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As if my prayers were answered, a familiar, tall handsome force with dark hair, hazel eyes, and tan skin walks into the room. Casanova himself. He looks fresh off the runway. He was only in sweatpants and a T-shirt, but it was his attitude. All the brothers were in sweats or casual attire, except for Bash, who sported a navy three-piece suit.
“Party’s here,” he exclaims.
We make eye contact, and he gives me a wink.I push my hair behind my ear like a goddamn school girl and give him my sweetest smile.
He heads straight to me, grabs my hand, and kisses it. “Dante Borelli. But I believe we already met.”
I see the look he gives Nico. He wants to mess with him, too. I think we’re going to get along great.
“Dante, it’s nice to meet youagain.” I pull the chair out to my left. I can see Nico’s glare out of the corner of my eye. Two could play this game. “Why don’t you sit next to me? You owe me a drink, after all.”
Dante’s eyebrows raise to the ceiling, and he gives me a shit-eating grin. “I’d love to, sweetheart.” He plops down, and I swear I hear Nico growl from across the table. Dante leans close to my ear. “I know what you’re doing.” He’s wearing a devious grin.
I lean back into him and whisper, “And I know whatyou’redoing. I see right through you, Dante Borelli.”
We both laugh, but Nico looks like he’s going to flip the table over, his fist in such a tight grip, his knuckles turning white. Cosima is completely unaware, still trying to keep his attention. He dismisses her with a wave, not even bothering to look up at her. She gives me one last glare before exiting, and I make a mental note to keep an eye out for poison.
Dante leans back in his chair. “So, what should we call you, sweetheart? Actually, don’t answer that. I like sweetheart.” He winks.
Realizing the room is silent, I roll my eyes, and all four men stare at me. I don’t know what to say. What should they call me?
Bash broke the silence. “You do have a name, don’t you?” He stares me straight in the eyes. Right at that moment, Valentina and Cosima appear with large dishes of pasta, bruschetta, and bottles of wine, buying me some time. The men’s shoulders relax, and I think about my answer while they’re distracted.
Thinking back to what Nico asked me this morning, I ask myself,Who are you, really?I wasn’t lying. Ihadn’tbeen her in a long time, but I could feel her breaking through the surface.
When I killed their men, when the Black Rose was bombed, and just now, when I’d imagined Cosima’s head detached from her body.Shewas always there. I made the choice to own it. I am who I am, and whether I like it, the underworld is about to know about her. Once Valentina and Cosima head back to the kitchen, I sit up straight and take a deep breath. I hold my head up to address the men in front of me, but I don’t make eye contact with any of them.
Four sets of eyes are still trained on me.
“Anya. My name is Anya.”
Chapter Thirteen
Anya
The room is silent again. You could slice through the tension.
After a moment, I break the silence.
“I only just found out who Ireallyam. I thought my name was Anya Cheng until I learned about my...parentage.”
“Anya Liu, huh?” Nico replies, as if he’s testing it out.
The first person to use my real name in twenty years.
I begin to tell them everything. It didn’t matter—they already knew the truth, they just needed me to confirm all of it. They even fill in some of the gaps. The words poured out like they had been bottled up. I guess they had. Twenty years is a long time. I recall the conversation I had with Cesare—after their failed attempted kidnapping, I remind them. I explain to them about my mother’s marriage to Cesare, how my adoptive parents came to be, and how I ended up in New York. The real Natalie Yang. They didn’t even act surprised by any of it.
Bash explains that the Triad have been sanctioning attacks on the Cosa Nostra and Outfit and framing the other so that the Italians can take each other out without the Triad having to get too involved. We all sit in silence again, waiting for Bash to decide.
Dante stares at his phone but then cuts in. “I just got word that, after the attack at the Black Rose, Andrew Li went into hiding. Anya is definitely the target. No one knows how he found out about her, though. He thinks the Outfit is going to come after him.”
“How do you know? Is there a rat?” I ask.
“Yeah, and where are you getting this information?” Nico asks.
“I made some connections. Don’t worry about it. Dominic probably got caught visiting you—it’s not hard to put two and two together,” Dante says.
“Connections?” Bash asks, raising an eyebrow.
