The Compound
Aria's POV
The knife flew past my ear and stuck in the wall behind me.
I spun around, heart racing, to see a girl about twelve years old standing in the doorway. She had dark hair like Marco's and the same steel-gray eyes, but right now those eyes were filled with pure hate.
"Sofia, no!" Marco rushed between us, his words sharp with panic. "She's not the enemy!"
"She's a Torrino!" Sofia spat, grabbing for another knife from her belt. "Grandfather always said never trust Torrino blood!"
I pressed against the wall, still shaking from our escape and now facing a kid who apparently wanted me dead. "I'm not like Vincent. I didn't even know he existed until yesterday!"
"Liar!" Sofia raised the second knife. "You're here to destroy our family from the inside!"
Before she could throw it, an older woman's words cut through the room like ice.
"Sofia Elena Romano, you will put that weapon down this instant."
Everyone froze. Even Dmitri, who'd been laughing at the chaos, went quiet.
The woman who entered was small but controlled the room like a queen. Her silver hair was pulled back exactly, and her dark eyes missed nothing. She looked at me for a long moment, then at Marco.
"So this is the girl," she said. It wasn't a question.
"Grandmother, she's—" Sofia started.
"She's our guest," the woman said strongly. "And in this house, we treat people with respect. Even when they're covered in other people's blood."
I looked down at myself and realized she was right. Dmitri's blood from his arm wound had gotten on my shirt during our escape. I probably looked like I'd crawled out of a scary movie.
"Elena Romano," the woman introduced herself, studying me like I was a puzzle to solve. "Marco's grandmother and head of this family."
"Aria Cross," I managed to say.
"Cross." Elena smiled, but it wasn't warm. "Your father picked that name when your mother ran away. Did you know your real last name, child?"
My stomach dropped. "Real last name?"
"Torrino-Castellano," Marco said quietly. "Your mother's full middle name. She came from two strong families."
The room spun around me. Not only was I Vincent's niece, but I belonged to another crime family too?
"The Castellanos died out twenty years ago," Elena continued. "Vincent had them all killed except your mother. She was meant to unite the families through marriage to his son. Instead, she ran away with your father."
"This is too much," I whispered, sinking into a chair. "I just wanted to pay rent and finish college."
Sofia dropped her knife, looking confused. "She doesn't know anything."
"No," Elena agreed. "She doesn't. Which makes her either very innocent or very dangerous."
Before I could ask what that meant, Luca burst into the room. "We have a problem. Vincent just released a movie."
He turned on the TV, and my heart stopped.
Vincent stood in what looked like a fancy office, looking at the camera. Behind him, Sarah and a girl who must be Marco's sister were tied to chairs.
"My dear grandchild," Vincent said to the camera, "I know you're watching. I want you to understand the situation clearly."
He walked over to Sarah, who was crying quietly. "Your friend here has been asking about you. Very touching loyalty."
"Please," Sarah whispered on screen. "I don't know anything. I just want to go home."
Vincent's hand touched her shoulder, and she flinched. "Home is relative, isn't it? Some people never find where they truly fit."
The camera moved to show the other girl - Sofia's bigger sister, I realized. She looked about sixteen and had the same rebellious Romano eyes.
"And young Isabella here has been quite entertaining," Vincent continued. "She tried to leave twice. Such spirit runs in the Romano family."
"You sick freak!" Sofia yelled at the TV. "Leave Bella alone!"
On screen, Vincent smiled bigger. "I have a simple proposal, Aria. Come to me freely by midnight tomorrow, and both girls go free. Stay with the Romanos, and..." He shrugged. "Well, mistakes happen in warehouses. Fires, blasts, that sort of thing."
The video cut to black.
The room exploded in chaos. Sofia was yelling threats at the TV. Marco was yelling orders into his phone. Dmitri was moving like a caged animal. Kai stood completely still, but his hands were clenched into fists.
And me? I felt like I was drowning.
"This is my fault," I said, but nobody heard me over the noise.
"This is my fault!" I shouted.
Everyone went quiet.
"Sarah is in trouble because of me. Your sister is in danger because of me. I should just go to Vincent and end this."
"Absolutely not," Marco said instantly.
"It's not your choice!" I stood up, anger giving me strength. "These are my friends, my consequences!"
"Vincent doesn't want you for a family reunion," Elena said calmly. "He wants you because of what you represent. With Torrino and Castellano blood, you could claim control over territories worth billions."
"I don't want regions! I want my friend safe!"
"And if you go to Vincent, he'll kill you both anyway," Luca said. "He can't let you live once he has what he needs."
Sofia stepped forward, her earlier hate replaced by something like respect. "Then we save them both."
"It's suicide," Dmitri said. "Vincent's got them in his big warehouse. It's a fortress."
"Then we need a better plan," Marco said grimly.
That's when Elena smiled - a cold, calculating look that reminded me uncomfortably of Vincent.
"Actually," she said, "I think I know exactly how to get our girls back. But it requires something none of you will like."
"What?" I asked.
Elena's dark eyes fixed on me. "It takes you to embrace what you really are, child. Not the innocent college girl, but the Torrino-Castellano heir. You need to think like Vincent to beat Vincent."
"I won't become like him."
"You won't have a choice if you want to save your friends."
Before I could argue, Marco's phone rang. He answered it quickly, his face going pale as he listened.
"What?" Luca demanded.
Marco hung up, looking sick. "That was my contact at the police station. Vincent just made a missing person's report for Aria. He's saying we kidnapped his granddaughter."
"So?" Dmitri shrugged.
"So he's got cops on his payroll. They're going to raid this complex in one hour, and when they find Aria here..." Marco met my eyes. "They'll arrest all of us and hand you over to Vincent legally."
The room went dead silent.
Elena stood up slowly. "Well then. It seems we have less time than I thought."
She walked to a painting on the wall and moved it away, revealing a hidden safe. From inside, she pulled out an ornate silver gun.
"Aria, dear," she said, holding out the weapon. "It's time for your first lesson in being a crime family princess."
The gun felt cold and heavy in my hands.
"What kind of lesson?" I whispered.
Elena's smile was sharp as a blade. "How to kill a grandfather who won't stay dead."