Chapter 3

"Thirty million. That's all?"

Everyone in the slaughterhouse, Marco included, stared at me for a beat. Then the place erupted in laughter.

"You talk about thirty million like it's a pile of fucking arcade tokens. Showing off to Ms. Leoni now!"

"Chiara, I'll say it right here.

"If you can produce thirty million, I, Isabella, will kneel right here on a livestream and lick the blood off the soles of his shoes!"

I ignored her screeching and took out an encrypted military phone.

"It's me.

"Lock down every port and shipping route the Leoni family has. I want them gone from the East Coast by dawn."

"Yes, Donna."

The voice on the line was calm and efficient, though the speaker hesitated.

"But shutting down the Leoni family's operations would affect several other families' interests.

"And if we're going to destroy them completely, the council still needs to allocate resources.

"Full deployment will take about three hours."

"Three hours?"

I frowned.

"Yes. We need to make sure nothing is left of them. We'll move as fast as we can."

"Understood."

After I hung up, I sent a message to someone else.

When I fell silent after the call, Isabella laughed until she cried.

"What's wrong, moneybags? Show's over?

"Just like that old man you latched onto. All talk when it counts?"

She mimicked my voice in a pinched, mocking tone.

"Lock down the Leoni family. Why don't you have galactic headquarters wire you some stellar energy while you're at it?

"I'm in a good mood today. I'll give you your three hours. Let's see what trick you pull."

She sat in one of the cleaner chairs, crossed her legs, took out her phone, and made a few smug calls.

Within ten minutes, my uncle and aunt were brought in, flustered and out of breath.

The moment my aunt saw me, she pointed and shrieked as if she had seen a ghost.

"You jinx. How dare you show your face here again!"

Then she noticed the thugs watching, changed her tune at once, and started shoving Marco toward Isabella.

"Marco, Ms. Leoni wants you. That's the best thing that will ever happen to you. Why aren't you on your knees apologizing to her?"

My uncle stepped forward and jabbed a finger in my face.

"We threw you out of the Franco family years ago, and you dare come back and stir up trouble? You want to see us all dumped in the Hudson?"

Then he turned and bowed low to Isabella.

"Ms. Leoni, please don't lower yourself to this kind of woman.

"Marco's just stubborn. We'll make sure he learns to behave."

Isabella smiled, eager to humiliate me further.

"Your little jinx here just made a call. Says she can produce thirty million within the hour."

My uncle and aunt stared at me as if I'd lost my mind.

I didn't give them a chance to keep yammering. I took an unadorned metal badge from my jacket pocket and tossed it on the floor.

"A global lockdown takes three hours. But you can take that and go ask around."

I nudged the badge with the toe of my boot.

"Take it around and ask what it's worth—enough to buy the Leoni family ten times over."