Chapter 5

I never expected that in my past life, those ungrateful vipers would swear before the whole underworld that my father had threatened the crew on my behalf.

That lie sent the street lynch mob storming our door, and they cut down my entire family under the banner of avenging Bianca.

But this time, I will never let my father get dragged into this mess again.

...

The next morning, I ate the breakfast my father cooked in the back kitchen of the Family's infirmary and rode across town to the grooming circle.

As the hour of the initiation trial drew near, the courtyard where the young hopefuls gathered stayed unnaturally quiet.

The men who oversaw us looked more anxious by the minute.

"What's going on? Is the inner circle skipping the trial?"

The capo who ran our training walked over, drawn and gray, a handful of young soldiers trailing behind him, pale and unsteady on their feet.

When they saw me, they looked away, shame and regret written all over their faces.

The overseeing Don's expression was grim. He listened to the capo's stumbling account, and his fury broke loose.

"I warned you, again and again, watch what you eat, keep your discipline before the ceremony. And you go drinking contraband at some backroom bar the night before?"

"Now only five of you can stand for the trial. The rest? Laid out for their stomachs to be pumped. Some fighting for their lives?"

"Have you lost your minds? You're throwing away your own standing, and dragging my name down into the dirt with you."

His voice carried, and it drew the attention of the fathers gathered nearby and the men who trafficked in the Family's rumors.

"Dio, we watch every plate we set before our sons these days, and these boys drank themselves half to death?"

"They found time to party and drink, at a time like this? And these are meant to be the ones getting made? A gang of gutter rats, more like."

"My boy's no prodigy, but at least he keeps his word. The fathers of these so-called jewels must be sick with shame."

"I've carried word through this life a long time, and I've never seen a whole crew poison itself the night before they're to be made."

The men jotted names, murmuring into ears that would carry it through the streets by nightfall.

The overseeing Don's face went ashen. "It's over. I'm finished. The whole thing is finished."

The made man who had always favored Lorenzo and Bianca went pale. "Where are Lorenzo and Bianca? They were the ones we staked everything on."

The Don's aide bowed his head. "We still can't reach them. We've put out word to every corner."

The overseeing Don swayed, one hand pressed to his chest. Then his eyes found me, and hope flickered in them.

"Adriana keeps her discipline. She stayed clear of them. We can still put one of ours forward with honor."

I lowered my eyes and spoke with borrowed remorse. "Lorenzo was afraid I'd inform on him, so he took my initiation seal. He hasn't shown his face since. I doubt I'll be allowed to stand for the trial."

The overseeing Don dropped where he stood.

Chaos broke out. Some hauled him toward the infirmary; others herded the surviving hopefuls toward the ceremony grounds.

I climbed into the car. The air inside sat heavy, and someone had already started to weep.

"My father's going to kill me. I never should have gone to that bar."

"What do we do now? I'll never earn my standing. It's all Bianca's fault."

I stared out the window, listening to them sob, my face empty of anything.

Didn't you all call yourselves the chosen ones? Was the trial only ever a formality to you?

So what are you crying for now? Afraid you'll fail?

When I reached the ceremony grounds, they turned me away, just as I knew they would. I carried no seal.

One of the young soldiers overheard and looked at me, guilt in his eyes. He whispered, "I'm sorry."

Once it was settled that I would not be allowed inside, I turned and left.

My father's face was pale with rage. His heart broke for me, but the curses he spat were all for Lorenzo.

Before we had even cleared the grounds, the thing had already caught fire through the underworld.

The fathers of the inner circle's finest called their own sit-down, spoke with one voice, put out word to every family, and sent for their consiglieres.

They demanded a reckoning from the overseeing Don, from Lorenzo, and from Bianca.