Page 78 of Borrowed Bride

“You’ve really thought it through, huh?”

I study her face as the city lights reflect in her eyes. “I lost you. For five years, I lost you because of this. Because of all of this. Leo lost his sister. I lost Fawn. I missed my daughter growing up. There’s no room for mistakes, y’know? Tonight?” I lift her closed hand to my lips. “Tonight, we take back our home and make Dante pay.”

Suddenly, my phone blares to life and Fawn’s voice fills the air when I hit speaker.

“I’ve got her,” Fawn says. “Your sister’s made of stern stuff.”

“Marco?” Emilia croaks softly in the background. Cherry’s voice drifts through as she soothes my sister.

“Thank you, Fawn. Truly.”

“Don’t mention it,” she says. “Good luck.”

The call ends, and I remain silent as I type out a text to the acting head of my family and attach the real location list. Given how long it will take people to head to the right areas, I calculate we have about twenty minutes before it all kicks off.

“Is that it?” Gianna glances at my phone. “Now we wait?”

I nod. “Now we wait.”

“It was supposed to be a rumor,”Gianna says twenty minutes later as explosions rock the city and men and ambulances pour across the docks. “How did it end up being real?”

“Maybe it was too good a cover,” I reply softly with my arm around her shoulders. “If I had looked closer at the rumors instead of using them for cover…if I had even looked closer intoFawn’s death then maybe…” Puffing out my cheeks, I sigh. We could do this dance forever and reach no conclusion.

“Do you understand his goal?” she asks, looking up at me.

I shake my head. “Power? I guess I was too powerful, held too much loyalty otherwise he could have just killed me and taken it. Instead, he does this.”

“Maybe the Barrone line is just twisted,” scoffs Leo’s voice as he melts from the shadows and joins us on the roof.

“A month ago, I would have killed you for saying that,” I reply.

“And now?” Leo tilts his head, his hands in his pockets as he stares down at the city.

“Now I’ll just contemplate shoving you off the roof.”

“I can live with that.” Leo breathes deeply. “My men are almost done. There’s going to be nothing left.”

“Same,” I say, eyeing the docks. “You know what happens next.”

“What happens next?” Gianna asks, clutching at my shirt.

“We declare open war on the Ricci’s and my father will know he is caught. If he doesn’t know already. Then it will be a race to stop him before he goes into hiding,” I explain.

“And after?” Gianna straightens up, stepping away from me. “What about after? Or is it foolish of me to think that far ahead?”

“I actually have an idea,” Leo says, catching both our attention. “Look…there’s a lot of bad blood but without it, I wouldn’t have my sister back. And that’s all that matters to me. We destroyed each other out there, Marco. We’re both ripe for the picking. But together?” He waggles his eyebrows and his suggestion becomes clear.

We could join up.

Gianna laughs. “No Mafia family has enough room for both your egos.”

We laugh because she’s right, but as I watch her, it suddenly all becomes crystal clear to me. What I want is Gianna, and Leo may just be giving me the means to make sure I can safely have what I want.

“That’s not a bad idea,” I say. “For a Simone.”

Leo shoves me lightly.

“But ego won’t be a problem because I will step down.”

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