Chapter 3

By the time I reached the top floor of the club on the North Shore, only one room was still lit.

When I pushed the door open, Damian was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, while representatives from the other eight Families sat along both sides of the long table.

Sicily recognized Nine Families, and nearly all of their representatives were gathered in that room. There was also one Family that stood outside the ranking altogether, though everyone acknowledged it as the most powerful of them all.

I glanced around and felt slightly relieved when I saw that no one from that Family was there.

A young man named Rafe occupied the seat at the head of the table. He had once been Damian's closest friend and had also served as a consigliere to the Marchetti Family, but the entire situation unfolding around us had been orchestrated by him.

The moment Damian saw me, his expression darkened.

“Who told you to come here?”

“I missed you, so I came to see you,” I replied.

“You need to go back.”

“I'm not going back.”

I found an empty seat and sat down. Damian watched me for several seconds before giving in with a helpless look, then took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

“If you're staying, then stay beside me and don't say anything reckless.”

Rafe lifted a hand to interrupt him.

“I was beginning to wonder whether we came here to negotiate or to watch the two of you romance each other.”

His tone hardened as he continued.

“Perhaps we should get back to the reason we're all here.”

He pushed a document across the table.

“The terms are actually very simple. Surrender all of the Marchetti Family's territory and accept responsibility for what happened three years ago. In return, I can guarantee that your father will be allowed to step down peacefully and that both of your brothers will come home alive.”

Damian turned through several pages of the agreement, and his expression grew colder with each one.

“You're asking for more than our territory.”

If he signed it, the agreement would not stop with the land itself. The Marchetti docks, casinos, port holdings, and every other leased territory tied to the Family would be pulled into the deal as well, leaving the Marchettis with almost nothing.

“Do you really have another choice?” Rafe asked. “By tomorrow morning, every port controlled by the eight Families will have received new orders. At that point, having your shipments held at the docks will be the least of your problems.”

He leaned back slightly before adding, “As for whether your two brothers walk out of this alive, that depends entirely on what you decide.”

The veins along the back of Damian's hand stood out as he tightened his grip.

Rafe's attention shifted toward me.

“So this is the little bird you've been keeping for the past three years.”

He looked me over without bothering to hide his interest.

“She really is as beautiful as everyone says.”

Then he turned back to Damian.

“She's your personal property, after all. Don't worry. Once this is over, the rest of us will make sure she's looked after well enough.”

The other men at the table turned toward me almost at once. Some lowered their voices to whisper among themselves, while others laughed openly.

“She is beautiful. I'd pay a billion for a woman who looked like that.”

“I heard Damian picked her up from somewhere. She isn't even from one of our Families.”

Damian's voice turned hard.

“She is not a toy, and none of you have the right to speak about her that way.”

Rafe laughed softly.

“Vera, Damian won't be able to afford you for much longer. If you stay with him, you won't even be able to keep the earrings you're wearing tonight.”

His smile widened as he continued.

“If you know how to behave, I can keep you instead. Would ten million a month be enough?”

Laughter broke out around the table.

Damian shot to his feet and seized Rafe by the collar, and almost immediately, four men around them drew their guns and aimed them at him.