Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Horst's aide brought over a gun case.

Inside was an antique Colt revolver, older even than my father's.

The aide slid the case toward me.

"The Don blew up two rival strongholds in the East District overnight to get this.

"He also said Ms. Costa has thought about what she did. He hopes you'll see the bigger picture and not let a gun come between you."

I didn't even look at it. I just closed the case.

Horst was never stingy about making it up to me. He just never wanted to face how much he'd hurt me.

That afternoon, I took several ledgers documenting the South District's smuggling operations to the council of elders.

The meeting would decide whether my father's men lived or died. It was also the last deal I had to settle before I left.

My convoy had just turned off the main road when Horst called on his private channel.

"You're out?"

"Yes. Heading to the council out in the western suburbs."

The line went quiet for two seconds. I could faintly hear him loading a gun.

"What time are you done? I'll come get you."

I held the phone and didn't answer right away.

Last night, when he carried Erin out, he hadn't spared me a single extra word.

And today, suddenly, he was playing the attentive husband.

"Four o'clock."

"Okay."

For once, Horst's voice softened a little.

"I had roses flown in from Sicily. Erin wants to apologize to you in person over a drink too."

In the past, if he made even the slightest concession, I'd swallow my hurt to spare him embarrassment.

But not this time.

"I have a meeting with the elders. Don't wait up for me tonight."

I'd barely hung up when something slammed into my car so hard the cabin buckled.

Fighting through the pain, I crawled out. The car burst into flames, and within seconds it was engulfed.

The evidence I'd spent two years gathering went up in smoke.

Erin jumped out of her car, deathly pale, her walkie-talkie still showing a red light.

"Diana, I'm sorry.

"Horst said you wouldn't accept my apology, so I followed you in my car to explain."

She said she was sorry, but she didn't sound sorry at all.

"The roll bar got stuck for a second. I looked down to fix it and didn't see your car slow down..."

I looked at her coldly, drew the gun strapped to my thigh, and aimed it right between her eyes.

Erin blanched and threw her hands up.

"Are you crazy? You're going to shoot me right here?!"

"You destroyed everything I had to bargain with."

My voice was ice. My finger rested on the trigger.

When she saw I wasn't bluffing, she suddenly turned and ran toward the burning car.

"Fine, I'll make it up to you! I'll go in and get it out for you right now!"

"Don't!"

Too late.

She had just pulled the lockbox out.

Then the car exploded. She screamed as the blast threw her to the ground, burning the skin on her forearm.

When Horst arrived with his convoy, he saw the blood running down my temple first.

He strode over and took my chin in his hand.

"Where did you hit your head? Where else are you hurt?"

The worry on his face brought a sudden sting to my eyes.

But before I could answer, Erin cried out in pain behind me.

"Horst, help me..."

Horst turned, saw her, and ran straight to her.

"That fire's huge. What were you thinking, running in there?!"

"I wanted to save Diana's ledgers for her."

Erin leaned against his chest and held the half-burned pages out to me.

"It's all my fault. But I really didn't hit her car on purpose."

Just then, the Ferrara family's enforcers arrived. Their captain quietly asked whether they should take Erin to the dungeon for questioning.

Horst held her, looked at her wound, and didn't hesitate for a second.

"We'll handle it privately. Erase every record."

My head snapped up, and I stared hard at him.

"Absolutely not. My ledgers are gone."

"I'll get every hacker in the South District to recover the data."

"The council starts in 40 minutes, and nobody can recover the paper originals."

Horst's face darkened.

I took the ledgers Erin had pulled out and turned toward one of the backup cars.

Even if it was hopeless, I wasn't going to give up my last chance to fight for my father's men.

But Horst stepped in front of the car door.

"Even if you go now, what good will it do? You're going to walk into the council with a pile of burned garbage?"

Garbage.

Why is everything I fight so hard to protect always worthless to him?

I gripped my gun so hard my fingers went white.

"Move. This is my business."

Suddenly Erin clutched her chest, doubled over, and started dry heaving.

The medic who'd come with the convoy examined her and told Horst gravely, "She may have inhaled a lot of smoke and burned her airway. She needs to get back to the medical center right away."

Horst picked her up and hurried toward an armored SUV.

"You stay and help the enforcers clean up the scene.

"Once Erin's out of danger, I'll go with you and explain things to the council myself."

Holding the ruined ledgers, I stood among the broken glass and looked at him.

"Horst, the council doesn't wait for anyone."

He looked at me through the car window, his jaw tight.

But Erin moaned inside the car, and he rolled up the bulletproof glass without another word.

Forty minutes later, the council sent its ruling.

"Diana failed to submit her evidence on time. Her control over her father's men is revoked, effective immediately."

It was only one line, but I stared at the screen for a long time.

I'd thought I'd rage. That I'd lose my mind.

But I just stood there quietly.

It was like a rusty blade slowly sawing through my heart. In the end, there was only numbness.