Chapter 2

I was done with this little reunion.

Rafe got jealous in a way that honestly scared people. If he found out I'd been standing here with my ex, he'd have every one of these men killed. Slowly.

I looked up at Jace. "If you're my ride, let's go."

Then I walked straight toward the black Escalade.

For a second, nobody moved.

Then the whole crew burst out laughing, even louder than before.

"Your ride?"

"Nina, are you crazy? Or did living on the street fry your brain?"

A huge guy jabbed his finger at the sign.

"This car's for the VIP from Naples!"

"We're here for the Santangelo Donna, genius. Open your eyes."

Gianna was still on speaker, and her voice went shrill.

"Babe, don't waste your time on her. And make sure you get a good look at the Donna's hand. Everybody says Rafe gave her the Serpent Ring."

"That ring is the Santangelo family. I've only ever seen blurry pictures of it online. If I got to see that ruby up close, even from across a room, I'd be bragging to my girls about it for months."

Jace's voice went soft. "Don't worry, baby. I'll get a good look for you."

"And come on, I already got you that yellow diamond necklace at the auction. It's not the Serpent Ring, but it wasn't cheap."

He hung up, crossed his arms, and looked at me like I was a clown at a kid's party.

"Hear that? We're picking up royalty today. Not some broke girl in a dress with no tag."

"You're not even in the same universe as her."

I glanced down at my left hand.

The ring sat on my finger, quiet and heavy. A gold serpent coiled around a ruby the size of my thumbnail, and it caught the sun every time I moved. On the inside of the band, the Santangelo crest pressed cool against my skin.

I thought about the man who almost never smiled, and how his hands had shaken when he got down on one knee and slid it onto my finger.

I smiled before I could stop myself.

Jace saw it. His eyes followed mine down to my hand.

The next second, he lunged and grabbed my wrist, yanking my arm up so everyone could see the ring.

"Wow. You really went all out for this, huh?"

"What is this, a plastic toy from a flea market? You're so desperate to look like a rich wife that you'd walk around in a fake?"

"You don't need the act, Nina. Come back, behave, say you're sorry, and go cook for Gianna's kid. I'll let the whole thing go."

"Putting on a fake ring doesn't make you Mrs. Santangelo. It just makes you sad."

His grip hurt. I frowned and looked at the man I used to love more than anything, standing there acting like a self-important idiot.

"Tell you what," he said. "I'll give you fifty bucks for it. It's actually a pretty good knockoff."

"Gianna's been dying to see the real one. She can play with this in the meantime. Trust me, you're getting a good deal."

He started working the ring off my finger. I couldn't pull free, so I said flatly, "My husband gave me that. Rafe—"

Before I could finish, he grabbed my chin and pulled my face close to his.

"You've gotten real brave, Nina."

"Don't you ever say his name again."