Chapter 3

Jackson ran his hand over the old scar on his face, from his temple to his jaw. My mom always said Jackson was smart and fast, but also very good with a knife. I had never seen him use one, though. "I can’t say. I don’t know much about what happens in New York," he said.

I looked at the cook as she made dinner, trying not to focus on the worry in my stomach. Jackson kept his eyes on me. "He's a good choice. He will be the most powerful man in the East soon. He will keep you safe."

"And who will keep me safe from him?" I whispered, mostly to myself.

Jackson didn’t say anything. We both knew the truth: once I married Liam, nobody, not even Jackson or my father, could protect me from him. In our world, once a woman married, she belonged to her husband, and he could do anything he wanted with her.

The last few months went by too quickly, even though I wanted time to slow down so I could think. There were only two days left until my engagement party. My mom was busy telling everyone what to do, making sure everything in the house was perfect. It wasn’t going to be a huge party, only our families and a few people from New York and Chicago. Jackson wanted it small because of safety. The truce was still new, and having too many people together could be dangerous.

Sometimes, I wished they would cancel the party. I wouldn’t mind waiting until the wedding to meet Liam. Sensing my feelings, Tate jumped onto my bed, looking unhappy. He was only five and always had so much energy. “I want to play!”

“Mom says we can’t make a mess. Everything has to be perfect for the guests.”

“But they aren’t even here yet!” Luckily, they weren’t. Liam and the guests from New York would come tomorrow. Just one more night until I had to meet my future husband, the man known for his violence. I closed my eyes, trying to forget my worries.

“Are you crying again?” Tate jumped off the bed and came over to me, holding my hand. His messy brown hair shone in the light as he tried to get me to stop worrying.

“What do you mean?” I had been trying to hide my tears, mostly waiting for night to come so I could stop being scared.

“Amelia says you cry a lot because Liam bought you.” I froze. I needed to tell Amelia to stop saying things like that. It would just cause problems. “He didn’t buy me,” I said, even though it didn’t feel true. “It’s the same thing,” Rina said from the doorway, making me jump.

“Shhh. What if Father hears us?” Rina just shrugged, looking defiant. “He knows I hate how he treats you like property.”

“Rina,” I warned, looking at Tate. He looked up at me with big eyes. “I don’t want you to go away,” he whispered.

“I’m not going anywhere, Tate. Not for a long time.” He smiled at my words, his worry gone, and then he grinned playfully. “Catch me!” he yelled, running off and bumping into Rina as he sped down the hall. Rina chased after him. “I’ll catch you, you little troublemaker!”

I hurried into the hall. Amelia peeked out from her room and ran after my brother and sister. Mother would be angry if they broke something valuable. I ran downstairs, trying to keep up. Tate was fast, but Amelia was almost catching him, while Rina and I struggled in the high heels our mother made us wear. Tate ran into the west wing of the house, and we followed him. I wanted to shout for him to stop. Father’s office was down that hall. If he caught us playing, we’d be in big trouble. Tate was supposed to be more grown-up, but what five-year-old acted like that?

We passed Father’s door, and I felt better, but then three men appeared at the end of the hall. My heart started to race. I opened my mouth to warn them, but it was too late. Tate suddenly stopped, but Amelia ran straight into the man in the middle. Most people would have stumbled, but this man didn’t—he was tall and built like a wall.

Everything felt like it was happening slowly. Rina gasped beside me, but I couldn’t stop staring at Liam. He looked down at Amelia’s blonde hair, holding her up with his strong hands—hands that had taken lives.

“Amelia,” I said, my voice high with worry. I rarely used her full name unless something was wrong. I wished I could hide my fear better. Now, everyone was looking at me, including Liam. His cold gray eyes moved over me, stopping at my hair.

He was huge. The other men were tall, but he was even taller. His hands stayed on Amelia’s shoulders. “Amelia, come here,” I said, reaching for her. I wanted her far away from Liam. She hesitated, then ran to me, hiding her face against my shoulder. Liam raised one eyebrow, looking amused.

“That’s Liam Abelli!” Rina shouted, sounding very upset. Tate made a growl and ran toward Liam, hitting his legs with his little fists. “Leave Milene alone! You can’t have her!” My heart stopped. The man standing next to Liam took a step forward. I saw the shape of a gun under his jacket. He must be Liam’s bodyguard, but I didn’t understand why he needed one.

“No, Nero,” Liam said calmly, and the man stopped. Liam grabbed Tate’s hands and stopped him easily. I don’t think Liam even felt Tate hitting him. I pushed Amelia toward Rina, who quickly wrapped her arm around Amelia to protect her. Then I stepped closer to Liam. I was scared, but I needed to protect Tate. Even though New York and Chicago were trying to be peaceful, things could change very quickly. It wasn’t the first time things had gone wrong. Liam and his men were still not on our side.

“What a nice welcome we have. This is how you treat guests in Chicago?” said Adrian, who was with Liam. He looked like Liam, with the same dark hair, but his eyes were darker. He was a bit shorter and less strong than Liam, but they clearly looked like brothers.

“Adrian,” Liam said in a quiet voice, and Adrian stopped talking. Tate was still trying to fight, but Liam held him at arm’s length.

“Tate,” I said, grabbing his arm firmly. “Stop this now. We don’t treat guests like this.” Tate stopped moving and looked up at me. “He’s not a guest. He wants to take you, Milene.”

Adrian laughed. “This is great. I’m glad Father made me come.” “Father told you to come,” Liam said, but he was still looking at me. I couldn’t look back. My cheeks felt very warm with embarrassment. My father and his bodyguards always made sure that my sisters and I didn’t meet many men. And the ones we did meet were usually old or family. Liam wasn’t either. He was only a little older than me, but he seemed much more grown-up.

Liam let go of Tate, and I pulled him close, standing behind him with my arms around him. Tate stayed angry and still glared at Liam. I wished I was as brave as him. But he was a boy, and someday he would inherit my father’s title. He didn’t have to follow anyone’s orders. He could be brave.

“I’m sorry,” I said, even though I didn’t like saying it. “My brother didn’t mean to be rude.”

“I did!” Tate shouted. I quickly covered his mouth, and he squirmed but didn’t get free.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Rina said sharply, ignoring my warning look. “It’s not our fault they’re standing in the hall. At least Tate speaks the truth. Everyone else acts nice just because he’s going to be Capo”

“Rina!” My voice was loud, and Rina looked shocked. “Take Amelia and Tate to their rooms. Now.”

“But” Rina looked behind me, but I didn’t care. “Now!”