The door closed on my fingers, and the sound Vanessa made wasn't anger. It was relief. I was nobody — the maid who carried trays and kept her eyes on the floor.

The back hallways of the Moretti estate were usually empty during events, a silent maze designed for the staff to move unseen. Nora walked blindly, her mind racing through impossible scenarios.

She couldn't leave. She couldn't hide.

As she turned the corner toward the laundry room to hide until the party ended, a large, heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder.

Nora gasped, spinning around.

Standing over her was a man she had only seen standing directly behind Vanessa’s chair. He was Vanessa’s personal bodyguard, a hulking brute with a shaved head and dead, pale eyes.

“Where do you think you’re going, little bird?” he rasped, his grip tightening on her shoulder, his thick fingers digging into her collarbone.

“To... to the kitchen,” Nora stammered, trying to pull away.

“Ms. Bellini wants a word with you,” the bodyguard said, yanking her forward. “Down in the wine cellar. Where it’s quiet.”

Nora planted her feet. The wine cellar was soundproof. If she went down there, she would never come back up.

“Let me go,” Nora demanded, her voice rising in panic.

The bodyguard chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. He reached for her injured right hand, deliberately squeezing the bandaged, crushed fingers.

Nora let out a blood-curdling scream, her knees buckling from the sheer, white-hot agony.

“Shut up,” he hissed, dragging her toward the basement stairwell.

Suddenly, a heavy oak door down the hall swung open.

“What the hell is going on out here?”

The bodyguard froze.

Standing in the doorway of the billiards room, holding a crystal glass of scotch, was Luca Moretti. He had taken his suit jacket off, his white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, revealing dark, intricate tattoos.

He looked at the bodyguard, then down at Nora, who was sobbing on her knees, clutching her ruined hand.

“Mr. Moretti,” the bodyguard said quickly, releasing Nora’s arm. “The maid was caught trying to steal from the coatroom. Ms. Bellini asked me to detain her.”

Luca took a slow sip of his scotch. His dark eyes flicked to Nora.

“Is that true?” Luca asked softly.