Chapter 2

I met Rocco at a Falcone-owned strip club.

That night, I stood backstage and suddenly realized I couldn't stand the thought of another greasy man putting his hands on me.

But the manager didn't see it that way. He raised his whip at me.

Rocco caught his wrist before it came down.

"Do you want to come with me?" he asked. "I can get you out of here."

Who turned down the Falcone heir? He had money, power, and a face that made women forget their own names.

He pulled me out of the life I had been drowning in and gave me a way to survive without selling my body.

He taught me to shoot, hired expert hackers to train me, and showed me how to negotiate with men who smiled while they planned to bury you.

He ignored where I came from and eventually made me the family’s godmother—the woman who managed its operations.

I gave him everything I had.

Chicago's underground knew my name because I earned it.

Ten years later, Rocco decided I was less useful than an MBA with a polished resume. He had used the filthiest trick possible to push me out of the family.

My chest tightened at the memory.

The next morning, I left the hospital early, before Rocco could send anyone to collect me. He had no idea I was gone.

He knew how much Claire meant to me. He thought threatening her would keep me obedient.

He had been so certain of my submission that he had not even posted a guard outside my hospital room.

I returned to the Falcone estate alone and headed for the office.

I needed to encrypt the family files on my computer and send them to Vincenzo.

As I passed the bedroom, the door stood partly open.

A man's rough breath came from inside. A woman moaned.

I stopped.

Claire lay naked across the bed that had been mine.

Rocco was over her, his hands gripping her hips while she called his name.

My stomach twisted.

When he pulled her closer, the charm necklace around her neck bounced against her chest.

That charm belonged to Rocco.

After one assassination attempt after another, I had gone to a temple in Nepal and crawled on my knees before its steps until blood covered my hands.

I had brought the charm home and placed it in his palm.

He had held my face and kissed me.

"I will never let you sacrifice yourself for me again," he had said.

Now Claire wore it while she slept with my husband.

I turned away, desperate to leave before either of them saw me.

My hip struck a vase in the hallway.

It crashed across the floor.

Rocco cursed and shoved the bedroom door open.

He saw me and came close enough to punch the wall beside my head.

"Fuck, Sofia. This isn't your home anymore. Tell me before you come back. Stop creeping around like a ghost."

I had lived here for ten years. I had chosen every piece of furniture in this house.

Now he expected permission before I walked through its halls.

He was scared I had seen Claire. He needed her close because he believed she could keep me under control.

My eyes burned. Pain rose with my anger, but I swallowed both.

Rocco watched my face. He expected tears. His shoulders eased.

"What did you see?"

"You found a new lover that quickly?"

I kept my voice light. Until the files reached Vincenzo, I needed them careless.

Rocco smiled, pleased with himself.

"Sofia, hand over the family business, and I’ll fly to Sicily for a few days every month to visit you."

He leaned toward me. Claire's perfume clung to his skin.

I pushed him away.

"You want every file related to the family business. Give me a room to handle it."

His smile disappeared.

"You know why I don't want you anymore?" he said. "You have no idea how to make a man happy."

He grabbed my arm and shoved me into a storage room.

Dust covered every shelf and box.

"You know I have a severe dust allergy," I said.

"Enough. It’s a little dust. You’re always exaggerating."

Rocco slammed the door.

The lock clicked from the outside.

"Finish the transfer," Rocco called through the door. "You stay there until it's done."

His footsteps faded.

Dust filled my nose. My throat began to swell.

There was no time to waste. I pulled out my laptop, encrypted the core files, and sent them to Vincenzo. We had less than a day to breach Rocco’s defenses and catch him off guard.

The transfer bar reached one hundred percent. The files were gone.

The message showed as delivered.

Vincenzo replied at once.

Do you need me to get you now?

I was so starved for air that I could barely keep hold of my phone.

My phone slipped from my hand.

It hit the floor beneath the crate.

I dropped beside it, coughing until my ribs hurt. Air scraped through my throat in thin bursts. My lungs felt full, heavy, useless.

"Help!" I hit the door with my palm. "Open the door!"

Nobody answered.

I clawed at the floor, forcing myself forward. My body wanted to curl up and quit. I reached again, my nails catching against the wood.

The phone lay inches away.

I pulled it closer and opened Vincenzo's message.

My thumb shook over the screen.

I typed one line.

I'm at the Falcone estate.

The message sent.