‘It’s going to be horrible,’ I added, feeling like I needed to play it down, like the idea of me having fun while he was at home helping Valentino with assassination logistics was an unfair one. ‘But I’m going. So there. That’s something normal. Will that tide you over?’

‘This is obviously a joke,’ he said. ‘This is a joke, yes?’

‘What? No.’

His lips parted in surprise. Don’t look at his lips. ‘I don’t believe you.’

‘Why?’ I asked, a familiar flash of irritation taking hold of me. ‘Is the idea of me in a dress at a dance really so shocking to you?’

He tilted his head to one side. ‘You’re actually serious.’

‘No, duh,’ I snapped.

‘No,’ he said firmly. ‘No way.’

‘I wasn’t asking you,’ I pointed out.

‘Well, you’re going to listen to me.’

I grabbed the doorframe. ‘Exsqueeze me?’

He came closer, undaunted. ‘I said there’s no way you’re going out at night unattended to a dance while we’re in the middle of an active blood war.’

My fingers tightened on the doorframe. ‘Do you want me to do normal things or do you want me to shoot guns? Make up your damn mind, you yo-yo.’

He glared at me. ‘You’re not going to that dance while Donata has her soldati out looking for you. She’s put a bounty on all of our heads, and I guarantee you, as a former Marino, yours is the highest.’

If he was trying to scare me into submission, it was working, but I was definitely not going to let him see that. ‘I go to school, don’t I? You’ve always been so insistent about that.’

‘That’s different. It’s the middle of the day, full of witnesses, and we bring you here and pick you up.’

‘There’ll be witnesses at the dance,’ I pointed out. I never imagined I’d be fighting this hard to actually attend the stupid dance, but now I really wanted to go, just to prove to him he couldn’t control me. ‘And I’m going with Millie and Crispin, so it’s not like I’ll be on my own anyway.’

‘And what exactly is a Crispin?’ Luca sounded like he could taste the word in his mouth and didn’t like it one bit.

I rolled my eyes. ‘A Crispin is a person, Luca. He’s Millie’s boyfriend. And the dance is being supervised in the gym. It’s perfectly safe. It’s the same as going to school.’

‘No, it’s not.’

‘Yeah, well.’ I shrugged my bag on to my shoulder. ‘Whatever.’

‘You’re not going, Sophie. I’m serious.’

‘We’ll see.’ I shut the door and flounced up the steps, feeling his glare on the back of my neck.

My phone buzzed.

It’s not happening.

I rolled my eyes. It was so happening. Otherwise Donata Marino would have to get in line behind Millie for my head on a plate. There was no logic in Luca keeping me from the school dance if he was prepared to make me go to school every day. The two were basically the same thing, and it’s not like Donata had the timetable for Cedar Hill High’s social events. Still. Best not cause an all-out civil war with Luca over it. A well-placed emoji should smooth things over. A giggling monkey? No. Too frivolous. Dancing Señorita lady? A definite contender, but perhaps a bit too taunt-y. Something that says ‘I’m not going to listen to you in this instance, but let’s just move on and not be mad about it, OK?’

I don’t respect your authority, remember? ☺

I made my way along the deserted corridors. I was definitely late. Another ping back.

You are such a brat.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I stalled outside my biology class and sent back one more text.

Try and stop me.

I shuffled inside, made my hasty apologies and slid into my seat, glancing surreptitiously at my phone one last time.

Watch me.

At lunchtime, Millie and I convened with sandwich wraps and smoothies outside on the bleachers. I had pushed the argument with Luca right to the back of my mind – into the filing cabinet with all the other ones.

‘Why do we have to do this here?’ I asked Millie, rubbing my arms through my coat. ‘I’m going to freeze.’

‘Well, at least don’t freeze with that frown on your face, cranky-pants. I don’t want anyone else to see these dresses. It would be a huge spoiler.’ She took a swig of her smoothie and nearly spat it out. ‘I hate kale so much. Why do I do this to myself?’

Mine was berry. And it was de-lic-ious. I gulped it down. ‘Because you’re trying to be healthy?’

‘It’s not worth drinking grass over. And my wrap is just feta and lettuce,’ she lamented.

‘At least it won’t get stuck in your braces,’ I pointed out. Millie had just gotten her braces off and we were taking every opportunity to point out how bling-tastic her teeth were now that they weren’t hidden. Millie was beautiful already, but her new smile was an explosion of loveliness. It suited her. Pearly white, straight teeth to go with her long dark hair, a smattering of freckles over porcelain skin, and those shiny blue eyes.

She gnashed her teeth at me, scrunching her nose at the same time. ‘At least I can now eat things in an orderly and timely fashion.’

‘And look amazing all the while,’ I said, ‘not that you weren’t a vision before.’