Page 274 of Rosetti Family New York
My heart pounds against my ribs. The memory surfaces unbidden—Mara in my arms, her whispered confession about the small café overlooking the river, how she'd always wanted to watch the sunrise there. How I'd promised to take her someday.
A promise I never kept.
I check the time. Two hours until midnight. Two hours to decide if I'm walking into a trap. But I already know I'll go. I've been waiting for this moment since she disappeared, leaving nothing but an empty bed and a void in my chest that nothing has filled.
I close the message and pull up my surveillance system, accessing the security cameras around the café. It's nearly empty, save for a couple lingering over coffee in the corner. No signs of Callahan men. No obvious threat.
Still, caution is hardwired into me. I run facial recognition on the couple, confirming they're tourists from Chicago. I scan the surrounding buildings, the parked cars, looking for anything out of place. Nothing. But that doesn't mean it's safe.
Nothing is safe when it comes to Mara Vale.
My phone buzzes with a reminder of the family meeting. I should go. Should warn them about what's coming. About who's coming.
But I won't. Not yet. This is between me and Mara. It always has been.
I open a drawer and remove a small black case. Inside, my custom Glock rests in foam padding. I check it methodically, the movements automatic after years of practice. Loaded. Safety on. I holster it, then pull on my hoodie, keeping the hood low over my face.
As I leave my room, I pass Sloane in the hallway. She's leaving Rafe's room, her face drawn with worry.
"Family meeting?" she asks.
"Something like that." I move past her, avoiding her eyes. She's perceptive, this woman my brother has chosen. Too perceptive.
"Be careful," she says, and something in her tone makes me pause.
I look back at her, weighing how much to reveal. "Things are going to get bad," I say finally. "Stay close to Rafe."
She nods, understanding the warning for what it is. "And what about you?"
A ghost of a smile touches my lips. "I have business to attend to."
I leave before she can ask more questions, slipping through the mansion like the shadow my brothers named me. The guards nod to me as I pass, but I keep my head down, avoiding their eyes. Better they don't remember seeing me tonight.
Outside, the night air is sharp with coming frost. I bypass the main gate, taking the hidden path through the woods at the edge of the property. My motorcycle waits where I left it, concealed beneath a tarp. I uncover it silently, then check my phone one more time.
A new message from an unknown number:
They're moving against your family tonight. Warehouse on Pier 17. I've bought you time, but not much.
My blood runs cold. The warehouse houses millions in product. If the Callahans hit it...
I should warn them. Should turn back.
But the clock shows 11:30 PM. Thirty minutes until Mara.
I hesitate, torn between duty and obsession. Then I type a quick message to Domenico:
Callahan move tonight. Pier 17. Send reinforcements.
It's not enough. I should be there. Should help defend what's ours.
But Mara is waiting, and I've been waiting for this moment for too long to turn back now.
I mount the motorcycle and roar off into the night, the wind cutting through my clothes, as sharp as the guilt slicing through my chest. The roads blur beneath me as I race toward the café, toward her.
I park a block away, scanning the area once more before approaching on foot. The café is closed, but the side door is unlocked, just as her message implied it would be. Every instinct screams trap, but I move forward anyway, one hand on my holstered gun.
Inside, the café is dark and empty. A single table in the corner has a candle burning, but no one sits there. On the table is an envelope with my initial on it: E.
