Page 137 of Thorns of Death

“I will go to war overher. None of this… all the fucking sacrifices were for nothing if I can’t have her.”

The sheer terror at the possibility of losing her had my chest twisting in agony.

Manuel studied me, his expression somber. “Then think about the Omertà,” he said. “The five Italian families. The kings. We’re expanding alliances with the Greeks, the Irish. Will they stand by you against Konstantin? Or will we all fall apart?”

“They will do whatever the fuck I tell them to.”

Agosti, Romero, and Dante Leone might. Amon would turn his back, now that Reina was promised to his brother. The DiMauro family would sooner stab me than help. The Callahans would take DiMauro’s side. Still, the odds weren’t terrible.

Manuel pushed his hand through his hair. “God save me from a Marchetti man obsessed with a woman.” He shook his head. “Ever since you met her, worrying for you has become my full-time job.”

“Once Donatella is eliminated, you can take a long vacation. Maybe you’ll fall in love and then I can antagonize you.”

He flipped me the middle finger. “It’ll never happen.”

I grinned. “Never say never.” Then I turned serious. “Have we gone through all the men and their backgrounds?”

Manuel leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We have. Twice. I can’t find any connections to anyone outside our family.”

My teeth ground. “There has to be one.”

“Agreed, but for the fucking life of me, I cannot find it.”

Frustration clawed and dug at my chest. “We’re too close to it. Have we asked Kingston to check them all?”

He nodded. “I handed him the list this morning. He’s making his way through it. Let’s hope he has better luck than us.”

“He will.”

He had to. Everything depended on uncovering the identity of the mole.

FORTY-SEVEN

ISLA

Tension grew in the air, even in the castle. It didn’t escape me that Enrico had tightened security yet again. He doubled the guards. He stopped the boys from going to school. They weren’t happy at all, and I couldn’t blame them.

It made me wonder whether my life would have been like this—a constant threat—if Konstantin hadn’t sent me away to boarding school.

My phone rang and I flicked a glance at the screen. Surprise washed over me upon seeing my sister-in-law’s name.

Without thinking, I answered. “Hello, Tatiana.”

A relieved sigh traveled through the line. “I was worried you wouldn’t answer.” I remained quiet, wondering why it never crossed my mind not to answer her. I was mad at her, wasn’t I? But I wasn’t. She stood by her husband, as she should, and I couldn’t fault her for it. Yes, she’d kept a big secret from me, but it wasn’t her place to tell me my mother’s story.

“I’ll always answer your call,” I finally said.

“But not your brother’s?” There was a hint of sadness in her voice that stabbed my heart. “He loves you.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “And I love him. But I cannot just pretend he didn’t kill my mother.”

“What if I told you he did it for a good reason?”

I shook my head. “You take his side. And that’s okay. But I won’t accept that as an explanation.”

She sighed. “I didn’t think you would.”

It was better if we changed subjects. “How are you feeling? How are the twins cooking?”