THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME PULL MY SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER OFF HER KNEES BESIDE HIS ENGAGEMENT TABLE—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE VOLUNTEERED TO CLEAN UP HER OWN MESS

"Luca," the woman’s voice was as cold as the marble in the dining room.

Eleanor Moretti didn't look at the blood, the unconscious security guard, or my bleeding ex-husband groaning on the floor.

Her terrifying gaze was fixed entirely on me and my daughter.

"Mother," Luca said, stepping protectively in front of us. "You shouldn't be here."

"I received a very distressed phone call from Vanessa," Eleanor said smoothly, her fingers tracing the beads of her silver rosary. "She claimed you broke off an engagement that secures our territory, all for a maid."

She took a slow step forward. Her guards raised their weapons slightly.

"And then she told me this maid is the wife of Liam Davis."

The garage was dead silent.

"Ex-wife," Luca corrected, his voice dangerously low. "And she is under my protection."

Eleanor scoffed. "Protection? She is a liability. The council is already demanding blood for the stolen two million. Hand the girl and her mother over to them. It will clear your name."

"No."

Luca didn't shout. The single word was an absolute, immovable wall.

"Luca, do not be a fool for a pretty face," Eleanor snapped, finally losing her aristocratic calm. "She is nothing! She cleans our floors!"

I felt small. Insignificant. The lifetime of being told I wasn't enough came rushing back.

But then, I felt a tiny hand tug on my apron.

Ellie stepped out from behind me.

She walked right past Luca. She walked right past the guards with their terrifying guns.

She walked straight up to Eleanor Moretti.

"Ellie, no!" I gasped.

But the little girl held out her hand.

In her palm was the shattered gold pocket watch Luca had given her.

"Mr. Luca said time stopped when I got scared," Ellie said, her seven-year-old voice echoing in the cavernous room. "But he fixed it. He's a good man."

Eleanor stared down at the child.

"He got hurt saving me from the bad man," Ellie continued, pointing a tiny finger at Liam. "You're his mommy. You shouldn't yell at him for saving people."

The guards shifted uncomfortably. You don't lecture the Matriarch.

Eleanor looked at the broken watch. Then she looked at the red handprint still bruising Ellie's cheek from where Marco hit her.

For a fraction of a second, the Matriarch's iron mask cracked.

She looked at Liam, bleeding on the floor.

"Is this the man who struck the child?" Eleanor asked quietly.

"No," Luca said. "Marco struck her. Liam tried to take her."

Eleanor closed her eyes. She gripped her rosary tightly.

In the mafia, family was everything. But a man who strikes a child is universally despised.

She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"You did not run."

"I will never run without my daughter," I said, lifting my chin.

Eleanor studied me for a long, agonizing moment.

Then she turned to her guards.

"Pick up the trash on the floor," she ordered, gesturing to Liam and Marco. "Deliver them to the council. Tell them the debt is paid in flesh, and the matter is closed."

The guards hauled the two men up. Liam didn't even have the strength to curse as they dragged him away.

Eleanor turned back to Luca.

"Vanessa is waiting in my car. She expects me to drag you out by your ear."

Luca tensed. "I'm not marrying her."

"Of course you aren't," Eleanor said sharply. "She is a hysterical liability who brought police sirens to my property. I am sending her to Europe tonight. Permanently."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Eleanor looked at Ellie one last time.

"Keep the watch, child. Have him buy you a new chain for it."

She turned and walked out of the garage.

We were safe. The war was over before it began.

Luca turned to me, the adrenaline finally leaving his body. He swayed slightly.

I caught him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"You're okay," I cried into his ruined shirt. "We're all okay."

He held me so tightly I could feel his heart hammering against mine.

"Madison," he whispered into my hair. "I need to ask you something."

He pulled back, reaching into his pocket one last time.

He didn't pull out a ring.