Chapter 4

The day before I left for Sicily, I signed the final papers releasing me from the Moretti Family.

The Don looked at me for a long moment. "That boy still doesn't know what he's lost."

"He made his choice, and I made mine." I inclined my head in a quiet, respectful bow.

"Thank you, Don."

By the time I pulled into my driveway that evening, the neighborhood was unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Someone was watching me.

As I stepped out of the vehicle, a shadow detached itself from the darkness.

Dominic, Sienna’s abusive husband and Capo of the Russo Syndicate.

A heavy aluminum baseball bat rested across his shoulder. He flashed a smile that never reached his cold eyes.

"Long time, Claire."

My heartbeat slowed to a calculated rhythm. Fear was a luxury that got operators killed. "So this is about revenge."

He chuckled, a low, rasping sound. "What do yo think this is?"

"You and Chase kicked in my front door and dragged my wife out in front of my entire Family. You humiliated me."

His expression twisted into pure malice. "And now? The great Chase Moretti belongs to her. I can't touch them... but I can touch you."

Keeping my posture rigid, I slipped my hand blindly into my coat pocket and hit the emergency speed-dial.

"What do you want?" I asked, keeping my voice steady to buy time. "Money? A deal? We can figure something out."

Dominic spat onto the pavement. "I don't want money. I want you to suffer."

He was towering, lethal, and out of his mind. I knew better than to go toe-to-toe with a madman, my only play was to fall back and buy time for backup.

The next second, the bat cut through the air. I threw myself backward and bolted.

"Dominic! This won't end well for you."

"I've got nothing left to lose," he snarled, closing the distance. "You ruined my life. Now I'll ruin yours."

I turned and ran. He cornered me into a narrow, dead-end alley—rough concrete walls and zero exits.

"There you are." The metal bat tapped against his palm.

Dominic’s smile widened into something truly demonic. Then he swung with everything he had.

A sickening crack echoed through the alley. Agony exploded through my arm, I heard the bone shatter before the pain even registered.

The world tilted. As I collapsed, my phone slipped from my fingers.

The screen flickered. One missed call. Unanswered.

When I finally woke up, the air was thick with the sterile scent of antiseptic in the Moretti Family’s private medical wing.

Sienna was on her knees beside my bed, sobbing so violently. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."

Chase stood rooted against the far wall, his knuckles split open and bleeding from where he’d slammed his fist into the concrete.

"I didn't see the call," his voice broke, raw with agonized guilt. "I swear to God, Claire... I never saw it."

I closed my eyes, detached from their drama. "The report."

Someone gently pressed the black-and-white scans into my trembling hand. I didn't need a doctor to translate the jagged lines.

My right hand had suffered too much damage for precision shooting.

My entire career was executed in four brutal words on the chart: Removed from Field Execution.

The physical pain in my arm was nothing compared to the absolute void in my chest. I looked at the anxious faces gathered around my bed—my teammates, Sienna, Chase.

"Please," I whispered. "Get out."

They filed out one by one, heavy with guilt. Only after the door clicked shut did I finally allow the silent tears to burn down my face.

I have to delay my flight.

For weeks, Chase came every single day. So did Sienna. I turned them both away without a word.

One evening, his muffled voice drifted through the reinforced door.

"Claire. Even if you can't take the shot anymore, you can work beside me. To support me."

Support.

That was who I had become in their eyes.

The next morning, I checked myself out of the hospital.

By noon, I was on a flight to Sicily.

The Romano Family knowing my situation and insisted me to join the Family as their Consigliere.

They didn't care that I couldn't pull a trigger anymore.

They wanted me.

Before takeoff, I removed my SIM card and deleted every contact from my phone.

When the plane lifted into the clouds, I left my old life behind.