Indebted to the Mafia King
New Sheriff in Town

Eleni

I linger in the moment of Dante's capos defaulting to me instead of him, making sure he feels it. Then, I wave my hand.

"Go watch the foreman," I say. "Nothing ranks above making sure the business keeps running."

The capos escape into the building. Behind Dante, the engine shuts off. Gianna raises an eyebrow at me.

"You're good." I smile wryly. "At least if he kills me, we got to shut Piacere down a few times." Gianna chuckles. "I'm just lucky I know the people who can keep my name off the no-fly list." "You're just lucky I'm one of them," I say.

It's the most emotion I've let slip into my voice since the shootout.

She sidles around me, and I turn with her to face Dante once again. Tony leans against the outside of the now-quiet sedan he pulled up in, and Gianna joins him. I knew Tony was still Dante's, but if he's sticking around, having my second nearby can't hurt. Finally, I look at Dante again. Our gazes connecting rings through my limbs like the starting bell of a boxing match.

"Did you hit your fucking head after I got shot?" Dante demands.

The flicker of emotion fades. I square my shoulders. He doesn't get to talk to me like that anymore.

"What, you don't like the suit?" I gesture to one of the many suits I've purchased with his cards in the last two weeks. This one is navy blue with a thin gray pinstripe. I burned the suit I wore to meet Thano, and I haven't bought anything black since.

He stares at me in disbelief. I jingle the glittering chain that stretches between the two silver tips I attached to the collar of my shirt in lieu of a necklace. Gianna said it made me look distinguished. "You shot Uncle John," he says.

"I thought his face would look better with a bullet in it." I shrug. "I was right, if you're curious."

"You shot him in the chest," Dante spits. "I may have been unconscious, but I have people who keep me in the loop. My people, who fucking trust me."

I smile. I knew the capos waiting for me would rattle him. Whatever flickered in my chest is dead and buried, and I'll use the ice that remains to explain to Dante exactly what happened in his absence. "Is that so?" I take a step closer. "Because I've heard that when bosses go dark for too long, their people start to turn on them. Seek new leadership."

Dante grimaces. "New bosses. If you want to play big man on campus, you should get your fucking facts right."

I wave the clipboard dismissively. "It's called learning on the job. There was a sudden opening, no chance to train."

"El"-Dante steps forward wincingly-"you don't have to do this anymore. Just let me handle this."

I laugh. "There wouldn't be anything to handle, if not for me."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Tony frown. I'll handle him later.

Dante's temper flares back up as I laugh in his face. "Let me rephrase then: step the fuck down before I have to take my position back!"

There's real heat in his voice, enough that I believe him, if only for a split-second. The truth is, John had some things right about Dante. He has a soft heart. I know he won't touch me.

But I don't know if this new, frozen-solid me won't touch him, and I don't want to find out. I toss the clipboard at his feet.

"Luxury cars tonight. Electronics on Friday." I leave out the tariff hike. If he wants to be the boss so fucking bad, let him figure it out. "And don't worry, I kept your fucking seat warm." I start to storm away. "El "

I whip back. "No. My name is Eleni. I'm a Staten Island goddamn Saint. And I didn't just keep your seat warm, I shot your uncle in the fucking face to keep him from taking it. Did Tony tell you that?" Dante grits his teeth.

"Exactly. I've got soldiers scrubbing up the last of the Lombardi operation, too, so you may as well go play a round of fucking golf for all the help you're gonna be in your condition!" I turn on my heel and march to the car, determined not to look back no matter what Dante says.

After a second, Gianna falls into step beside me. My heart hammers in my ears, louder than our heels on the asphalt. What did I just do? How has so much changed so quickly? I thought I loved Dante. I would've done anything for him. And now, he's the bad guy in my story, the asshole who snatches the first thing I'm really good at from my hands. Who killed my brother. The scary thing is that I don't know which of us changed.

He's also a fucking mafia boss.

I get into the bright-blue car with Gianna and swallow down a curse. He can't not recognize it. He knows I'm driving the car he bought me, that if he finds his phone-which I locked in the safe in the bottom drawer of his desk after taking all the relevant numbers-he'll be able to track me anywhere.

Gianna remains silent as I throw the car into drive and screech away from the warehouse. Then, she turns down the music and looks at me.

"What?" I snap.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

My heart slams into my throat, frozen and choking. Nobody has asked me that yet. Not since I shot Luca. I blink back-something and clutch the steering wheel. Suddenly, I wish I'd gotten a better look at Dante. I saw him wince, but is he actually ready to run the syndicate again? Is he going to hurt himself trying to keep me out? Do I even care? The last two weeks feel like a hazy, distant dream, already slipping through my fingers as the alarm clock blares to wake me up. "I'm fine," I bite out.

She frowns, but I turn up the music until the windows shake. Of course, I'm fine. I have to be. Because if I'm anything else, the house of cards I've been building since Dante confessed will crumble.