When the sun finally rose over the horizon to wake the sleeping earth, I was already dressed in comfy clothes and pacing around my room, anxiety gnawing at my stomach as I tried to muster enough courage to face my parents. The weight of my confession to Lucy at the ball last night had hit me hard, like a freight train crashing into a mountain off its tracks.

"I don't want to be in the family business anymore."

The look on Lucy's face when it registered what I had said out loud was all she needed to say; instead of shock, it was as if she knew exactly what I was going to say and had accepted it way before I did. She had wrapped her arms around me as I sobbed for the first time since I could remember, providing a sense of comfort that only a best friend could.

Once the tears had stopped, Lucy helped clean my face up and snuck me out of the fundraiser; filling Taylor in on her plan, Lucy made him swear he wouldn't say a word about taking me home early until she had a chance to talk to my grandmother. With a promise of things being okay, Lucy left me alone in the SUV as she headed back inside and I off to the Centofanti Manor to avoid my family.

Now, as the morning started, I knew I could no longer avoid anyone. Taking one last deep breath to steady my pounding heart, I wretched my bedroom door open and headed downstairs with as much confidence as I could summon.

Mom and Dad were already in the kitchen with Grandma Clara when I walked in, my footsteps slowing as I braced myself for the conversation I was dreading. Mom met my eyes first as she took a sip of her tea, a faint smile on her face.

"Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?"

"Lucy told us you weren't feeling great last night and left early." Dad added, setting the newspaper down to turn towards me. "Headache?"

"Something like that." I smiled back weakly. "Actually... can I talk to you guys for a minute? It's kind of important."

"What's up, baby?" Mom rose from her chair in concern, coming over to wrap an arm around my shoulders.

"Um, Mom, you might want to sit down for this..." I guided her back to her seat next to Dad, my eyes darting over to Grandma who paused from making her second cup of tea. "I don't know how exactly to say this, but I want you guys to know how much I love you all and that this isn't easy for me to say."

I sighed and took a small step back before continuing.

"After thinking about it all night, I realized that I... don't want to be in the family business."

"Is this because of Eli?" Mom asked abruptly, holding up a hand in Dad's direction when he whipped his head around to stare at her in surprise.

"He isn't the main reason, but partly yes," I admitted truthfully, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. "I really like him, and I know you guys won't approve because he's Ramsey's son, but I would like to see where things go with him... And with everything else I have going on with therapy, I just think it's best if I step away for a while. I want to find out who I am, besides being a Centofanti and the 'Mafia Princess.' I want to know who I am as just 'Ava.' If that makes sense."

"It does." Mom nodded, closing her eyes momentarily as she smiled. "I felt the same way when I was pregnant with you."

"You're not mad?" I asked, my voice squeaking in disbelief.

"Of course not," Mom reassured me as she placed her hand over mine. "Why on Earth would I be mad at my daughter trying to find her place in the world?"

"You can't be serious, Jade." Dad slammed his fist on the table. "Our daughter wants to give up her lifestyle for a guy that not even a week ago, you couldn't stand the sight of!"

"Paul, that's enough!" Mom shot him a look, her eyes flashing at his tone.

"This business is supposed to go to you, Ava." Dad ignored her, his gaze landing on me. "That's why we agreed to put you in therapy and give you the time you needed to heal. So when you were ready, you could take over the family business. Do you know how rare that is, having a woman head a family in the Mafia?!? It's never been so publicly known before now, and you're throwing it away for the enemy!"

"Paul, that is enough." Grandma Clara spoke from behind me; without turning, I could tell her expression was heated, because Dad clamped his mouth shut without protest.

"I know I just came back to being an additional hand on business," I started to face Dad, who looked outside the window as our eyes met, "and I know this puts you and the gang in a tough spot, but I need you to be okay with this. I need you, and Mom, to help me be the best version of myself."

"I'm sorry... I just, I can't deal with this right now." Dad stood abruptly from the table and walked out of the kitchen, not bothering to look at any of us. Tears welled in the corners of my eyes and I inhaled sharply, trying to keep a brave face as both Mom and Grandma focused their attention on me.

"He didn't mean it, baby. Give him some time to cool down," Mom whispered as she pulled me into her arms. "He just wants the best for you... and he thought you were back on track to take his place."

"I didn't mean to disappoint anyone," I whispered back before gently shoving Mom away and running out of the room, ignoring the sound of them calling my name.

Hours slowly passed as I stared at the ceiling, dangling my head off of the edge of my bed. The look on Dad's face, the sheer disappointment as he left the kitchen, replayed in my mind over and over again, stuck on a continuous loop. Even as I tried to distract myself from thinking about it by throwing paint onto a blank canvas, the image was burned into my gaze. Letting out a frustrated groan, I glanced at the clock absentmindedly and my body stilled as an idea formed in my mind. One that was waiting to be acted on since last night at the ball...

Slowly opening my bedroom door, I peered out into the hallway, letting out a silent breath of relief when I realized it was empty. As quietly as I could muster, I slung my clutch across my shoulders and made my way to the staircase. The rest of the house seemed quiet so I ventured forward, grateful that my boots and cloak were still in the foyer from last night. Double-checking that nobody was around to notice me, I pulled my boots on and grabbed the cloak from the hook before slipping out the front door.

The sun dipped towards the horizon, letting the neon lights of downtown illuminate the sidewalks. Usually, I would have taken the time to bask in the bright glows, but I was too focused on the single destination I had in mind. I hurried down the sidewalk, ignoring the small groups of people loitering outside various businesses lined along the busy street. A slight wind picked up speed as it fluttered around me; I pulled my cloak closer to my chest, grateful that I had grabbed it on the way out of the manor. The sound of my chunky bootie heels clicking against concrete pushed me to walk faster when the hotel appeared on the horizon, its lights beckoning me inside.

Right about now, my family had probably realized I had left the manor; Lucy was probably covering for me after each phone call and text message was met with silence, the greatest best friend a girl could ask for. I silently prayed that nobody questioned her story as a bellhop held one of the grand doors open for me, a warm smile on his face as he welcomed me to the Fitzgerald.

"I'm looking for Room 129?" I asked the clerk at the front desk after they hung up the phone.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Maguire told us he would be expecting you." The clerk beamed brightly. "Take the elevators to the right to the first floor up, then turn left and the door will be five down on the left."

"Thank you so much."

Following the clerk's instructions, I slowly made my way down the hallway to Eli's room, trying to casually wipe my sweating palms onto my leggings without drawing attention to myself. My heartbeat picked up an unsteady pace as I drew closer to the room, sudden nerves of feeling silly slowly dissolving into concern when I realized his door was ajar. My senses were on high alert at the sight and I cautiously moved forward, mentally kicking myself for leaving my small knife at home. Pushing the door open just enough to peek inside, my heart stopped as the momentarily concern rapidly turned into disbelief.

In the reflection of the mirror hanging on the wall just inside the small foyer, was Eli sitting upward against the headboard of the bed, clearly in pajama bottoms and no shirt...

And the mysterious blonde woman from the ball in her underwear straddling his lap.

A shocked gasp vibrated in my throat, escaping my lips loud enough for Eli's eyes to glance towards the door; his gaze met mine in the mirror and horror flashed across his face.

Spinning around, I raced to the elevator, ignoring the desperate cries of my name as Eli burst from the room, only to watch me disappear from view with a ding.

By the time I got back to the manor, the tears had dried on my face, caking together with the smudged makeup. Lucy met me at the front door, her eyes wide as they searched for some kind of answer I couldn't give her.

"Head upstairs as fast as you can," she murmured, pulling me into a tight hug. "We're gearing up for a last-minute mission."

"I'm not... I told my parents I was done with missions this morning." I stared at her in confusion.

"Uncle Leo insisted you go." She shrugged. "He said he'd talk to you when you got back."

"How much time do I have?"

"Twenty minutes before they're ready to go."

Without a second thought, I took off for the stairs, Lucy close behind. It took me about thirty seconds to pick out an outfit to change into, and another forty-five seconds for Lucy to help me redo my makeup with a simple, everyday look. We worked in silence, which I was grateful for; if Lucy had started to ask me questions, I probably would've broken down completely.

Just as I finished switching my hairdo from a messy bun to a high ponytail, I heard the front door open and the voices of my family floated up from the foyer.

"Ready?" Lucy asked quietly.

"As I'll ever be." I grimaced, nodding my head towards the door. "After you."

Taking the stairs two at a time, we met the rest of the gang just outside Uncle Leo's study; Aiden was standing near the doorway when his gaze landed on us. Instant concern flashed across his eyes and he took a small step towards me, only halting when Lucy shook her head furiously at him. An understanding passed in the space between them, and Aiden raised an eyebrow in my direction, the question on the tip of his tongue hanging in the balance: are you okay?

With a slight shrug, I cast my gaze sideways and to the floor; our secret sign for "no, and don't ask right now."

"Ava, a moment. Please." Uncle Leo appeared in the doorway of his study, his eyes soft.

"Yes, sir." I nodded, squeezing Lucy's hand before following him inside, the door shutting behind us. Dad, Alpo, and Uncle Nick were waiting in the study; all three men standing as Uncle Leo approached his desk.

"Have a seat, darling." Uncle Leo gestured to a chair across from him; I silently obeyed, my gaze averting from my father. "Now, it's come to my attention that as of this morning, you are taking a step back from the family business to discover yourself, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can you tell me why?" Uncle Leo asked gently, holding a hand up to silence the protest forming on Dad's lips. "I want to hear it from you."

"My whole life, I've been referred to as the 'Mafia Princess'. I'm feared because of my family name, yet protected at the same time. I understand that, and I'm grateful for it." I rushed, trying to get everything out before someone interrupted. "I just want to know who I am, outside of that. I need to know who I am without the Mafia. It's not forever, Uncle Leo. I just need... some time."

"How much time are we talking? A month? Six? A year?"

"I'm not sure." I admitted honestly, glancing at the other men in the room. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"How about we make a deal?" Uncle Leo tilted his head to the side, looking me over. "Let's say, you take six months off to do what you need to, and your uncle Nick here will step in as intermittent Don until you are ready to come back."

"And if she decides to never come back?" Dad spoke up, his tone quiet and firm.

"Well, then... that's her decision, and Aiden will be next in line to take over." Uncle Leo replied with a shrug. "Let's give Ava a chance to find her path first, shall we?"

"I never meant to cause disappointment with this decision," I said softly, trying not to cry. "And it has nothing to do with Eli, if that's what anyone's thinking... despite what I said this morning, I don't think that's going anywhere anytime soon."

"What happened?" Alpo asked, resting a hand on my shoulder with concern in his eyes.

"I'd prefer not to talk about it." I tried to hold back a sniffle before my gaze darted to Dad. "You can say 'I told you so' later."

"That's the last thing I want to do, baby girl." Dad said as he pulled me into his arms. "And you're not a disappointment... I'm sorry if I made you feel like you are because of my actions this morning. I just want you to be happy."

"I know."

"You don't have to go tonight if you're not feeling up to it. But you might want to hear what's going on." Dad kissed the top of my head before releasing me. "Go wait outside. We have a couple of things to finish up first. Love you, kiddo."

"I love you too, Dad."

Uncle Nick followed me out of the study at Uncle Leo's instructions, his eyes not leaving my face as we joined the others until Milo and Mia pulled his attention away. I took my place next to Lucy, resting my head on her shoulder as we prepared for the worse.

"Is everyone here?" Uncle Leo'exited the room a few minutes later, Dad and Alpo right behind him. "Good, let's go over some details."

"We received word from an anonymous source that something big was going to happen around 11 pm tonight, at one of the old warehouses down by the pier." Dad took over, stepping in front of Uncle Leo as he made eye contact with each man before flickering to Lucy and me. "You all know the warehouse... it used to be in the possession of Ramsey."

An unsettled murmur broke out around us, the men whispering to each other. I felt each of their gazes shift towards me, heavy with sympathy and pity, but I kept my eyes locked on Dad and took a visible deep breath. He acknowledged it with a slight tilt of his head before continuing.

"According to our source, the warehouse is now run by Felix, Ramsey's second in command. Instead of heeding our warnings the last time we encountered the last members of Ramsey's gang, Felix and the others decided they would rather stay close to town. Keep an eye on us, and who knows what else kind of trouble to cause."

"About a half-hour ago, one of our men approached us with an envelope," Alpo spoke up, gesturing to one of the younger associates; I recognized him as Codero, the 29-year-old ex-Marine who married into the Carmichael-Centofanti gang at a lower level. More than once, Codero had been assigned bodyguard to Lucy, Mia, and I whenever we wanted to go out for the night; normally stone-faced and cool composure, tonight his face was flustered with panic and concern.

"The note inside was short - 'It's been a long time, old friends.'" Alpo held the paper up, reading directly from the ripped page. "Usually this wouldn't be as alarming."

"Except..." Dad interrupted. "The handwriting belongs to someone who should be dead."

"Who?" Aiden asked, breaking the silence.

"The man himself... Ramsey."