Chapter 6

The next morning, Victor wasn't at the table. I was told he'd gone abroad for negotiations.

There were several times as many guards watching me as before.

Angela looked at the guards around me with satisfaction. "The Don goes to such lengths to protect me."

I laughed at her.

Her smile froze. "What are you laughing at?"

"You flatter yourself."

I undid the top buttons of my shirt, showing her the marks Victor had left the night before.

"They're here to keep me from falling for another man. And you thought this was about you."

"That's not possible!"

Angela stared at the marks, the color draining from her face.

I slowly buttoned my shirt and raised my chin in deliberate defiance.

"Why so surprised?

"He's always loved me most. Marrying you was just a way to secure an alliance."

Angela exploded.

"Carina!" she screamed, lunging at me with her hand raised.

I dodged, and her hand swept past my ear.

"You cheap little bitch!

"You think you've beaten me because he kissed you a couple of times? I'm his wife. This family recognizes me as its Donna! What are you?"

It was the biggest joke I'd ever heard. I turned, took out a recorder, and pressed play.

Victor's voice filled the room, low and rough.

The promises he'd once made to me alone played back, each one clearer than the last.

Angela's expression changed.

"You're right. You are his wife.

"But don't forget those first two years. You could strip naked in front of him, and he still wouldn't touch you.

"Without the Ferraro family's backing, and without your injuries, you'd still be sleeping alone."

"Shut up!"

"All I did was talk to his brother, and he went mad with jealousy."

I looked at her and kept going. "Angela, you've been at his side all these years. Has he ever lost control like that over you?"

"I said shut up!"

"No.

"Because what he gives you has never been love. It's guilt. Obligation. Pity."

"Shut up!"

Angela clapped both hands over her ears.

I advanced on her one slow step at a time, each word cutting into her.

"And when his guilt runs out, what will keep you in that position?

"Your ability? Or a child?"

Angela went rigid.

"You have neither. All you do is cause him problems because you're too stupid to do anything else."

Angela lost control. She lunged at me and grabbed a fistful of my hair.

She stared at me, her eyes wild.

"Don't worry.

"That day is never going to come!"

Her expression shifted. She grabbed my wrist and forced my hand against her throat.

Before I understood what she was doing, she was using my hand to squeeze her own neck.

Ugly red marks quickly appeared on her pale skin.

Then she let go of my hand, clutched her throat, and screamed. "Help! Help me! Carina is trying to kill me!"

The guards outside came in at once.

I'd barely stood up before several guards forced me to the floor, my arms pinned behind my back.

Less than half an hour later, they were taking me to the family tribunal. On the way, Angela leaned close to my ear.

"Carina, you were too impatient. Letting me know so soon that you wanted Victor back was suicide.

"Victor won't be back for three days. That's more than enough time to kill you over and over."

I gave her a cold look. Good. She was doing exactly what I'd planned.

At the family council, Angela dropped a stack of files onto the table.

"Carina has no future left in this family, so she has been selling intelligence to a rival family in exchange for protection."

She pulled her collar open and showed the ring of bruises around her throat.

"And when I found out, she tried to kill me to keep it quiet!"

The room erupted. My father shot to his feet.

"Impossible! Carina has worked for this family since she was a teenager. She's nearly died on the job more times than I can count. She would never betray it!"

Angela gave him a cold look.

"Are you questioning me?"

Several of the captains frowned immediately.

"The Donna has been in charge for years. When has she ever wronged one of our own?"

"Carina has suffered one loss after another lately. It wouldn't be surprising if she were bitter and looking for a way out."

"And the evidence is right here. She was willing to kill the Donna. What wouldn't she do?"

My father's face went gray.

"Bullshit! Nobody knows my daughter better than I do!"

"Enough."

Angela slammed her hand on the table. The council room fell silent.

Someone broke the silence. "Interrogate her first. Find out how much information she sold."

"What for? The evidence is right there. Trying to murder the Donna alone is enough to get her executed!"

"A bullet is too good for her. Sink her!"

Simon, who'd been silent throughout, finally raised his head.

"Doesn't executing a member of this family require the Don's consent?"

Somebody laughed it off.

"The Don is away. The Donna has authority over family matters.

"And what is she now? A warehouse clerk. If she dies, she dies."

Simon paused for a few seconds but said nothing more.

Angela's satisfaction grew. She looked down at me coldly. "11 o'clock tonight. Take her to Black Reef Bay on the west coast.

"Lock her in a cage and weigh it down with 300 pounds of stone. I don't want her body coming back up."

My father jerked his head up and lunged at Angela.

"No! Victor isn't back. Nobody here has the authority to execute her!"

Several guards grabbed him at once and pinned his arms.

He struggled to turn and look at me, his eyes red.

"Say something! Tell them you didn't do it. You didn't betray this family, did you?"

My nails dug into my palms. I lowered my head and avoided his eyes.

To everyone in the room, my silence was all the proof they needed.

Someone gave a cold laugh.

"Carlo, how much longer are you going to lie to yourself about her?

"Donna, we should interrogate his family too. Maybe they're all traitors."

The color went out of my father's face.

Several guards seized him and dragged him out of the tribunal.

That night, only a few harsh white floodlights lit the docks at Black Reef Bay.

They locked me in the cage and chained my wrists and ankles. The 300 pounds of stone thudded against my feet.

The crane lifted the cage. Through the rusty bars, I saw Angela smiling at me from the shore.

A second later, the chains released.

The cage crashed into the black water, sending up white spray. Icy seawater rushed in from every side.

Meanwhile, at a dinner, Victor kept thinking about how comfortable Simon and Carina had seemed with each other.

Victor had been Carina's first love, and he had never seen her smile at another man that way.

The feeling weighed on his chest, growing worse the longer he thought about it.

His expression darkened. He called his second-in-command over.

"Find out what Carina has been doing lately. See if she's been meeting other men."

His second-in-command froze.

"Don, you... don't know?"

Victor looked up.

"Know what?"

"Ms. Rinaldi was executed for betraying the family."

The file slipped from Victor's hand and hit the floor. He shot to his feet.