.