Page 23

Whispers of a Broken Empire.

I haven’t slept. Not a wink since Dante told me what my future has in store for me. I stand here, staring at the suitcase on my bed, my phone beside it, and I wonder how I can possibly stop this from happening. Every scenario I put together in my mind ends with me dead or imprisoned by a signature on paper. I close my eyes to take a breath, the exhaustion now taking over as I steady myself on my dresser.

What the fuck am I going to do?

I won’t go through with it. I’ll pack my things and leave. That’s what’s going to happen. Impulsively, I open my purse and count the cash I brought with me from the nights I spent at the strip club.

Eight thousand.

That’d be enough to get me off Falcon’s Keep and into another country. I’ll be fine as long as I find a cash-paying job and stay hidden.

I shake my head at the stupid thought.

Who are you kidding, Nera? They’ll find you .

I take a shower to calm my nerves and change into a cotton black dress. Gathering my hair, I tie it high on the crown of my head, the strands still wet. The obvious darkness beneath my eyes does nothing to hide my exhaustion and I don’t care enough to cover them with makeup.

My phone lights up as it beeps, the floorboards creaking as I pad over to pick it up.

Dante

Need to speak with you.

My grip tightens around my phone and I shove it into the pocket of my dress. The prick thinks he can order me around after telling me he basically signed me over to the Lucchese family? I scoff, ramming my clothes into my suitcase. I haven’t completely dismissed the idea of running, so I’m preparing a contingency plan in case the one I’m currently carrying out doesn’t work. Stuffing the money into the side of the suitcase, I cover it with a toiletries bag, then close the suitcase and zip it up.

There’s a knock on my door as I hide the suitcase in my wardrobe and I step out right before my door flies open.

“ Venite subito! Dante sta sanguinando. ” My mother charges into my room, her hands flailing beside her face.

“ Mamma, calmati per favore. ” I try my best to calm her, but she grabs my arm, pulling me out of my room, down the stairs and into the main foyer.

“ Sta per morire! ” She motions to the middle of the empty room, tears in her eyes as Dante opens the doors to his office, hearing the commotion. My heart breaks for her as she stands there, covering her mouth, clearly revisiting the memory of seeing my father on the floor.

“I’ll take her,” Dante says, stepping forward, but I stop him.

“No.” I place my hands on her shoulders and look into her eyes. “ Mamma, Papà non c’è più. Se n’è andato da anni. ” I explain to her that Papà is no longer with us, and hasn’t been for years, and she wraps her arms around herself, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

“ Mi manca… ” she whispers, and I hug her tight, wishing I could take away all her pain. Gently, I take her hands and guide her up the stairs, back into her room.

There’s always one thing I fear more than dying, and that’s forgetting who I am and the life I’ve lived. There’s nothing crueller than nature deciding your memories are not worthy, and wiping them out entirely. Only allowing you to access them once or twice each year.

After a few minutes of calming my mother down, I convince her to read the book on her table, the same one my father bought her for their anniversary. The first edition of Romeo and Juliet . She’s probably read this a thousand times, but she doesn’t remember, so each time she reads it again, she experiences it for the first time. Even before her memory loss, it was her favourite tragedy.

Dante’s presence looms into the room and when I look up at him, I know I’m going to regret stepping out of my mother’s room. He leaves, waiting for me outside and I place a soft kiss on my mother’s cheek. “ Ti voglio bene, Mamma. ”

Closing the door, I try to move past Dante and avoid whatever the hell he has to say when he grabs me by my wrist. “Frances will be waiting for you in the greenhouse tonight. He’s requested to have dinner with you.”

“Do you really think this is going to work?” I tear my wrist from his hold and face him. “He’s a killer and a madman.”

“And you think we aren’t?” he questions, towering over me. “You think we got here by exchanging pleasantries and donating to charity?” He shoulders past me and pauses before the staircase. “It’s your turn to pull your weight for the safety and security of this family, Nera.”

The portable crates that were in the middle of the greenhouse are now pushed to the side, freeing up space for the table and chairs now neatly placed in the centre. Two candles, plates, cutlery, and glasses on top. My stomach churns as I take a seat, staring at the two muscled men standing by the door.

Frances clears his throat, setting his phone on the table, smiling as he pours me a glass of red wine.

“This isn’t a hostage situation.” I move my hair behind me, glancing from him to the men at the door. “Are you afraid of having dinner without protection?”

He waves at the men and they leave. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, Nera.” He begins pouring himself a glass of wine. “I’ve met a lot of people in my line of work. Some of them happy to go about life without ever experiencing more than their backyard, others thirsting at the opportunity of a sliver of wealth or power. But none quite like you.”

I roll my eyes and lean back in my chair. “Is this the part where you tell me I’m not like the others?”

He smiles, bringing the wine glass to his lips. “You tell me. Do you want any of those things?”

“Power and wealth come with more baggage than I’m prepared to be burdened with. Especially when it’s given by someone like you.” I do my worst, because what else is left besides my pride? If I can make him hurt, I will.

He chuckles, unmoved by my insult and takes a sip. “Do you know why I asked for you?”

I stiffen in my chair, waiting for his next words as he fixes the cuffs on his suit.

“Because you just can’t stand seeing my family happy?”

“No, Nera, because your father owes me.”

My brows furrow. “I thought that debt was settled.”

“The souls we send here are not the settlement. That was the price of our agreement, to let your father keep Falcon’s Keep afloat.” He takes another sip and places the glass on the table, resting his hands in his lap. “The price to settle was you.”

Bile rises to the base of my throat as my whole life as I knew it is being unravelled in front of me. Everything filled with lies and deceit.

“I’ll never love you,” I say through gritted teeth, wrapping my hand around the handle of the knife at the table.

“I’m not after love, Nera. All I want from you is your cooperation.”

“And what if I don’t give it?”

He sighs, pulling out his phone and placing it in front of me. The blood rushes to my head at the sight of my two brothers tied up with guns pointed at their heads.

“Nino and Santi,” I whisper. “You’ve had them this entire time.”

“Welcome to the real world, Nera. As long as you do as I say, I won’t harm them.”

“You’re a fucking liar. The minute you get what you want, you’ll kill them.”

His laugh bellows inside the greenhouse. “I like you. You’re smart and admittedly a great judge of character.”

“I’ll make you a deal…” He stands, placing his hands in his pockets and steps behind my chair to lean into my ear. “Marry me, and I’ll only hurt them a little.”

I pause, considering my moves like a chess game, and he has me cornered. No matter what I do, he has me checked.

“What are your terms?”

He waves one of the men over who reaches into his breast pocket to pull out a thick yellow envelope, then walks out.

“Everything is written down in plain black and white. You have a week to decide how you want to proceed.”