Chapter 4

Grandpa followed the blood trail into the hills, with Theo right behind him.

But Dad stopped Theo again and stationed two bodyguards at Theo's side.

"You're the heir. The rival family might still have people out here. You can't be out in front."

Theo whipped around. For the first time, he sounded angry. "Uncle Paolo, Daisy's your own daughter. When she came up here alone, why weren't you worried about her?"

Dad froze for only a second. Then he said coldly, "Because you're the heir. Her job is to stand between you and danger."

In Dad's eyes, Theo couldn't be the one who got hurt. I could. As long as Theo was left standing, it didn't matter who went down, even if it was his own daughter.

Only after Grandpa snapped at them did they continue.

Before long, they found a torn piece of a black necktie, a bloodstained glove, and an empty magazine in the woods.

Dad picked up the magazine. He spoke as if he were grading my performance. "She could still shoot, so she could still fight back. At least she didn't embarrass us on this job."

Soon, they found my phone in the grass.

The screen was cracked. The last call on it was to Dad.

Grandpa picked it up and played the recording. My voice came through, quiet and breathless.

"Dad, I'm at North Hill. I've been sh—"

Then came Dad's cold voice. "Daisy, wait another half hour."

After that, the recording picked up a dull thud. That was the sound of me being shot.

I floated in front of Dad and reached desperately for his sleeve. "Dad, I really couldn't hold on anymore."

But my hand kept passing right through him.

Grandpa closed his eyes, his voice shaking. "She wasn't asking you to hurry up and come get her. She was trying to tell you she'd been shot."

Dad opened his mouth, but he still shook his head. "She's been training since she was a kid. If she can't get through something like this, all those years were for nothing."

Mom jumped right in. "If she really couldn't hold on, she should've made that clear. Now Theo's ceremony has been interrupted, and this was supposed to be the most important day of his life."

Grandpa didn't argue with them. Then he remembered an abandoned ranger's cabin deep in the North Hill woods. He'd taken me there when I was little, and it still had water and basic first-aid supplies.

"If she could still move, she'd have gone there."

They practically ran.

The wooden door was half open. Inside, it was eerily quiet.

I was slumped against the wall in the far corner, still wearing Theo's black suit.

I was curled up beside the cabinet, my back pressed against the wall. One hand was pressed to my stomach, the blood long since dry. The other still held a gun aimed at the door.

Dad's eyes lit up. "See? I told you she was fine. Daisy, I'll let it slide this time. From now on, when the family has something important going on, don't bother us over some little injury."

Mom started in on me too. "What were you calling for if you were fine? Theo left before his ceremony was even over to come find you."

When I didn't answer, their faces darkened. "Get out here. Theo came all this way to get you."

Before, whenever Dad spoke to me in that tone, I'd be on my feet in a second.

But this time, I really couldn't get up.

Grandpa and Theo came over and crouched in front of me. Grandpa carefully touched my shoulder. My body didn't respond at all.

Grandpa's expression finally changed. "Daisy?"

He took hold of my shoulder and slowly turned my stiff body toward him.

A second later, the gun fell from my hand and hit the floor.

Dr. Russo dropped to his knees beside me and pressed trembling fingers to my neck.

A few seconds later, his fingers went still.