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“You always baby her, defend her. Now what do we do with this mess?” She turned on Gian. “You think Cesar De Lucci will let this go?”

“Shut up, Griselda,” Sandro snapped.

“She’s right.” Gian detached from his huddle of soldiers and walked up to Tommy. “What do you think, Tommy? It was one of our men who shot his son, even if Sandro killed him.” He glared at Sandro as if saying that was the wrong move and there would be repercussions later. “I don’t think he’d take too kindly that we harmed his baby De Luccis.”

A round of laughter went around the room. Only Sandro, I, and Tommy were not laughing. I was fuming, but I knew better than to stoke the promise of retaliation from my family.

If Renz dies…

My chest heaved in almighty agony; my throat scraped with burning rage. Thoughts spiraled into a dark place.

There would be no place on earth the Rossi crime family could hide. Dad would exterminate every single one of them, Sandro included. And at this very instant, I didn’t care that the boy I adored since childhood was going to rot in hell with them.

An emotion I’d never associated with Sandro surged inside me and I raised my eyes to meet his gaze head-on.

Hatred.

Unadulterated hatred.

The boy I’d been in love with for most of my life was one ofthem.

Whatever Sandro saw on my face disturbed him enough. He was skilled at hiding what he was feeling, but in some ways, I was familiar with his tells. His hand that was at his side, the one not holding a gun, curled and uncurled. He wanted to comfort me, but his arms were the last thing I craved.

I seek atonement.

Because of my obsession with Alessandro Rossi, my brother could die.

I harnessed all my anger and stopped crying. I was a De Lucci. Renz needed me to have my wits about me.

Gian crouched in front of me. “The only way Cesar De Lucci won’t come after us is if we form an alliance.”

A gripping chill crawled up my spine.

“If you marry me, surely your pop won’t kill his son-in-law?”

Chapter

Three

Sandro

In an ideal situation, Gian’s brains would be on the wall. I would shoot my way out of here with Bianca in tow. The gangsters present wouldn’t dare be in the sights of my gun. Admittedly, there were a few too stupid to live.

But Bianca would never leave Renz. Covered in blood, she speared her venom-filled glare at me, Gian, and every single person in this room. I didn’t recognize the woman in front of me and I wanted to roar.

My world was nothing like the morally gray one she lived in.

Mine was pitch black. I swam with the filth of the underworld. The cockroaches.

“Fuck that,” Renz gritted out.

“Or do you want me to kill you now?” Gian asked Renz.

My finger feathered the trigger. Gian would be dead before he shot Renz. Griselda clasped my arm, but I recoiled from her touch and stepped away from her.

“I’ll do what you want.” Bianca’s voice cracked. “Just?—”

I seethed in silence.No, Bianca. Fuck, no.I’d never shot anyone without purpose. My kills were never based on emotion. Cold. Methodical. Words I lived by. I was anything but cold right now. I was anything but methodical at this fucking instant. I exposed my card when I shot the man who shot Renz.