Fate and Family (The Four Families #3)

Prologue –

Present day

Dimitri

I feel sick. My reflection stares back at me from the glass table, hollow-eyed and broken. What have I become? Weak. Lost. Protected my whole life by my father, my brother, even the women who pitied me. My one job was to protect my son, and I’ve failed.

I glance at Katya and quickly look away. I don’t deserve her, or her support. I’m disgusting. A failure.

Penny’s voice slices through my self-loathing. “The Olympians do not negotiate with terrorists.”

Next to me, Donny bolts upright, yanking his wallet from his pocket. “I do!” He slams it on the table, spilling a cascade of credit cards. “Max them all out. Hell, he can have my Costco card and buy all the potato salad he wants. I need my nephew back. My sister will kill me.” He groans, flopping back into his chair, which rolls and dumps him unceremoniously onto the floor. “My mom’ll revive me just to murder again. And don’t even get me started on what Nonna will do.”

An older man in the room scoffs. “You’re worried about your mama?”

“You don’t get it,” Donny shouts, panicking, his voice high-pitched and ragged. “There’s only one thing more terrifying than the women in my family?—”

Before he can enlighten us, the screen flashes white.

And the building explodes.