‘Oh my,’ said Felice, his attention refocusing on the boys. He looked like he was tasting something particularly delicious.

‘Restrain yourself, Nicoli!’ Valentino warned. ‘You’ve lost your head.’

‘Why the hell does Nic want to slit your throat, Luca?’ asked Dom.

Luca raked his hand through his hair, trying to compose himself. ‘It’s between Nicoli and me.’

‘And Sophie,’ said Nic, casting me a look so full of venomous hatred that I felt for a moment like I was shrinking.

‘Ah,’ said Valentino. He rolled his shoulders back. ‘I see.’

‘What do you see?’ asked Gino. ‘I don’t see anything.’

My cheeks were burning up. I should say something. What should I say? What would make it better?

‘You’re messed up,’ Nic spat at Luca. ‘You talk about love and honour, you tell us to pour all of our time and efforts into la famiglia, to forget any other pursuits that might split our attention … You tell us to remain loyal to one another at all costs, and then you do this right under my nose! How long, Luca? How long have you been betraying me?’

‘Nic,’ I said, trying to wade in. ‘It’s not like that.’ I could feel Valentino’s glare on my back.

‘I haven’t been betraying you,’ Luca said carefully.

‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Nic shouted. ‘What the hell do you call sticking your tongue down her throat?’ He pointed to the alcove. ‘What did I just walk in on?’

‘Ooooh,’ said Dom, finally getting it. He smiled lecherously at me. ‘Bad Sophie. Very bad.’

I returned my middle finger.

‘Che sorpresa!’ Felice chuckled. No one else was sharing in his amusement.

‘Just calm down,’ said Luca. ‘We’ll talk about this somewhere else in private, just us.’

‘No!’ Nic roared. ‘You don’t deserve privacy. You’ve obviously had it long enough. I want to know what sick game you’re playing here. I want to know why you’re trying to punish me!’

‘I’m not playing any game,’ Luca protested, the heat rising in his voice too. ‘I’m not trying to punish you!’

‘Bullshit!’ Nic snapped. ‘I know you’re angry at me! You’re mad because I’m teaching her how to defend herself. You’re mad because I won’t do what you tell me to, because I won’t wrap her up and force her to stay away from her destiny!’

‘Stop,’ warned Luca.

‘Newsflash,’ said Nic, coming towards his brother again, his voice rising. ‘She doesn’t want a fucking shield, she wants a sword, so I gave her the sword, and it cuts you up. It makes you feel small and ignored, because we’re not listening to you, because for once, we’re not falling under your instruction and you can’t control us—’

‘I mean it, Nicoli.’ Luca was seething, his features turning feral. He was dangerous like this; he was unpredictable, and everyone knew it. ‘Sophie doesn’t belong to you. She doesn’t belong to anyone.’

Nic wouldn’t relent. ‘You’re mad because you have no control over what will happen. You feel small and pathetic, and you should! You couldn’t handle not having all the power. You wanted to take it from me. You wanted to take her from me! You wanted to win!’

I waded in between them. ‘Stop!’ I shouted. ‘This isn’t some stupid power game, Nic. He’s not using me!’

Nic turned on me, his eyes flashing. ‘He’s using you to get to me.’

‘You and I aren’t together,’ I said, exasperated beyond words. ‘We’re over. We’ve been over for a while.’

‘I was going to win you back,’ Nic said, pushing his temper towards me like a storm cloud. ‘But he took that chance away!’

Enough. I had had enough of Nic treating me like some kind of trophy. I had had enough of him treating my desires and opinions like transitory thoughts that could be changed and manipulated at his leisure.

‘I kissed him!’ I shouted. ‘I wanted it!’

He levelled me with a dark look. ‘I know him better than you, Sophie. Don’t be an idiot. Get out of my way,’ he hissed. ‘I want him to admit it.’

He shoved me aside and stalked towards Luca. Dom and Gino moved in beside Nic, a cautionary hand on each of his shoulders, holding him back.

Luca stood stock-still, unblinking, as he raised his finger at his brother. ‘Touch her like that again, and I’ll end you.’

‘Admit it,’ Nic spat, ignoring the threat. ‘Admit that you kissed her to get back at me. Admit that you wanted to teach me a lesson! You selfish son of a bitch!’

Luca bared his teeth at Nic. ‘Shut your mouth, Nicoli.’

‘No!’ Nic screamed.

‘Fine!’ Luca shouted, coming right up to Nic’s face, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. ‘You want the truth?’

‘Yes!’ Nic yelled, refusing to budge. ‘Give me the fucking truth!’

‘Here it is!’ Luca said. ‘I didn’t kiss Sophie to get back at you, I kissed her because I’m in love with her!’

Nic reeled backwards, as though the blow had been physical.

Gino and Dom gasped in unison.

My jaw unhinged.

Valentino buried his face in his hands and groaned.