Page 144 of Sin & Sapphire

I buzzed Accardi in, stepping out of the way so that he and three of Gio’s remaining capos could enter.

“Two dead, six in need of medical care,” he said, dropping onto the couch. “Seven,” he corrected himself, his eyes wandering down to my freshly dressed wound.

Ana sat in an armchair, her ankles crossed, looking every inch the elegant mafia princess she was raised to be. No. Ana was a fucking queen, and it was time I admitted it. The only woman in a room full of men, all twice her size and physically dangerous, and she didn’t show an ounce of intimidation.

“More funerals, then,” she murmured. “How is Maria?”

“Fierce,” Enzo said, with an unexpected grin. “She gave me a piece of her mind for not supporting you.”

“As she should have,” I said.

Enzo’s gaze flicked to mine. “For not supportingAna. She didn’t say a fucking word about you.”

“As I said,” I answered. “What do the four of you want in exchange for swearing your allegiance? Allegiance that you owe Ana anyway.”

Ana’s fingers tightened on the arms of her chair, but she didn’t give another hint of how she felt about the power I bestowed upon her.

“The same positions we had with Gio,” Enzo said. “Capos and advisors. Steady paychecks.”

Before I could answer, Ana spoke.

“We’re done with trafficking,” she said. “Done with forced prostitution. Done with exploiting the girls at the clubs.”

When one of the capos protested, she talked right over him, lifting her chin. “That’s the deal. Either you’re in, or you’re out.”

Enzo looked at me with surprise. “You’re going to let her put these conditions on us? When we don’t even know what the fuck the future holds, who her future husband will be?”

Me. It was going to be me. And I’d give Ana the fucking world if she wanted it.

“Who are you pledging your allegiance to?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter who they fucking pledge their allegiance to,” Ana snapped. “We’re done exploiting women. You need me, and the only way you’re going to get me is to agree to this.”

“There you have it, boys,” Valentin said, taking his place beside me on the couch. “Your queen has spoken.”

“I’m not swearing allegiance to Gio’s used-up slut. He whored her out for years,” one of the capos snarled, making the decision for me.

In one smooth movement, I drew my gun and shot him in the forehead. He collapsed onto the floor.

“You’ll swear to Ana, or you’ll leave in a body bag,” I said, my plan to tie Ana to me forever solidifying in my mind.

“No,” Ana’s voice cracked out. “I don’t want to be thedon.” Our gazes swiveled to her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to hide the tears swimming in them. “Not when my future husband is just going to take over the organization. Take the oath to Angelo.”

“Ana—”

She cut me off by standing, the devastation in her expression quickly replaced by an icy glare.

“This is what you wanted. This is why you dragged me back to the States. Take it, Angelo. Take the power they’re offering?—”

“The poweryou’reoffering,” I corrected, my fists clenching as I watched her close herself off. I couldn’t refuse this, even if taking it from her was the last thing I wanted.

Enzo was the first onto his knees, slicing his knife across his hand and offering it up to me to do the same.

When I only stared at him, shocked at his open display of allegiance, Ana took the knife and gently cut across my palm, her trembling fingers revealing the depth of emotion she otherwise concealed from me and the rest of the room. I took Enzo’s hand in mine, mingling our blood.

The two remaining men took the same oath as Enzo.

I’d intended to marry Ana, not take her empire away from her.

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