“Stay in the car,” Marcus said to me.

He opened his door, the cold wind instantly filling the cabin.

“Luca, watch her,” Marcus said.

He stepped out into the snow, pulling his coat tight around him.

Two of his security men stepped out of the lead car, their hands inside their pockets.

They walked toward the brick building, their boots leaving deep prints in the snow.

Luca remained in the front seat, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, watching me.

The heater continued to hum, but the warmth was fading quickly.

“Luca,” I said softly.

He did not turn around, but I saw his shoulders tense.

“She won’t stop with the docks,” I said.

“You know that.”

“This is family business, Elena,” Luca said.

“It stopped being family business when she froze the accounts,” I said.

“She wants the whole empire, and she will destroy anyone who gets in her way.”

“Including you.”

Luca was silent, his hand resting on the steering wheel.

Outside, Marcus and his men reached the door of the brick building.

The door opened, and a figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from inside.