Page 87 of Claimed By the Enemy

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that your uncle has been orchestrating this feud to keep our families weak and divided. But Sophie? Sophie chose love over hatred. She chose to build bridges instead of burning them down.” Uncle Enzo gestures between us, his voice growing grim. “That makes her the biggest threat Riccardo has ever faced.”

“Because she could bring our families together.”

“Because she already has. Look at us, Domenico.” He spreads his arms wide, encompassing the yacht where his armed men stand ready, where two enemies are planning to become allies. “An hour ago, we were enemies. Now we’re talking about working together to stop a common threat. That’s Sophie’s influence. That’s what she represents.”

“And Riccardo knows?”

Uncle Enzo nods grimly, pulling his jacket tighter against the harbor breeze. “Riccardo knows everything. He’s been watching both of you, waiting for the right moment to eliminate the threat you pose together. Which is why we need to find Sophie before he does.”

I look at this man who raised my wife to destroy me, who’s been my enemy for sixteen years, who’s now asking me to trust him with the most important thing in my world. The yacht rocksgently beneath us, and I can hear the distant sound of traffic from the city.

“Why should I believe you?”

Uncle Enzo’s shoulders sag slightly, and he turns away from the railing. “Because,” he says simply, “Sophie does.”

“What?”

“She’s been trying to convince me that you’re not the enemy. That there’s something else going on, someone else pulling the strings. She’s been begging me to work with you instead of against you.” He moves closer, his voice dropping to an urgent whisper.

“And now you’re ready to listen?”

“Now I’m ready to do whatever it takes to keep my niece alive. Even if it means admitting I’ve been wrong about everything for sixteen years.” Uncle Enzo straightens, his decision made.

I think about Sophie, probably walking into whatever trap Riccardo has set for her, and the choice I have to make right now. The harbor lights reflect off the water like scattered diamonds, beautiful and deceptive.

“What do you need me to do?”

Uncle Enzo smiles for the first time since he boarded my yacht, the expression transforming his weathered face. “I need you to help me save the most important person in both our lives.”

“Sophie.”

“Sophie. And the future she represents.”

I look at the gun still visible in his associate’s jacket, at the three men who could kill me before I could call for help, at the man who’s been my enemy since I was sixteen years old. The yacht’s engine hums quietly beneath us, ready to take us wherever we need to go.

And I make the same choice Sophie made in my office this morning.

I choose trust.

“Let’s go get my wife.”

Chapter Twenty

Sophie

Dock 47 is empty when I arrive.

I check the slip number twice, but there’s no yacht. No Dom. Just dark water lapping against concrete and the distant sound of traffic from the city.

My phone buzzes with a text from Dom:Running late. Be there soon.

But something feels wrong. Dom’s messages are usually more detailed, more personal. This feels… distant.

“Excuse me.” I approach a man working on a nearby boat, coiling rope with practiced efficiency. “Was there a yacht here earlier? A big one?”

He looks up, squinting in the harbor lights. “Yeah, about an hour ago. Nice boat. Left in kind of a hurry, though.”