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“This whole time—” His jaw clenched. “This whole fucking time, you were a Baldwin. One of Chicago’s elites.”

I sat up, pulling my swimsuit straps back into place. “Not exactly. Mancini was my maiden name. Baldwin was the ruse they created to separate Leo from the family business."

His laugh was hollow, bitter. “Family business. Is that what you call the greatest conglomerate in the Midwest?”

“How do you think Leo acquired that power? You have your syndicate. We have ours.” I brought my knees to my chest, resting my chin against them.

This secret wouldn’t damn us.

Sure, the revelation would be shocking, but Markos wanted to kidnap a bratva bride for power. Instead, he got me—a mafia princess.

“My oldest brother is Alessandro Mancini, Don of the Mancini Famiglia.” I let the cards fall.

Markos stopped short. He squinted down at me.

A tense moment passed where it was like he saw me for the first time. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Have you heard of him?” I prompted.

“Yes, I’ve fucking heard of the Blood King,” Markos spat. He jumped to the upper deck, stalking to his pants, which he tugged viciously over his lower half.

I sighed again. And here I’d been greedily hoping for round two. Rising, I walked to where he stood, back to me, studying the horizon.

“Hey.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “This doesn’t change anything. I’m Serena Demetriou now, and I live here, on the Southern Coast, with you, Black Tide.”

I laid my cheek against his back. Gnarled scars pressed into me.

“So...you’re Italian mob.”

I nodded. “There was never a role for me in their world. That’s why I love it here. I’m free—finally—for the first time in my life.”

Markos clasped my wrists and drew me around to face him. “This puts me in a difficult position, Serena.”

I frowned. “How?”

“Atlas and the others will think that it’s your brother come to assassinate us,” he said bitterly.

A cold dread slithered through me despite the sun’s merciless heat. “They don’t even know where I am,” I protested.

It was Markos’s turn to shake his head. “Until I can prove that, we need to keep your identity a secret. But—” his arms tightened around me “—we need to give them something. Today, I was supposed to interrogate you.”

“That’s a pretty twisted way to question someone, don’t you think?” I laughed.

Markos smiled. “Twisted? Effective? It worked, didn’t it?”

“I could get used to your version of fishing.”

My words came out more breathless than I intended. In response, I felt his cock stiffen between us.

“Do you actually want to fish?” I jerked my chin to the side.

But Markos shook his head. “I already caught the one thing I set out to ensnare.”

“Oh?”

“You, little mermaid, I’ve caught you.”

“And you’re keeping me?”