A wealthy mafia boss looked down on his young maid after catching her sneaking leftover food out of his mansion, certain that poverty had turned her into a thief. But when I followed her through Chicago’s frozen streets, I discovered she was feeding her disabled mother—the mysterious woman who had saved my life fifteen years earlier and whom I had never stopped searching for.

Instead of striking Lorenzo immediately, I played the long game. I needed Mateo Marcone and his entire lingering faction out in the open. I needed to eradicate the threat to Clara and Elena once and for all.

The following evening, I announced to the estate staff that I would be leaving for a high-stakes negotiation in Milwaukee. I made sure Lorenzo overheard the schedule. I left only a skeleton crew of guards visible at the estate perimeter, making the house appear completely vulnerable.

Before I stepped into my car, I went to the guest suite.

Elena was resting comfortably in bed, reading a book. Clara accompanied me out into the hallway, her expression anxious.

“You’re leaving?” she asked, clutching the sleeves of her sweater. “Dominic... I have a bad feeling about tonight. Lorenzo has been looking at us strangely all day.”

I reached out, placing my hands on her shoulders. Her warmth seeped into my palms, grounding me amidst the chaos.

“Listen to me very carefully, Clara,” I said, looking deep into her eyes. “Tonight, things are going to happen. You are going to hear noises. But I need you to trust me.”

I pulled a small brass key from my pocket and pressed it into her hand, wrapping her fingers around it.

“Behind the bookshelf in your mother’s room is a hidden steel panic room. It is reinforced, air-filtered, and completely bulletproof. The second you hear an alarm, take your mother inside, lock the door with this key, and do not open it for anyone except me.”

Clara’s breath hitched. “Dominic... you’re in danger.”