Chapter 3

On the night of the engagement banquet, the heads of all the families crowded around Chloe, already calling her Donna Ravelli.

My parents stood with their wineglasses, soaking up the flattery. They couldn't hide how smug they were.

I was on perimeter guard in a snowstorm, armed with nothing but a rusty knife.

When my mother came out to inspect my post, she handed my sidearm to Chloe's personal bodyguard. "Everyone here tonight is an honored guest. Lose that sour look. If you spoil the future Donna's evening, I won't go easy on you."

The stimulant was still in my system. Every time my wound throbbed, more blood soaked into the bandage.

The order to change shifts never came. After four hours of standing in the snow, I could barely hold on to the knife.

Chloe's laughter drifted out from the main hall. "This is a medal I got when I was little. It's nothing special."

Through the open door, I could see her holding up a velvet box. Inside was my gold medal.

When I was 16, our convoy was ambushed. I led seven men out of the trap and took three bullets to keep my father alive.

The council of elders broke with tradition and gave me the Lombardi family's highest honor. My father patted my shoulder that day and swore he'd never let me down.

Now Chloe was dismissing that medal as a toy.

One of our cousins took the box, curious. "This has Helena's name engraved on it. How can it be yours?"

Chloe's face froze for a second before she snatched the medal back. "It's just some junk I found in the basement. I only brought it out to show everyone. Compared with the betrothal gifts the Ravelli family is about to send, what's it worth?"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the medal slipped from her hand and dropped right into the fireplace.

The gold quickly blackened, and the engraving of my name began to warp.

The hall went quiet, and every eye turned to me.

Chloe ducked behind my mother, all wounded innocence. "Helena, it just slipped. You're not going to blame me over a piece of junk metal, are you?"

My mother rushed to defend her. "What's with that look? Is one medal really worth making a fuss over?

"Once your sister's married, you can have your pick of designer jewelry from North America. You think she'd hold out on you over something this small?"

My father tossed the fire tongs at my feet. "Get it out and clean up the floor. Our guests are watching."

The day I was honored, he'd pinned that medal on me himself and called it the pride of this family.

Apparently, his pride could be tossed into a fire just like that.

I picked up the tongs and dragged the warped medal out of the fire.

Sparks landed on the back of my hand. The heat seared through my skin, and blood ran along the lines of my palm and dripped onto the floor.

Chloe stepped back and pinched her nose in disgust. "Helena, you're getting my gown dirty."

I looked down at the twisted scrap metal in my hand and threw it in the trash.

It landed with a dull thud, and my father's face darkened. "Who said you could throw that away?"

I said, "You said it was junk."

At that, my mother raised her hand to slap me.

I caught her wrist. For the first time, I didn't just stand there and take it.

Our eyes locked. She was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "How dare you? Don't think you can act superior to me just because you were engaged to Don Ravelli. Chloe's the one marrying him now!"

The guests in the hall settled in to enjoy the show, and Chloe looked happier than ever. "Helena, the Ravelli family is bringing the betrothal gifts tomorrow. Make sure you keep your distance so no one mistakes you for the bride."

I let go of my mother, turned, and walked out.

She shouted after me, "Your perimeter shift isn't over. Walk away, and I'll punish you under the family code!"

I didn't stop walking.

The countdown on my encrypted phone read nine hours and 47 minutes.