I couldn’t really understand it either.

‘None of this makes sense,’ he mused. ‘Not for those Marino cowards.’

I had forgotten about Donata’s final words – Fidelitate Coniuncti – and I stumbled over them as I relayed her message to me. Luca arched an eyebrow and Felice muttered, ‘Interesting.’

‘Is it a threat?’ I asked. ‘What does it mean?’ I couldn’t spell it well enough to google it. I could barely say it.

‘It’s Latin,’ said Luca, uneasily. ‘It’s not a threat.’

Felice pulled out his phone, consigliere duties overriding his desire to question me further. ‘I’ll assemble everyone. Should be an hour, perhaps less. I’ll speak with Valentino,’ he added, directing the last part at Luca. ‘He’ll find this most strange indeed …’

‘He’s paranoid,’ Luca answered. ‘There’s nothing in this.’

‘I wouldn’t be so sure.’ Felice disappeared, his footsteps echoing down a distant corridor.

‘What was that about?’ I said.

Luca batted the question away. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

Nic was the only Falcone brother not frowning. He was relaxed, shoulders squared – a soldier, ready for whatever was coming. ‘I’m glad you came to us, Sophie,’ he said earnestly. His voice took on that low tone, like he was closing the space between me and him until it was just the two of us. ‘It’s not right what she’s doing. But she won’t be alive for much longer. We’ll make sure you’re kept out of all this, I promise.’

Dom had joined us by then. ‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Nic.’ He rolled back on his heels. ‘The Council will decide.’

‘I know that,’ I said, addressing Dom and trying to keep the venom from my voice. ‘I know this is kind of a long shot. I didn’t think there would be so much ceremony involved … I just …’ I turned with hopeful eyes to Luca. ‘When you told me yesterday that I could come to your family if I was ever in trouble, I didn’t think I’d ever have to take you up on it. But Donata terrifies me, and I’m sick of taking chances with my safety.’ I added, ‘I’m taking your advice. I’m being smart. I recognize I can’t get out of this on my own.’

Luca had a hand over his mouth and was smoothing his fingers along his jaw, thinking.

‘Yesterday?’ said Nic. ‘What was yesterday?’

‘We ran into each other at Stateville,’ I answered quickly, seeing that Luca wasn’t feeling so inclined. His mind was elsewhere. ‘He gave me a ride home.’

Why did I feel like I was justifying myself? Why did I feel like there was anything to hide?

Nic frowned. ‘You didn’t think to mention that to me at any point, Luca?’

Dom and Gino exchanged a glance. ‘Uh-oh,’ droned Dom, grinning. ‘Looks like Sophie and Luca had a prison date without Nic …’

‘Shut up,’ I hissed.

‘Calmati.’ Luca came back to himself and clapped Nic on his back. ‘Don’t read into it, brother. It was nothing.’

‘Yeah. It was nothing,’ I added, hardening the words.

Nic squared his jaw. He was staring at Luca like he might want to set him on fire, and I felt the tension in the room soar. Only Dom was finding it funny. An hour. I would have to wait an hour for this Council, whatever it was. And I would have to do it under this stupid cloud of testosterone.

I went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and update Millie. I felt calmer, better, focused. I just had to stay alive and keep the people I loved close by until it was all finished – until Donata was dead. I tried not to dwell on the possibility that the Falcones might slip up – that their counter-plan, whatever it turned out to be, might not work, that Jack would rally in anger and still come for me. I tried not to think about Sanctuary being denied to me, about my mother and me having to face all of this alone.

When I made my way back to the foyer, everyone had scattered. I followed the hallway on the right, tracing the rumblings coming from the belly of the house. Halfway along the corridor, I pushed a door open, following the shouting. The room was huge, with an array of gaming equipment inside – dartboards, punching bags, a foosball table, a pool table and a stereo system. There were couches and beanbag chairs around the walls, and three large diamond-crossed windows looked out on to the swelling storm.

In the middle of the room, Dom and Nic were running circles around each other. Felice and Luca were leaning against the wall, watching them with the casual interest of passing spectators, and Gino was reclining in a beanbag chair, eyes half-closed.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked Luca, just as Nic flipped Dom flat on his back. There was a heavy thump and Nic’s triumphant laughter split the room apart.

Luca indicated the little muddle of testosterone. ‘Relatively safe conflict management in a house of assassins,’ he explained. ‘Whenever we have an argument, we take it to the sparring room. When there’s a winner, it’s over.’

‘What were they arguing about?’

Luca didn’t answer me.

‘Dom has a loose mouth,’ supplied Felice. ‘And you’re an easy target.’

‘Oh,’ I said. Asshole.

Dom was back on his feet. He took a swing at Nic. Nic blocked his head with his hands and Dom used his distraction to swipe his foot across Nic’s legs, almost toppling him off balance.