Chapter 4

Julian pushes open the double walnut doors at the end of the hallway. Outside lies the main hall of the underground casino, which also serves as the venue for tonight's mid-level syndicate mixer.

The air reeks of cigars, cheap perfume, and bourbon. Dozens of mob bosses, loan sharks, and enforcers gather around the card tables. Grating conversations echo across the expansive room.

I hold Lily's hand and walk briskly through the crowd. I just want to get my daughter out of this sickening place immediately.

"Stop right there!"

Dante's furious roar comes from behind. He shoves the office door open and strides into the main hall. Chloe clings tightly to his arm, leading her eight-year-old nephew by the hand.

The chatter in the hall dies instantly. Dozens of eyes lock onto us.

Dante revels in the attention. He tilts his chin up and points at my back, announcing loudly for all to hear.

"Look at this crazy bitch! She didn't get her payout, so she comes throwing a tantrum on my turf. Serena, I'm telling you for the last time. Take the kid and get the hell out. Stop embarrassing yourself."

A low wave of mocking laughter erupts from the crowd. Someone whistles at my cheap trench coat.

My stomach churns. Anger violently thrashes in my chest. I turn around, just about to speak.

Bang!

A deafening gunshot explodes without warning.

The bulletproof glass wall at the front of the hall instantly spiders with cracks. Immediately after, the muzzle flash of an automatic rifle shreds the main entrance. A second volley of gunfire shatters the crystal chandelier.

"Get down!" someone screams.

Glass shards rain down like a torrential storm. Tables and chairs flip over, scattering casino chips across the floor. Screams and gunshots blend together. The entire hall plunges into absolute chaos.

I am only a step away from Lily. I lunge toward her.

But Dante is closer. He stands less than two feet from Lily's side.

"Daddy!" Lily instinctively reaches out her small hand to him, her crisp, childish voice trembling slightly over the gunfire.

Dante turns his head. He looks at Lily.

Then, he makes his choice.

He doesn't grab his own flesh and blood. He violently shoots his hand out, pressing hard into Lily's frail shoulder, and shoves her away. Using that momentum, Dante spins around to shield Chloe and the boy with his body, ducking behind a thick load-bearing pillar.

The brutal force throws Lily off balance. She crashes heavily onto the marble floor covered in broken glass.

A stray bullet grazes the brass bar. A scalding shell casing ricochets and slices across Lily's forearm.

"Lily!"

It feels like a rusty, blunt knife stabs right through my heart. The blood in my veins instantly boils. I scramble over, yank my daughter into my arms, and cover her completely with my body.

Blood drips down Lily's pale wrist and splatters onto the floor. It is a horrifying sight.

The gunfire ends as quickly as it started. The roaring engines of several SUVs speed away outside. It is a textbook street gang drive-by warning.

Gunpowder smoke fills the hall. The mob bosses curse as they crawl out from behind their cover, dusting themselves off.

I kneel on the floor. My hands shake as I press down on the wound on Lily's arm. Blood stains my fingers red. An uncontrollable agony and rage tear at my nerves. He pushed her away. For someone else's kid, he pushed his own daughter right into the line of fire.

Dante stands up from behind the pillar. He brushes the dust off his suit and immediately looks down to check on the boy in his arms.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" His voice carries a desperate anxiety I have never heard before.

Chloe takes the cue and throws herself into Dante's chest, huge teardrops falling from her eyes. "Dante, I'm so scared. That woman is insane. First she causes a scene in the office, and now she brings these shooters here. Please, don't let her hurt us again. Protect your son."

She deliberately emphasizes the word 'son'.

Dead silence drops over the hall. Everyone's gaze shifts back and forth between me and Dante.

Dante looks up. His eyes sweep past my blood-soaked hands and Lily's pale little face. There is no guilt in his eyes, only a cold urgency to cut ties.

He pulls the boy tighter against him. Facing dozens of underworld figures, he raises his voice.

"Listen up, all of you!" Dante's voice echoes through the room. "This boy right here is my only blood! He is my future heir!"

He extends a finger, pointing coldly at me.

"As for that woman and her brat, they have absolutely nothing to do with me. I'm sick of this pathetic clinging."

A few dismissive scoffs ripple through the crowd.

"Pathetic. Getting dumped and using a kid for sympathy."

"That's how gutter trash is. Like leeches you just can't shake off."

The vicious mockery pierces my ears. My breathing turns ragged, my chest heaving violently. I bite my lip hard until I taste blood.

I thought I had already given up on him, but I was wrong. Despair is cold, and what I feel right now is magma-hot rage. He trampled on my pride, and now he publicly strips away my daughter's identity. He is ripping away the last bits of humanity from our seven years together, piece by piece.

I release my grip, preparing to stand. I want to rip his hypocritical face off with my bare hands.

But a small, freezing hand grabs me.

Lily stands up from the floor. She doesn't cry. A seven-year-old girl, facing a father who just pushed her toward death, facing a room full of ridicule, shows absolutely no emotion on her face.

She looks down at the wound on her arm and casually wipes the blood off her wrist with her other hand.

"It's okay, Mom." Lily's voice is clear and calm, ringing distinctly in the quiet hall.

She looks up, her dark eyes staring directly at Dante. The look is chillingly cold, as if she is staring at a corpse.

"I got the wrong person." Lily turns her head to look at me. "He's just a stranger in the way. Let's go home."

A stranger in the way.

Those words hit like a sledgehammer. They violently smash the very last shackle of the 'obedient wife' in my heart.

I look at the absolute resolve on my daughter's little face and suddenly feel an overwhelming sense of liberation. The humiliation, the resentment, and the fury all crystalize into pure, cold-blooded murderous intent in this very second.

Yes. He is unworthy. He doesn't deserve to be Lily's father, and he doesn't deserve to breathe my air.

I stand up straight. No hysterical screaming. No empty threats. I give Dante one last look, treating him like pure garbage. He frowns under that stare, seemingly catching a hint of unease.

I turn around, hold Lily's hand, and walk toward the main entrance.

Julian stands quietly by the door. He pushes open the bullet-riddled wooden doors for us. His indifferent gaze sweeps across everyone in the hall, like looking at livestock waiting for slaughter.

"Miss." Julian bows his head slightly, his voice kept very low.

The crisp autumn wind hits my face, blowing away the very last trace of weakness. I feel the bloodthirsty instinct of the Romano family reawakening inside me.

"Julian." I stare at the gray sky outside. My voice is entirely drained of warmth.

"I'm here."

"I want him dead," I say, pronouncing every word. "But before that, I want him to watch everything he takes pride in burn to the ground. His turf, his money, the power he traded us for a bitch. I want it all turned to ashes within three days."

"Initiate a full liquidation. Leave nothing behind."

"Understood, Miss."