"Jay Ottavia," the man said, holding his hand out to Ivan. "I've heard so much about you. Did you get my gift?"

I knew his voice well and it made me tremble. Not from fear, but from anger.

It was as if all those years of anger poured out of my soul. The only thing holding me back from choking the life out of that man was Ivan's hand was on my waist, pulling me closer to him.

He was unconsciously tightened his grip, only stopping when I nudged him with my elbow.

I tilted my head up to look at him, noticing how his eyes went cold. I could see the tendons popping out from him neck, anger barely contained.

I swallowed back my own anger even if it tasted bitter and cleared my mind.

I needed to be rational.

Ivan was as tense as a bull watching a red flag, the muscles in his jaw flexed as he blatantly ignored Jay's outstretched hand.

"Ivan," I called our softly. He didn't aknowledge me. I tilted his chin down, making him look at me. "It's okay."

"It's not." He growled. "That bastard—"

"Please. Calm down." I said, "for my sake. I'm okay. I can do this."

I turned around, Ivan's pushing me step forward even though I could feel his reluctance to do so.

Jay stood in front of me, dressed in a well cut jet black suit so dark it looked as if it had been cut from the shadows. The only color on him with a bright red hanker chief tucked into his breast pocket.

He was still handsome. Soft silky black hair, dangerous brown eyes, and a hard jaw line that would cause envy. As handsome as he was I didn't feel any sort of attraction to him. I just felt disgust. This man had made my life hell for an entire year and he had the audacity to stand in front of me so casually like he did nothing wrong. When I killed Zoya, I had felt remorse because I didn't have a choice. It was kill or be killed. But now, if I took Ivan's gun and pull a bullet between his intrusive eyes, I would have absolutely no regrets.

"Meera." Jay stopped just a couple of feet away from us, his shoes scraping against the marveled floors. "You're as beautiful as ever."

"Thank you." I said curtly, my tongue felt like sandpaper.

"You know, It's good manners to return a compliment."

"You want to talk to me about good manners, Jay? Please."

"Why are you so cold to me?" He asked. "Given our history, I thought that maybe you'd be glad to look at me."

I tightened my hands into fists by my sides. Ivan's hand was still on my lower back, grounding me. I wasn't alone. I'd never be again.

"What else could you expect?" I raised my eyebrow authoritatively. "It's not like I owe you anything."

He grinned. "You and I both know that's not true."

Anya stepped in, her eyes glasslike as she stared Jay down. He gave her a charming smile that made my stomach turn. He had that same smile on that day when everything went to shit.

"As entertaining as this is, I believe we should move this somewhere else." She said in a clipped voice. "Don't you agree, Mr Ottavia?"

"Anya Farewell," he said her name like he was spitting out a rotten piece of meat. "I've heard a lot about you too across the pond. You must find it so tedious to clean up your brothers messes."

Anya returned his words with similar courtesy.

"He's cleaned up mine and trust me, I can be messy when I want to be." She turned around, beckoning him to follow her. "Shall we or would you rather trade insults like we're in a schoolyard?"

"I think it's best we take this somewhere else," I said, following her.

Jay smirked at my defiance as if it amused him. "As you wish, love."

I was used to the weight of other peoples stares, but right know they felt like shackles around my chest.

Vanni was kneeling in front of the fountain. She had been give a change of black clothes, probably to hide the bruises and blood. She looked up at me through her non blackened eye.

She couldn't scream but she looked as if she wanted to. Her eyes were trying to tell me something. I tore my gaze away from her.

I wouldn't waver. Not for a second.

The autumn air was chilly but I felt warm, maybe it was the wine or the sudden surge of courage I felt.

"Jay," I said, once we came to a stop. "What happened two years ago was an accident. I didn't have a choice."

His face darkened, twisting his handsome features. Ivan's reached his hand to his gun but I stopped him.

Not yet.

"You are truly as shameless as they say." Jay glanced past my shoulder, narrowing his eyes at Ivan who only returned his hateful glare. "You've found a man to protect you and suddenly you have a voice. If you were alone, you wouldn't be talking to me like this."

"If we were alone we wouldn't be talking at all."

"Oh? Then what, darling?" He grinned. "A tête-à-tête?"

"No," I said. "You'd be on the ground with a bullet between your eyes."

"That's better than what I had in mind. I think you're used to that now, aren't you?" He looked delighted with my murderous attitude. "So much for the Hippocratic oath. What did it feel like to kill Zoya? His son gave me the details but I want to hear it straight from you."

Anya stepped in, directing the conversation back. "We are here to discuss a deal between us and you." She said, her voice ice cold. "Not to bicker."

"I thought my deal was perfectly clear. I take Meera and Vanni. You lot get to live."

Ivan laughed. "Not a chance in hell. You get Vanni, we keep Meera, and you fuck off from New York."

"That's a bold threat."

"I have a habit of following through with them. Ask Arlo what happened to his father."

"I have."

"Then you know that you can't take me on. Look around you, you're completely surrounded and even if you do fire, I'll make sure you're dead before you can give the order."

"I have better a deal," Jay said, twisting a strand of my hair between his fingers.

"No."

"I know your deal." I could feel Ivan's gaze on my back. "I'm only here to return Vanni. Nothing more, nothing less."

"That's not what I want."

"I don't care about what you want, Jay. The deal is simple. Take Vanni and leave."

"Or what?"

"I'll kill you," I said. "Not them, me. I'll put a knife right into that rock you call a heart and watch you bleed."

"Don't be like that, my darling girl." He tilted my face up like he was about to kiss me. I heard the sound guns being pulled out of their holsters behind me. "It's very simple. Come back to London and marry me. In turn, I'll let your lover live."

"Meera, no!" Vanni cried out.

She was quickly silenced by his men, I could hear her groan in pain. My heart ached for her.

"Let me go." I said.

"Or what?"

"I warned you," I hissed.

I Grabbed his arm and dug my nails in. His eyes went wide as I kneed him in the groin, not giving a single fuck as he went down onto his knees.

He groaned in pain, keeling over. His forehead touched the floor.

"You bitch!" Jay growled. He glared at me from the ground.

Ivan grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back. His gun was trained on him.

"Touch her again and I'll kill you," he said, danger in his voice. "You're on my turf! Remember that!"

"Yes, I see that." Jay lay on the ground. He looked up at me, a glimmer of madness. "I should've expected you Farewell's to go back on your word."

A shot rang out making us freeze. My face was frozen in shock as I watched several men coming out of the shadows. Their faces were hidden but they all had large semiautomatic gun pointed at us.

They all have the same symbol on the arms: a lotus flower on fire.

The crest of the Singhania's.

That couldn't be possible. How did they get past Ivan's forces. We have every warehouse, port, and entrance into the city closed off or watched.

They shouldn't have been able to pass through...and yet here they were.

The entirety of the Farewell Family and the Ottavia Family, ready for a war over me.

I wondered if this is what Helen of Troy felt like when entire nations went to war for her. Maybe she must've been flattered, I just felt disgusted.

My hand crept to the hilt of the gun Ivan have given me. It was identical to his. I could trace the gold inlay, still cold from not being used.

"As always," I spat out, my shock turning into anger. "When you go low, you go the lowest you can."

Jay shrugged, standing back up with difficulty. He pushed away one of his men that tried to help him up.

"What can I say? I don't really like diplomacy."

"Neither do I," Ivan said. "You really want to start a gun fight here, that's fine by me. My men will take out your men in seconds."

"A threat?"

"A promise."

"Still letting others fight your battles, Meera darling." Jay scoffed. "It doesn't matter. If I have to kill your lover and take you by force, I will. I've done it before, I can do it again."

I stepped in front of Ivan as Jay raised his gun. He didn't shoot but I knew that if i wasn't in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in his heart.

"Don't even think about it."

"How brave."

The situation had gone to shit. The full forces of the Farewell's and Ottavia's were one thing but adding the Singhania's was another. I knew what those men were capable of. They hunted my mother like a dog when she escape from my father.

"Ivan," i whispered. "You have to let me go."

I knew what I had to do now.

He tightened his grip around my waist. "No," He said through gritted teeth. "No. No, please. Anything else but that."

"They're not bluffing, Ivan." I glanced at him, my eyebrows knitted together in worry. "They'll massacre you. I can't let that happen."

"That plan—"

"Fuck the plan!" I hissed. "Things have changed. I can't lose you."

"And what about me?" He buried my face in her hair, inhaling my scent. I was so scared of losing him just as he was. "When Zoya took you, did you have any idea how I felt? And you're asking me to do that again?"

"Let go, Ivan."

"Ivan..." I felt my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. "If the Singhania forces made it here then that means that my family isn't that far behind."

"Please, sweetheart."

"No." I was fast, it only took a moment. I pried his fingers off my waist and pushed him away.  "I know how to solve this. You have to trust me."

"Meera!" He reached out to grasp me but Jay snatched my arm, tugging hard.

I slammed against his chest, a gun pointed to my head.

Ivan looked torn between releasing a hail of bullets and sinking to the ground. I hated to make him suffer but this was beyond our control.

"I'm so glad you made the right choice, Darling."

I wanted to recoil from him but I kept still.

"Trust me." I mouthed to Ivan and Anya as Jay dragged me away.

I've experienced a lot of fear. I know that there's different types of fear that leave you broken and terrified.

What I felt now was the fear that I'd never see Ivan again if I failed.