Chapter 4

Bianca points at me with her good hand.

“I’m telling Victor. You’re bringing a con artist into the family, and now you’re treating her like—”

“My wife,” Luca supplies. “Good. Tell him we’re coming.”

Her hand drops. Mine goes cold in his.

“Coming where?” I ask.

“Home. You said we exchanged vows in a chapel. This time, we’ll have a proper wedding. My mentor can be our witness.”

Bianca storms out, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the mirror.

I’d go after her if I thought she’d help me escape.

“Honey,” I begin carefully, “were you serious?”

“About what?”

“The wedding.”

“Of course.”

“But we’re already married. We don’t need a big ceremony to prove we love each other.”

“I don’t remember the first one.”

“That doesn’t mean we need another—”

“I want a wedding I can remember.”

He draws me closer by the hand he still hasn’t released.

“Unless you don’t want to marry me?”

“No! I’d love to. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Good.” He kisses my knuckles. “Then we agree.”

Apparently, we do.

By the time we leave Philadelphia, I’ve gone from lying to strangers to preparing to lie to the entire Moretti crime family.

I sit beside Luca while he drives, trying to decide whether jumping out at a red light would get me killed faster than meeting his mentor.

He looks perfectly comfortable with all of this.

Five years of his life are supposedly missing, and his biggest concern is giving his surprise wife a wedding.

I’ve met enough liars to know when a story feels wrong.

Then again, I’ve never met anyone like him.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks.

“Nothing.”

“How to get away from me?”

I grip the seat belt.

He keeps his eyes on the road, one hand resting on the wheel.

“You’re fast, sweetheart. I’m faster.”

“I wasn’t thinking about running.”

“Then we have nothing to worry about.”

Easy for him to say. Nobody’s making him meet the man who taught the world’s best assassin how to kill.

The estate gates open before Luca has to stop the car.

Beyond them stand a sprawling stone house and enough armed guards to make me miss Nico.

Luca comes around to open my door. I put one foot on the gravel, take a look at the men waiting by the entrance, and turn toward the gates.

His fingers close around my wrist.

“I told you, you’re safe with me.”

Yes. It’s being safe from him that concerns me.

He threads his fingers through mine and leads me up the steps.

The men straighten.

“Welcome back, Luca.”

Then they turn to me.

“Mrs. Moretti.”

I nearly miss a step.

Luca catches me around the waist, looking far too pleased.

“Take the afternoon off training.”

One of the men grins at me. “Come back anytime, Mrs. Moretti.”

They’re already smiling like I’ve done them a favor.

I’ve barely made it through the front door, and his entire family has accepted my lie.

Now I just have to survive telling it to the man in charge.