Lucas and I took in an orphan girl from the slums of the Bronx.

I taught her how to handle a Glock, close-quarters combat, and interrogation psychology, honing her into the family's sharpest blade.

But tonight, at the family dinner, knowing full well I had a lethal seafood allergy, Mia deliberately pushed a massive chunk of lobster tail onto my plate.

"Come on, Donna. A little exposure therapy never hurt anyone. Might even cure that allergy," Mia smiled, her voice dripping with poison disguised as innocence. "Besides, my hound mimics what he sees. You don't eat, he doesn't eat. And I'd hate for him to starve."

The capos on both sides of the long table lowered their heads, stifling their chuckles.

Lucas didn't reprimand her. Instead, he flashed Mia a doting smile.

"You've got Selena's old temper. Feral." He turned to me, his tone casual. "Just take a bite, Selena. Show the dog how it's done."

I leaned back against my velvet chair and scoffed.

This wasn't the first time Mia had tested my authority. The little bird's wings had grown too full. It was time to clip them.

I took a slow sip of my bourbon. "Bring the mutt in."

~~~~~

My guards dragged in a massive, snarling beast. It took four grown men and heavy iron chains just to keep the animal grounded.

Back at the underground auction, Mia had merely glanced at this monster. Lucas hadn't blinked before dropping three hundred thousand dollars to buy it for her as a casual gift.

The hound locked eyes with me and let out a vicious growl, baring its fangs.

Before I even gave the signal, my lieutenant stepped forward and delivered a brutal kick to its jaw, snapping its teeth with a sickening crack.

Lucas crushed his Cuban cigar into the ashtray. He walked over, pinching my chin with a dismissive smirk. "Jesus, Selena. It was a joke. Lighten up."

I slapped his hand away. I looked at my lieutenant.

"Do it. The fallout is mine."

I turned my attention to Mia, watching the color drain from her face.

"Word on the street is your hound's been eating from other bowls. Mingling with strays," I said, my voice dead level. "If he's so good at mimicking human behavior, Mia, I have to wonder who he's learning from."

Mia hit the floor, her knees slamming into the hardwood.

"Donna, please! I'll train him! I swear!" she cried, tears spilling over. "He can't take much more. Spare him, please!"

Lucas's expression darkened. He caught the blatant subtext.

"Stand down, Selena," he warned, his voice dropping an octave. "Don't make me undermine you in front of the capos."

I despise threats.

I drew the Beretta from my thigh holster, leveled it at the dog, and pulled the trigger.

"No!" Mia shrieked, lunging forward.

The bullet grazed her cheek.

A split second later, the hound's head exploded in a mist of crimson. The massive body collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.

That dog had tried to bite me multiple times. Whenever I got too close to Lucas, it would bare its teeth and growl. And every single time, Mia would cover her mouth to hide a smirk, tossing it expensive jerky as a reward.

She had trained it to want my throat.

If she refused to discipline her trash, I would clean it up for the family.

Mia sobbed hysterically, clutching the dead dog. Lucas grabbed my wrist, his grip bruising.

"She's our kid! Did you have to blow its brains out?" he roared. "She's young, she made a mistake. Why the fuck are you so vindictive?"

When we pulled Mia out of the Bronx, she was so malnourished we thought she was thirteen. We protected her. It was only later I found out she was a grown woman, merely two years younger than me, with a mind darker than the slums she came from.

I slowly twisted my wrist out of his grasp. "We both know exactly how 'young' she is."

I met his furious gaze. "The streets think the Gambino Don took in a stray. But looking at you two? They'd say you're grooming a mistress. Wouldn't you agree, Lucas?"

His brow knotted. He glared at me, his eyes turning to ice.

"Careful. If it weren't for me, Selena, you'd still be turning tricks in a Vegas alley."

The words felt like a physical blow to my chest. I swallowed the sting and let out a harsh laugh.

"If it weren't for me, Lucas, you'd still be a brain-damaged cripple shitting himself in a wheelchair."