“You will marry Giovanni. Go. Pack. Your. Bags.”
26NINA
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
What the hell just happened?
Who is on the floor dead?
It takes every ounce of strength I have left to walk up the stairs and run to my bedroom.
I swing open the door and slam it shut behind me. My fingers find the lock instantly, and I turn the latch. I walk over to my bed and reach for the duffle bag I have under the frame. It still has clothes in there from years ago when I was in high school and allowed to spend the night at my friend’s house.
I grab the bag and head over to my closet.What am I even packing for?I drop the bag to my feet and take in a breath. My entire body is shaking, a bundle of fear and frustration.
Just as I collect my thoughts, I lose them when I hear three gentle knocks at my door.
I am hesitant to open it, but I hear my sister’s muffled voice.
“Let me in.”
I unlock the door and open it slowly. She storms in, locking it behind her.
I can tell the same thoughts that I’m having are running through her head. I don’t like feeling like this. Anxiety is getting the better of me, making my heart feel like it’s curling up.
“Nina. Oh my God.”
“What is going on?” I shout.
“Carlo is taking me back home; I don’t have much time. I don’t even think he knows I’m up here right now. Oh my God, he would kill me if he found out I’m telling you this.”
“Spill it! Holy crap, Ana.”
“Okay. So, apparently, Kirill was a fraud, working against our family and the Genoveses. Something about blood for blood. Giovanni killed him literally right before you walked in. And, oh my God, what else? Oh! You’re packing right now. Yeah, Giovanni is taking you.”
I freeze. That was too much information at once, but I needed to hear it.
“I want to stay here.”
“You’re going to his place.”
“What? Why? I can’t go to his house! Even if I am to marry him, I can’t be alone with him yet, let alone move into his house.”
“I don’t know, Nina. But listen. I took this from one of Carlo’s men.”
My sister, only eighteen years old, hands me a loaded gun. And she seems proud of it.
I have never been in the position to use one. Hell, I don’t even know how to use one.
“What is this for?”
“I’m not saying I don’t trust Giovanni, but just in case.”
I take the gun from her hands. The cold metal that could end someone’s life is resting in my hands.