Chapter 1 - The Crimson Emblem
The metallic clicks of fifty loaded weapons echoed through the massive foyer.
I pulled Leo tight against my chest, burying his face in my shoulder so he wouldn’t see the guns.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Lorenzo Rossi did not even flinch at the sound of the drawn steel.
He stayed crouched in front of my son, his dark eyes locked onto the small wooden bear.
The crimson emblem burned into the wood was a bleeding falcon.
It was the mark of the Falcone syndicate, a rival family that had supposedly been eradicated five years ago.
"I will ask only once more," Lorenzo said, his voice dropping to a lethal octave.
"Where did this toy come from?"
I swallowed the lump of sheer terror in my throat.
"I found it," I lied, my voice shaking.
Lorenzo stood up slowly, towering over me like a shadow of death.
"You do not lie to me in my own house, Miss Russo," he whispered.
Isabella scoffed from behind him, crossing her arms over her emerald gown.
"She is obviously a spy, Lorenzo, just shoot her and the brat!"
Lorenzo did not even look at his fiancée when he spoke.
"If you open your mouth again, Isabella, I will have your tongue cut out."
The entire room gasped, but no one dared to intervene.
He looked back down at me, his gaze softening just a fraction.
"Tell me the truth, Clara."
It was the first time he had ever used my first name.
"My late husband carved it," I confessed, tears finally spilling hot down my cheeks.
Lorenzo’s jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might shatter.
"And what was your late husband's name?"
May you like
I closed my eyes, knowing this answer would seal our fate.
"Matteo Falcone," I whispered into the deadly silence.
