Chapter 5 – THE DARK DINING ROOM

I rushed back into the dining room. Nonna Vittoria was standing, pointing a shaking finger not at Vincent, but at Uncle Carmine.

Carmine was holding Madeline by the arm. His usually jovial face was twisted into a cold sneer.

“You found the ticket, Sarah?” Carmine asked, his voice slick. “A shame. Vincent really thought he could send my niece away.”

My mind spun. “Your niece?”

“Madeline isn’t just some girl I picked up,” Vincent growled, stepping in front of me. He was shielding me. “Carmine forced her into my life. He threatened to expose Leo to the rival families if I didn’t take Madeline in and give up the Lake Shore estate.”

I stared at the man who had walked me down the aisle when my own father couldn’t. Uncle Carmine. The man who came to Sunday dinners with a smile and a bottle of wine.

“You betrayed him?” I asked Carmine.

“He is weak!” Carmine spat. “A boss who cries over his wife and hides a bastard son? He doesn’t deserve the seat. Tomorrow, when you were declared insane and Vincent lost the estate, the council would have handed the family over to me.”

Madeline looked at Vincent, tears ruining her makeup. “You were going to put me on a plane? You promised we’d be a family!”

“I promised to keep you alive,” Vincent said coldly. “Which is more than your uncle plans to do once he takes power.”

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the house. The heavy mahogany doors of the dining room slammed shut.

Then, the lights went out.

Pitch black.

Someone screamed. Chairs scraped violently against the hardwood floor.

“Nonna!” I yelled, dropping the plane ticket and diving toward where the old woman had been standing.

My hands found her silk dress, and I pulled her under the heavy oak table just as the sound of breaking glass shattered the quiet.

“Sarah!” Vincent roared in the dark.

I covered Nonna’s head, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Then, the emergency backup lights flickered on, casting a dim, red glow over the room.

The dining room was empty of relatives. They had scrambled out through the side terrace.

Only four people remained. Me, Nonna, Vincent, and Carmine.

And Carmine was holding Vincent’s silver revolver, pointing it directly at Nonna Vittoria’s chest.

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