Chapter 4

Back in the hall, the final ritual was about to begin: the exchange of the family daggers.

It was an oath of blood and loyalty.

Under Mafia rules, each side's most trusted underboss had to present the dagger.

The Rossi elder behind me stood solemnly, holding the ruby dagger my mother, Lucia Rossi, had left me.

But from the Corsini side, the one who stepped forward was Elena.

The whole room erupted.

Dante had actually allowed Elena, an adopted daughter with no Corsini blood, to take his underboss's place as his sacred witness.

It was the worst possible insult to the blood pact and the Rossi family.

Dante acted like he didn't see a problem. He even gave her an encouraging look.

Elena carried the tray, gliding forward like a viper.

Just as the two daggers were about to be exchanged, she casually tilted her wrist.

The heavy steel Corsini dagger slid off and slammed down on my mother's ruby dagger.

Clang. Then came a sharp crack.

A chip had broken off the blade my mother had left me, along with a corner of the ruby in its hilt.

"Oh no," Elena cried out, covering her mouth.

"Serena, I'm sorry! The dagger was so heavy, I couldn't hold it steady... I really didn't mean to." She put on an innocent look, but her eyes glittered with a vicious challenge. "A chipped dagger can't be used for the alliance anymore, can it?"

The whole room went dead quiet.

It was the last thing my mother had left me. My anger ignited. Elena had humiliated me, stolen my man, and now she was destroying my mother's last gift to me.

And my so-called fiancé just stood there like a dead man.

I crouched down. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely pick up the damaged blade.

Dante watched me, and instead of reprimanding Elena, he frowned. "Serena." He sounded impatient. "It's just a dagger. Use the backup. Don't hold up the ceremony."

I shot to my feet.

I pulled the Beretta strapped to my outer thigh and smashed its steel grip into Elena's face.

Crack.

The sound of bone breaking.

Elena screamed and went down, clutching her nose as blood poured between her fingers.

She gaped up at me in shock. "You hit me! Dante, she hit me!"

Dante yanked the gun from his waistband and pointed it straight at my chest. "Serena, put the gun down!" Rage rolled off him. He was trying to make me back down with the full weight of his family behind him. "Even if she was wrong, you can't go crazy in front of the Council! Put the gun down. Don't make me do this!"

I looked at him. A soft laugh slipped out of me and echoed through the cavernous hall, sharp and broken. "You promised you'd respect my limits." I aimed the barrel at him. "She destroyed my mother's dagger in front of the five families, and you're pointing a gun at me?"

Something flickered in Dante's eyes, but his voice stayed deadly. "It's a goddamn knife! Elena is family to me. She made a mistake..."

"A mistake?" I cut him off, my soft laugh turning into a scoff. "You're pathetic, Dante.

"You said you loved me. But every time you had to choose, every single time, you chose her.

"And now you want me to apologize to her?"

I looked around the room.

The heads of the families had unreadable expressions.

My father was on his feet.

Vincenzo looked ready to kill.

And Elena, hiding behind Dante's legs, gave me a bloody, triumphant smirk.

Enough.

I looked at Dante and spoke up. "There's something I never told you.

"I never loved you."

Dante froze.

"You know why I picked you in the first place?

"Because three years ago, in that shootout, the way you drew your gun... reminded me so much of someone else."

I watched the color drain from his face and spelled it out for him. "You were just a cheap stand-in, Dante. And now..."

I bent down and picked up the Corsini dagger. "The alliance is off."

The moment I finished speaking, there was a soft rustle of suit fabric from the corner.

Gabriel stood up, like he'd been waiting for his cue.

He walked over, step by step.

Everyone in the room held their breath.

Someone recognized him and gasped.

He came to my side, took off his black suit jacket, and draped it gently over my shoulders. "Serena." He slid an arm around my waist. Then he looked at Dante. "As of today, she's mine."

The hall went deathly silent.

Dante went white, then gray, and the gun shook violently in his hand.

I leaned into Gabriel and breathed in that familiar cedar scent.

My devil had finally come back.