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“No.” My chest clenches at the thought of my kitten with some other guy. Jealousy ignites in the pit of my stomach and incinerates all doubts.
“Okay. I’m just making guesses, man,” Damon says. “Look, all I’m saying is . . . you need to fix your problems first before trying to solve hers. You can track her down—or not. But first, you’ve got to tell your dad to fuck off.”
“It could re-start the war.”
My family has been feuding with the Espositos for as long as I can remember.
There was some kind of a dispute between my great-grandfather and the Esposito patriarch, and since then, we’ve deceived, stolen from, and killed one another. Too much blood has been spilled for us to just smoke a ceremonial pipe and forget about the war.
But apparently, a wedding between me and an Esposito girl would solve everything. It would blend us into one family. And in our world, blood is everything even if there’s bad blood in the past.
It’s an ancient solution to an ancient problem. One that might just be crazy enough to work.
“I did tell Enzo I wasn’t going through with it.” At that moment, blood rose to my dad’s face, and he screamed at me in his office, slamming his fist against his desk. Spittle spraying across the wooden surface, he gave me a lecture about the responsibilities of a Guerriero man, especially one who’s the only son in his generation.
“What did he say?” Damon asks.
“Shut up, and grow up.”
Grace
I managed to keep my composure as I sat through family dinner. But now, alone in my bedroom, a million thoughts race through my brain.
Maybe my mom’s right. I have no other options. The baby needs to go.
Be practical, Grace, her voice echoes in my mind. Don’t think of it as a baby; it’s not a human life yet. Think about it. If you get your way, and it causes another conflict, multiple lives could be lost. Your dad’s life. My life. Your siblings’ lives. Your nephews and nieces.
My mom is always logical. Reasonable. I don’t want the blood of my family on my hands.
But I can’t shake off the dread in my gut whenever I think about going through with it.
It’s as easy as swallowing a pill, my mom told me. Think of it as a vitamin or a supplement. Before you know it, it’ll be over. Life will go back to normal.
Except I’ve never wanted “normal.” For me, that has always meant strict rules and restrictions. I’ve never known privacy. Even my trash is an object of interest for my family.
Maybe I should talk to him.
Matt.
That night, when Harvey called for the bouncer, it backfired on him. Whoever Matt is, he must be powerful. Based on the fact that he has a private room in the club alone, he’s definitely wealthy.
Maybe I can go to him. Hide away somewhere safe. Fly to a foreign country together.
And then what? I ask myself. I can’t honestly believe he’ll just whisk me away so we can be a family.
He seemed interested, for sure—to see me again; not to marry me. Jeez. We’ve only met once. Way to get ahead of myself.
Besides, I could put him in danger. Money and power can’t shield him from bullets, especially when two entire families hunt him down.
Be practical, Grace.
The door opens. My mom looks over her shoulder before stepping into my bedroom.
This time, I don’t complain about her not knocking. There are bigger things to worry about.
“Mom, I’ve been thinking about what you said, and . . . you’re right.” I prop myself up to sit against the headboard.
She presses a finger against her lips and shushes me, pushing the door until it closes with a soft click. Sitting on the bed, she speaks in a conspiratorial, hushed tone. “No. I was wrong. I’ve grappled with this exact scenario in my mind for years—I have daughters, after all. And I decided on a course of action a long time ago.
“But it was always hypothetical. And this is reality.” Her gaze fixes on me.
I open my mouth to respond, but I can’t find the words. Is she saying what I think she’s saying?
“I went straight into damage control mode when I found your pregnancy test stick. I had to fix it before anyone else found out,” she says. “But I’ve had some time to reconsider.”
My heart pulses with hope. “And?”
“I can’t go through with that plan and live with myself,” she says, grasping my hand. “Grace, I have a plan. It’s crazy. But it’s the only thing I can think of.”
“I’ll do anything.” Anything to save my baby.
“It’s not ideal. It’ll change everything, turn your life upside down.” She lets out a big sigh. She lowers her voice into a hush. “You’ll have to die. That’s the only way the Guerrieros will ever accept a cancellation of the wedding.”
