Chapter 2

Drawn by the commotion, Mia burst into the room.

Spotting her son on the floor, she stepped in front of Darien, shielding the boy.

When she caught my deadpan stare, a flicker of guilt crossed her face, but it vanished in a second, swallowed up by jealousy and resentment.

Mia gritted her teeth, dropping the act.

"Stop looking at me like you're superior, Laurel!"

"If you hadn't stolen my identity, I would've been the one under the Godfather's protection for the last five years!"

"My son wouldn't have had to hide out in Sicilian basements like some dirty secret!"

"You took the husband that was meant for me, and you took my place as the Bendall heiress."

"Where do you get off acting self-righteous?"

Darien scowled, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

He knew what I was capable of.

It was a warning, but it was also his way of keeping her safe.

"Mia, shut up."

"Don't provoke her."

Mia's eyes welled with angry tears.

She spun on her heel and stormed out the door, her bodyguards trailing behind.

"Why should I shut up?"

"I'm taking back everything that's mine!"

That left the two of us in the confessional.

Darien swallowed hard.

He stared at my bloody face, his voice tight and hoarse.

"Laurel, it's a mess right now."

"I need to stabilize both factions first."

"Let me handle this..."

I wiped the blood from my fingertips, not bothering to give him a second look.

I said, my voice flat.

"Go."

"Your heir needs a father, and your bride needs her groom."

I closed my eyes and swallowed back the metallic taste of blood rising in my throat.

In the twenty-odd years I'd spent as a Bendall, Natalie hadn't shown me a single ounce of affection.

At seventeen, I was tossed into the underground fighting rings of Sicily, breaking bones to earn my first handgun.

I ran the family's deadliest weapon shipments and risked my neck in brutal shootouts to buy my way to the negotiating table.

That was why, from the moment I met Mia, I'd done everything I could to support her financially, hoping she'd get to live the life she wanted.

I figured I'd spend my life as a cold-blooded killer—until Darien showed up.

I used to think he was my savior.

Now, he was the reason I was shattered.

I slipped out through the church's hidden side door, only to lock eyes with Natalie.

Her stare was ice.

"Mother, you—"

She snapped.

She brushed past me and headed across the street.

Over there, Mia was sobbing into Darien's chest.

He cradled the back of her head, murmuring something soft and comforting.

"Stop calling me that."

"You don't have the right."

It was the same way he'd held me years ago after a firefight, swearing he'd spend the rest of his life protecting me.

The encrypted sat-phone in my pocket buzzed.

"Ms. Bendall, our informants tracked down your biological parents in the Naples slums."

"We need you to send over a blood sample for the final DNA match."

"Understood."

"I'll get it done."

I hung up as the biting wind cut through my coat.

Darien jogged up from behind and grabbed my wrist.

Out of habit, his warm fingertips brushed against my pulse point.

His dark eyes were a mess of conflict.

"Laurel, even if your identity has changed, your place in my heart hasn't."

"Tomorrow is the Bendall family's transition meeting, and Mia doesn't have any footing here yet."

"I need you to show up and use your authority to keep the more violent guys in line for her."

Looking at that torn, affectionate expression on his face, I might have caved—if I didn't know our marriage certificate was a fake.

Instead, I pulled my hand free and watched Mia hurry over to fist her hand in the fabric of his shirt.

I said, a cold smile touching my lips.

"Fine."

"I'll do it."

I had no problem walking away from power that was never mine.

It was the day of the leadership transition.

Everyone in the syndicate was waiting to watch me—their former ruthless assassin—fall from grace.

But at the last second of the countdown, the transfer-of-power document vanished from the main screen.

A classified video popped up in its place.

It was footage of Mia from when she was captured by the rival Russian syndicate.

Kneeling in the dirt, sobbing and begging for her life, she caved and gave up our family's shipping routes.

In our world, weakness and betrayal meant an automatic death sentence.

Mia burst into tears.

"Laurel, you faked this!"

"You're jealous I had Darien's son, and you're trying to get me killed!"

"Darien, you know I wouldn't do this, right?"

He hesitated.

He shot me a brief, pained look but kept his mouth shut, silently taking her side.

The room erupted.

The syndicate elders drew their weapons, aimed straight at me.

"Laurel set it up!"

"She framed Mia to hold onto her power!"

"Vicious bitch!"

"Kill her and purge her from the family!"

Pandemonium broke out.