Chapter 5

That sentence set Vito off completely. He lunged down, planting his hands on either side of me and trapping me in his shadow.

He laughed coldly. "So what? You think that gives you the right to lecture me and meddle in my personal life?

"Gia, don't overestimate yourself. Right now, you're just a dog living off my scraps."

His face hovered so close I could smell the nauseating mix of alcohol and another woman's perfume clinging to him. I closed my eyes, unable to look at him anymore.

I forced the word through clenched teeth. "Get out."

His body went visibly rigid. A fresh wave of fury consumed him, but ultimately, he did nothing.

He straightened up, smoothed his disheveled collar, and tossed out one final line. "You'd better behave yourself."

Then he stormed out without looking back.

On the fifth day of my confinement, I finally found my chance. During the gap between maid shifts, I used a hidden hairpin to pry loose a tile under the floorboards beneath my bed. A miniature satellite phone lay inside.

As a former Capo, I'd learned to always leave myself an escape route. I dialed Leo DeLuca's private line. He was the DeLuca family heir and the Corti family's greatest enemy.

"Gia?" A deep, magnetic voice came through, carrying an almost imperceptible tension.

His accurate pinpoint of my identity didn't surprise me. As adversaries, it would be strange if he didn't keep tabs on me.

"It's me." My voice stayed calm. "Leo, I want to make a deal with you."

Silence followed, then a soft laugh that seemed to carry a patient indulgence he'd been saving. "Beautiful Madre, I'll accept any deal you offer."

I ignored the suggestive tone in his voice. To me, it was just posturing driven by self-interest.

"I want to leave Vito. In exchange, I'll give you the exact coordinates of the Corti family's underground armory and the security blind spots that night." I paused, my voice hardening.

"That warehouse holds a third of Vito's assets."

He drew a sharp breath. "You're going to betray the Corti family?"

"The family betrayed me first." My voice went cold. "Since Vito Corti wants to destroy me, I'll show him that without me, he's nothing. Are you taking this deal or not?"

Leo's voice turned unexpectedly gentle. "Deal. Whatever you want, even if I have to turn Emaly upside down, I'll do it."

I assumed he was just excited about striking at his mortal enemy.

"The Saint's Day gala. 9:00 pm. The rose garden maze."

"Perfect. I'll take you away. After that, you're mine."

"Deal."

I hung up and stared at the pitch-black night outside the window. This time, I was going to strip Vito bare.