“I will hurt those you love most,” Luca whispered. “Is that what you want?”

“I love no one.”

Luca laughed and reached into his pocket. He pulled out an envelope and lifted a lock of hair out of it.

A lock of dark, silky brown hair. He held it to his nose and sniffed. “Coconut? Lavender? Do remind me to ask your little girlfriend what she uses. It’s absolutely… divine.”

I gripped the seat until my knuckles turned white.

Chase burst out laughing and slapped me on the back.

What the hell was he doing?

“Phoenix, you always were such an ass. Luca, can I call you by your first name?”

Hair still lifted by his face, Luca looked between me and Chase. I remained emotionless on the outside, while on the inside I was praying for my cousin to pull his head out of his ass. What the hell was he thinking?

“And who are you?”

“I go by Chase Winter—my mom’s last name and all that—but I’m an Abandonato. I’m the boss’s cousin. I’m also a bit confused as to what Phoenix must have told you.”

“Well, allow me to clear things up.” Luca gritted his teeth and pointed at Phoenix.

“I’d rather you not.” Chase stood. “You see, every minute I hear you disrespecting Trace is another minute I’m adding on to the time I get my hands around Phoenix’s neck and personally introduce him to Jesus Christ, when he will surely receive his just reward—an eternity in Hell. So allow me to clear things up with you. If you touch my girlfriend, I will kill you. I won’t stop in my pursuit to pull your beating heart out of your damn chest and feel its last beat through my clenched fist as your blood drips from my fingertips. I suggest, Mr. Nicolosi, that you get your information straight before you come to our country, our city, and our family. I’m warning you: Don’t push us too far, because we sure as hell will push back.”

The hair fell from Luca’s fingers onto the table. In an instant, Phoenix was pulled out of his seat and slammed against the wall, a gun held to his neck.

“What else are you lying about?” Luca pushed the gun further into Phoenix’s neck. “Hmm? Is your only goal to destroy the family standing in the way of your ultimate power? Wake up, child. You are not a man, you are a vessel that I am using in order to make sure our business dealings are not discovered by either of our governments. Allow your jealousy to make you weak and I will show you the true meaning of pain.” He released Phoenix and let him fall to the floor. In an instant he was giving orders to the other two men in the room.

One of Luca’s men stepped forward, producing a thick envelope. Inside were pictures.

Of Chase and Tracey.

I almost lost it right there.

Chase had put his life on the line for both of us, and now I knew there was no going back. It had to be real. I had to help them make it real because if they knew we’d lied…

We were all going to die.

“This.” Luca pointed at the first picture. “Is this what you’re talking about?”

Chase was on top of Tracey, pinning her to the ground. I stared at the picture and prayed I was keeping my expression bored when my heart was breaking inside my chest. I knew what they were doing; I knew it was part of their KI class training session. But still.

We’d been spied on for the past week; that much was certain. I was suddenly thankful that Chase had been the one with Trace the whole time. Chase had used his security detail as a brilliant excuse for their relationship.

“To be fair,” Faust said next to Luca, “they could be sharing her.”

This time Tex spoke. “No offense, Faust, but men in our family don’t have problems catching women. Unlike some people…”

Faust’s nostrils flared but he said nothing.

“This.” Luca pointed to the pictures. “This is true? The Alfero heir and you; you are together?”

Chase rolled his eyes. “Why else would I be on top of her in class. I’m trying to get as close to her as possible even when the professors are looking.”

My heart slammed against my chest. I knew it was a lie, but damn if it didn’t feel like truth.

“If you are lying…”—Luca sighed—“things will not end well for you.”

“We don’t lie. We aren’t rats. Now, tell us how we can help you. The way I see it”—I leaned forward on the table and folded my hands—“is the quicker we work together, the quicker you row, row, row your boats back across the Atlantic.”

“Straight to the point. No threats, just questions?” Luca nodded. “I like that.”

“I’m a likeable guy.” I flashed him a toothy grin and licked my lips, pausing for effect. “We have kept order for a very long time. My proposition is this. Allow us the rest of the fall semester to continue to dive into the De Lange family, without interruption. Hand over Phoenix, allow us to do our jobs, and in the end, if we cannot find a solution, we hand over Mr. Alfero and you leave. All of you.”

“Time. You want time.”

“And Phoenix. Don’t forget him.” I nodded to Phoenix. “We have some unfinished business. I don’t suppose Faust told you about the rape allegations to Chase’s girlfriend.”

“I did not think it necessary,” Faust interrupted.

“Not necessary?” Luca threw his head back and laughed. “Do you ever feel, Mr. Abandonato, that you are the only one who is not an idiot?”

I grinned and leaned back in my chair. “All the damn time.”

“Me too.” In an instant, Luca had his gun pointed at Faust and pulled the trigger seven times. Faust fell to the ground. The men around him pulled his lifeless body into the corner.

“Now.” Luca reached his hand across the table. “I believe we have a deal.”

I’d lost my damn mind. But I panicked. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t see any other way out of our predicament. And I knew, I knew it was possible they’d been watching us. The photos would prove my story. Now I just had to make sure my cousin wasn’t going to shoot me and throw my body into Lake Michigan.

We walked silently to the car. I started it and headed back toward Nixon’s house. Nobody said a word. All I could focus on was the faint music of AWOLNATION in the background and Nixon’s heavy breathing—which meant he was pissed.

Great.

“So,” Tex finally said ten minutes later, “That was a rush.”

I smirked and then heard Nixon chuckle next to me. Soon all of us were wiping tears from our eyes because we were laughing so hard.

“It’s like living on a bad TV show.” I chanced it and looked at Nixon. He was still smiling, but the smile wasn’t reaching his eyes. Stressed. He was stressed.

Nixon sighed. “It’s so much worse than that. I uh”—he licked his lips and reached out to touch my shoulder—“I owe you man. I wasn’t thinking clearly—I couldn’t think. When he pulled out a lock of Trace’s hair, I just—”

“We all panicked,” I interrupted him. “I was just hoping you would catch on to what I was doing.”

“Took me a few minutes because I blacked out at first with visions of strangling you.” Nixon moved his hand from my shoulder and hit my chest.

“Ouch,” I huffed.

“Thank you,” Nixon said. “Both of you. For protecting her. For helping me redeem my family’s name.”

“Well… guess we get to torture it out of Phoenix and the rest of their family,” Tex said from the backseat. “Our mission just turned a hell of a lot bloodier.”

I pulled into Nixon’s driveway and waved at one of our men standing outside the door.

I turned off the car and faced Nixon.

“Don’t hold back,” he whispered. “When you interrogate, don’t hold back. Pull fingernails off, rip skin, use hammers; get as graphic and scary as you can. Because if we don’t figure this shit out soon—”

Trace’s grandfather was going to die. But it was so much more than that. When someone was killed—it never stopped with the boss. No; the Family normally took out the entire line. The Sicilians did a cleansing, and Trace would be included in that. She would be cleansed, just like her grandfather. And a new leader would be appointed.