Chapter 4

"Turn right up ahead. We'll drop Elena off at the clinic first."

Elena's perfume filled the car.

On the way back, Elena still had the front seat.

I sat in the back, quietly discussing the purchase of a safe house in Moscow with an overseas contact over an encrypted channel.

"Come sit up front."

Dante said it out of nowhere, in a tone that left no room for argument.

I didn't even look up.

"I'm good."

He went quiet for a moment.

"Suit yourself."

I had no energy left to argue. On my screen was a heavily secured villa out in the snowy countryside. I paid the deposit without a second thought.

We got back to the estate.

Dante took out a beautifully bound portfolio and walked over to me.

"Take a look. See if anything catches your eye."

Confused, I picked it up. Inside were designs for the ceremonial scepter I'd be presented with when I was formally recognized as the family's Donna.

"Pick one soon. You'll be presented as Donna in just a month, and the craftsmen need time to finish it."

He tapped a page with one long finger. It showed a scepter set with tiny diamonds and engraved with bellflowers.

"I like this one. It suits you."

A flicker of cold contempt crossed my eyes.

Bellflowers.

Elena's favorite flower.

He'd even turned the symbol of my power into a tribute to her.

Before, I would have drawn my gun and overturned the table.

But that was then.

Now I just nodded as if it didn't matter.

"Sure. No problem. Go with that one."

By tomorrow morning, I'd be gone for good anyway.

A month from now, the crowning ceremony would be a farce. There would be no Donna to crown.

Dante seemed pleased with how well I was behaving. For once, he reached out and touched my face.

"Good. Evelyn, one more month and I'll be announcing you to the whole underworld as my Donna.

"This is how I like you. Quiet. I don't want to see that bitter-wife act from earlier today again. Is that clear?"

Then, without waiting for an answer, he walked into the bathroom.

I pulled out one wet wipe after another.

I scrubbed the spot where he'd touched my face more than a dozen times and didn't stop until my skin was red.

Then the clock hit midnight.

As if he were running on a timer, Dante got dressed, took his comm unit, and left our bedroom for the West Wing.

He didn't notice that the weapon I always kept on the vanity was gone.

Or the packed tactical backpack sitting by my nightstand.

Of course he didn't.

Unless it was Elena, everyone else was beneath his notice.

It stayed quiet until two in the morning.

Then a shrieking alarm tore through the silence of the estate.

My eyes flew open. On the security monitor, flames were shooting into the sky over the West Wing.

Elena's scream came over the radio, high and cracked.

"Dante! Help me!"

On the monitor, the cold-blooded Don, who never flinched even when everything fell apart, looked like an enraged animal.

He didn't even stop for a vest. He grabbed a heavy assault rifle in one hand and charged into the fire, roaring.

"Elena! Get behind the bulletproof glass!"

So much for his midnight rule.

So much for his rule about showing no weakness before I was officially recognized as Donna.

The moment Elena was in danger, he tossed it all out like trash.

I had no intention of getting dragged into that mess. I leaned against the headboard and settled in to watch.

I switched over to the dark web.

The Mafia forums were already going crazy.

"Hit men from an unknown crew just raided the medical wing. Looks like they're after Dr. Costa!"

"Update! The Don's going in himself with his men! He's like a madman!"

"I've got footage from outside. The Don snapped three hit men's necks with his bare hands. Now he's covered in blood and holding her in his arms!"

"That's real love. That Evelyn-whatever-her-name-is must be a joke they keep around to draw fire."

I kept scrolling, my face blank.

Then someone uploaded a video.

I hit play.

Dante, who always preached discipline and ruthlessness, had completely lost control.

He was slamming his fist into an assassin's face, over and over, until there was nothing left of it but blood.

Finally, a few of his men worked up the nerve to drag him off.

Only then did he stop.

Then he turned and crushed a trembling Elena against his chest.

He pressed her face into his coat so she wouldn't see the body parts scattered across the floor.

"It's okay. I'm here."

The clip sent the dark web into a frenzy. Everyone gushed about how devoted the Don was.

I watched for a while, perfectly calm.

Before closing it, I liked a comment about how they'd live and die for each other.

Then I logged off.

Dante didn't leave the West Wing all night. I wasn't surprised.

I woke at six on the dot.

I picked up my black tactical backpack, packed with weapons and classified files, grabbed my forged passport, and took one last look at the bellflower design on the table.

I left the Donna's ring on top of it.

Then I opened the door and disappeared into the morning fog without looking back.

At the port of Naples, I boarded the Santoni family's private yacht.

Then it cut through the waves and headed out into the deep blue sea.

Dante and I were finished. Whether he lived or died, I'd never see him again.