THE PRICE OF THE GUEST LIST

Lucy dropped the gun as if it burned her. It clattered against the tile.

"I... I followed him from the carriage house," Lucy stammered, hyperventilating. "He was going to kill you, Mara."

I ran to her, wrapping my arms tightly around her shaking frame. "It's okay, Lucy. You saved us. You saved my life."

Nicolo knelt beside Dante. The man was dead. Nicolo closed his old friend’s eyes, his jaw set in a tight, furious line. He stood up, grabbing the keys to the SUV.

"Mara, we have twenty minutes," Nicolo said. He looked at Lucy. "Lock the doors. Do not let anyone in."

We ran to the SUV. Nicolo drove like a madman, the heavy vehicle tearing through the rain-slicked streets of the city. I sat in the passenger seat, the black ledger clutched tightly in my lap.

When we reached Pier 9, the rain was coming down in sheets. The old shipyard was a sprawling labyrinth of rusted shipping containers and creaking cranes. At the end of the main pier, a lone spotlight illuminated a small metal warehouse.

Nicolo killed the headlights. We got out and moved silently through the shadows of the containers.

As we approached the warehouse, the heavy corrugated doors slid open.

Sloane stood in the center of the room. She was wearing a sleek black trench coat, looking entirely out of place amidst the rust and grime. Surrounding her were four armed men.

And standing right beside her, holding her hand, was Leo.

"Mommy!" Leo cried out when he saw me step into the light. He tried to run to me, but Sloane yanked him back by his small arm.

"Ah, ah," Sloane scolded with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Not yet, little bird."

"Let him go, Sloane," I yelled, stepping forward. I held the ledger up high. "I have what you want."

Nicolo stepped up beside me, his hands empty, showing he wasn't holding a weapon.

"Throw the book over," Sloane commanded.

"Send the boy first," Nicolo countered. "We walk to the middle. They cross."

Sloane rolled her eyes, but she gave Leo a slight push. I stepped forward, my heart leaping into my throat. We met in the center of the wet concrete floor. I shoved the heavy black ledger into Sloane's chest and dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around my son.

"I got you, baby," I sobbed, burying my face in his neck. "I got you."

Sloane laughed triumphantly. She flipped open the ledger to make sure it was the real deal.

"Finally," she breathed. "The city is mine."

She looked up, her smile turning wicked. "Kill them."

Her men raised their rifles.

"Sloane," Nicolo said calmly. His voice carried over the rain. "Did you really think I would hand you the keys to my kingdom without a backup plan?"

Sloane frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Nicolo reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver Zippo lighter. He flicked it open, the flame illuminating his face.

"The ledger is paper," Nicolo said. "But the digital backups? The hard drives with every video, every audio recording, every shred of evidence you've collected?"

He pointed to a large wooden crate sitting next to Sloane’s feet.

Sloane looked down. A puddle of dark, iridescent liquid was pooling around the crate. It smelled strongly of gasoline.

"I had Dante plant the drives here yesterday, before you bought him," Nicolo lied flawlessly. "You kill us, the drives go to the police tomorrow. Or, I can burn them right now, and you walk away with your paper book, but no proof to back it up."

Sloane panicked. She needed the digital files to prove the blackmail. "Don't you dare!"

Nicolo tossed the lighter.

It landed on the gasoline-soaked crate.

WHOOSH.

Flames erupted instantly, shooting ten feet into the air, consuming the crate. The heat was blinding. Sloane’s men stumbled back, shielding their faces from the fire.

In the chaos, Nicolo grabbed my arm. "Run!"

I scooped Leo into my arms and sprinted toward the door.

"Shoot them!" Sloane screamed, furious that her empire was burning.