‘Look,’ said Nic, taking the emptied gun from me and using it to point at the target. He put his other arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him. I slid my arm around his back, fighting the urge to jump up and down like an excited child. We stood side by side, examining the target and basking in the glow of my small triumph. My ears were ringing, my arm was buzzing, and I was grinning like a mad person. ‘See,’ he said, moving the gun-pointer to the three separate holes. ‘You did that. All of those.’

We were falling in and out of giddy laughter, still staring at the target with disbelief, when six more shots rang out.

I watched them dent the target – my target. Six holes forming a perfectly vertical straight line from the target’s collarbone to its navel, like the buttons of a winter coat. Six perfect shots.

I turned towards the shooter, my heart climbing up my throat.

‘Maybe she’ll be able to do that,’ said Luca. He reloaded in a blur and fired off six more. Every single one landed in the middle of the target’s forehead. ‘Or that,’ he said, lowering his gun. ‘If she really practises.’ He turned towards us, shoving his gun back into the waistband of his jeans. ‘What do you think, Sophie? Would you like to be able to do that?’

His voice was dangerously even. Nerves swarmed inside me, sucking all the warmth and joy from the moment. I swallowed hard.

Luca gestured at me and Nic. ‘You’ll probably have to unstick yourself from Nicoli, first. If you really want to hone your skills.’

There. Beneath the anger flashing in his eyes, the hard set of his mouth, there was a flicker of something else. Hurt. Why the hell would he be hurt? Something lurched inside me – hope that he might still care for me that way … and then an alarm sounded in my head. Nic still had his arm around me, and it looked like … Oh, God.

Oh no. Oh no no no no.

I stepped away from Nic. His arm fell with a thump to his side, and I folded mine across my torso. It was freezing in here. How had I not noticed that until now? And why couldn’t I think of anything to say? My mouth had gone dry, and my brain was just … stagnant.

‘She’s really good already, Luca.’ Pride lit up Nic’s voice. He was so not getting the undertone of our conversation. A huge part of me was glad about that. ‘I think you’ll be impressed.’

Luca was still looking at me. ‘Will I?’

‘Yeah.’ Nic turned to me, the gun held out, bridging the big gap I had made between us. His smile was encouraging, his voice full of affection, when he said, ‘Do you want to show him?’

I shook my head. ‘No, thanks.’

‘Go on.’ Nic winked at me. ‘He’ll be impressed.’

I didn’t dare look at Luca.

‘Go on,’ he said, his voice silky. ‘Why don’t you show me, Sophie? Show me what you’ve been up to out here all morning.’

‘I’m too cold,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to.’

‘Come on,’ said Nic, bewilderment colouring his tone. ‘You were so excited before.’

‘Was she?’

‘I’m tired,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to right now.’

‘I want Luca to see what a good teacher I am. Let’s show him what a good team we are.’ I knew Nic was teasing me, but that was not the right thing to say in the moment. Not the way he lingered over the word team. I could practically feel Luca bristling.

‘No,’ I said, my answer firm.

‘Fine,’ said Luca quickly. He was over this. Theatrics weren’t his thing, thankfully. ‘Some other time, perhaps.’ He turned to Nic, his tone clipped. ‘Valentino is holding a meeting in ten minutes. Libero Marino is back in Chicago.’ He gestured behind him, in the direction of the house. ‘He wants to speak to you about doing some recon in the city.’

Nic seemed to grow to twice his size in that moment. ‘Whatever he needs.’

He was so … malleable.

I frowned, scolding myself for thinking less of the boy who had just been helping me. Nic was what he was; there was nothing to be ashamed of. He was a soldier. That was his calling and he was good at it.

Luca simply nodded. ‘We’ll follow you inside.’

Nic took his leave, grinning at me over his shoulder. ‘We’ll reconvene this afternoon?’ He left the question in the air, and when I didn’t respond, he sealed the answer with a wink. ‘This was fun.’

And then he was gone, and the door was falling shut behind him, and I was wondering if I could scale the walls of the barn and slither out through a window before Luca gave me the tongue-lashing that was so obviously building up inside him. Would it be worth the drop on the other side?

I raised my chin. I would not be afraid of him or his words. He wasn’t my keeper. He didn’t control me. I could do what I wanted.

‘I wanted to learn,’ I said evenly. ‘And you wouldn’t teach me.’

He didn’t even blink. ‘So you found someone who would.’

Why the hell did I feel so ashamed of myself? I hadn’t done anything wrong. Nic was proud of me. Nic was helping me. He was giving me the confidence I needed to walk this new path, and Luca was intent on taking it away. Screw that. ‘Nic wants me to be happy.’

Something flitted across Luca’s face. ‘Nicoli wants you to be like him.’

‘Would that be so bad?’

That look again – fleeting. I caught it that time. Betrayal. He thought I had betrayed him.