Chapter One
Ella
Ishoot upright like an arrow fired from a bow. My breath comes out in short, panicked puffs, my chest constricting.
I barely make it to Claudette’s bathroom before I’m on my knees, shakily lifting the toilet lid and throwing up what little remained of last night’s dinner.
Every cell in my body vibrates, as if I’ve had too many energy drinks. My hands tremble as I grip the porcelain, my throat burning as I dry heave again.
Claudette rushes in and rubs my back while I sag against the wall, my limbs heavy and weak.
Fuck.
I hate swearing, but seriously, fuck.
Tiero is here.
Or close enough that my body recognizes him before my mind does.
I squeeze my eyes shut, as if I can hide from the thought.
I am screwed. Completely and utterly screwed.
My heart aches to see him, to feel his arms around me. But if that happened now, it wouldn’t be tenderness waiting for me. It would be fury, and he might just strangle me.
He warned me what would happen if I ran again.
I can’t face him.
My hands drift to my stomach, instinctive and protective, and the tears come hard and fast, mixing with the leftover adrenaline.
Peanut.
“Tiero mustn’t find out about him,” I whisper.
“Her,” Claudette says gently.
I jolt, having forgotten she’s still here, still witnessing this unraveling.
“Her?” I ask, blinking a few times. “You think I’m having a girl?”
She nods, a soft smile curving her lips.
“Tiero was so certain his firstborn would be a son,” I murmur, rubbing my belly in quiet awe.
“When are men ever right?” she teases.
Despite everything, a shaky laugh escapes me.
For one brief moment, calm settles over me. A fragile pocket of peace. My gut tells me Claudette is right.
A daughter.
A little Mafia princess.
The thought tightens my resolve even as it knots my stomach. I’m doubly glad now that I ran, more determined than ever to keep Tiero away from our child.
A shudder runs through me as I ponder what her life would be like back in Sicily. She’d be surrounded by men who speak in commands and expect blind obedience.
I think of Mariella, her quiet resignation, the way her future had been negotiated without her voice ever entering the room.
Tiero expected me to follow orders too. To trust him. To submit and stop asking questions.
He wouldn’t hurt his daughter. Of that, I’m certain. He’d adore her, smother her with protection, and turn into some terrifyingly overbearing papa bear.
But love wouldn’t erase the danger. The target on her head would be permanent.
I press my hand more firmly to my abdomen. “Don’t worry, little darling. Mommy will keep you safe.”
“Ash,” Claudette says, her voice steady but serious.
I look up at her.
“It’s time you fill me in. I want to help you, but I need to understand what’s going on.”
The secret between us is suddenly impossibly heavy, like carrying two elephants on my shoulders.
If Tiero were to find her today and question her, her ignorance would protect her.
“The less you know, the safer you are,” I whisper, staring at the floor. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because of me.”
Claudette takes my hand and waits until I meet her eyes.
“Ash, do you think I believe in coincidences?”
I frown. “No?”
“Correct, I don’t. We crossed paths for a reason.”
I hesitate, torn between relief and fear. I’ve wanted to tell her about Tiero for so long.
“It would be selfish to drag you deeper into this,” I say, trying to do the right thing by her.
She shakes her head. “There isn’t a selfish bone in your body. I’m on your team. Now tell me. But first, let’s get out of this cramped bathroom.”
She helps me up, and we return to the small sitting corner of her cabin. She pours tea from her copper teapot, the spicy aroma grounding me as I cradle the warm cup between my palms.
“The meditation was meant to reassure you,” she says softly. “Instead, you tapped into the warning, not the resolution. I’m sorry for that. But perhaps it served as a heads-up.”
I nod slowly. Knowing is better than being blindsided.
“Now,” she prompts, “are you going to tell me?”
I exhale. “For starters, my name isn’t Ash. It’s Ella.”
And then I tell her everything.
How I met Tiero. The raven. Saving his life. The way my body reacted to him before we even met. How fast it all spiraled.
Private islands. Yachts bearing my name. Violence lurking beneath luxury. People dying. Me running.
When I finish, my throat feels raw.
“And now I’m pregnant, on the run, about to move continents,” I say quietly. “During the meditation, I sensed him. Like my body recognized his presence before my brain could make sense of it.”
Claudette listens without interrupting, her expression unreadable.
“Have you ever experienced a connection like that to someone?” I ask.
Pain flickers briefly across her face, but it’s gone almost before I can register it.
“I have,” she says.
“And?”
“It didn’t end well. But that doesn’t mean your story will be the same.”
I huff out a humorless laugh. “From where I’m standing, earth-shattering love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Two months ago, I would have disagreed. Now I think I preferred my old life. Stable. Predictable.”
“And a little boring,” she adds.
I nudge her lightly with my elbow.
“I don’t understand how I ended up with someone like Tiero. To me, he represents darkness,” I admit. “And I’m drawn to it. What does that say about me?”
“It says you’re human,” Claudette replies. “There’s light and dark in all of us. And Tiero isn’t all dark. Especially now that he’s met you.”
I don’t respond. I’m thinking of Santino’s hardened eyes. Mariella’s quiet despair. Alonso, whose dreams never stood a chance. Their world needs light.
“What time is this Catalina Cruz picking you up?” Claudette asks, pulling me back.
“There was a note under my door. Eleven o’clock. No name. But how can I be sure it really was from Catalina?”
“You can’t be sure of anything,” she says. “You’ll have to trust your gut.”
I snort. “If I’d trusted my gut, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
She studies me. “I’m not so sure about that.”
I change the subject before she can elaborate and try to convince me that Tiero and I were destined to meet.
“Can you sense if he’s actually here? Or am I projecting my fear?”
“Let me see.”
She settles back, closes her eyes, her breathing deepening.
I watch her, my legs bouncing.
At first, her face relaxes into a faint smile. Relief floods me.
Then slowly, the smile fades. Her brow creases.
My heart sinks.
After a long moment, she opens her eyes, hesitation clear in her gaze.
“I need a moment,” she says, standing. “I’ll be right back.”
She disappears into the bathroom, leaving me pacing, dread coiling tighter with every second.
When she returns, her expression is carefully neutral.
“Well?” I ask.
“You’re not imagining it,” she says quietly. “I sense he’s near.”