Luca turned back to the photographs, clasping his hands behind his back, the Don’s ring glinting at me. ‘These people are the reigning command of the Marino family. When we ambush Donata’s home, I want them taken out first. Prioritize. Keep your wits about you. They will be expecting our retribution. They will be armed.’

Cosimo, a Falcone elder, tapped his cane on the table. ‘Who will go?’ he asked.

Luca turned around again, his face placid. How eerie it was to see how much he looked like Valentino now, how steady he seemed in the role he never wanted.

‘Everyone who is able and willing. Elders excluded, unless they choose otherwise.’

‘We are all willing,’ said Paulie. ‘Naturally.’

‘Naturally,’ Elena echoed him, her voice hollow. She didn’t speak much any more. It was like the effort of being present was too much for her now, the sadness was too great. It took all of her energy just to wade through it, day after day.

‘Gee, I don’t know,’ said Dom. ‘I’m kind of scared?’

We all turned to look at him. He burst into a fit of laughter. ‘Just kidding,’ he said, smiling at his own apparent hilarity. ‘I can’t wait to blow Antony’s one-eyed head off!’

‘What time, Luca?’ asked Paulie. ‘I’d like to see my girls in the morning when they open their presents.’

Felice side-eyed Paulie. ‘This whole operation doesn’t rest on the reception of your My Little Pony gift sets, brother.’

Paulie ignored him.

‘And Calvino’s younger boys,’ grumbled Tommaso, another elder, from the far end of the table. ‘They deserve a Christ-mas morning, too.’

‘They will be with Vita,’ said Paulie. ‘Far from here.’

Good, I thought. Let there be joy, at least, for the children. Let there be joy until they grow into their destinies and turn into the rest of us.

‘Donata will begin lunch early,’ Elena said quietly. ‘She keeps with the tradition of how our mother raised us. It will be an all-day affair.’

She slumped back in her chair, her eyes downcast, her sadness draped around her like a shroud. It’s like someone had doused a bucket of water over the fire inside her. I wondered if she would ever be the same again. I wondered that about Luca, too.

‘Pity we can’t jump out of the panettone,’ murmured Tommaso, much to the chagrin of his wife.

‘You’re not going,’ she hissed. ‘You’ve just had a knee operation.’

‘I was just saying,’ he protested, sulkily.

‘I miss the old days,’ Cosimo sighed. ‘I would have enjoyed this more.’

‘We’ll tell you all about it, don’t worry,’ Nic assured him.

Cosimo dipped his head in appreciation. ‘I’d so love to see the Marino girl take down the Marino boss,’ he said, pointing at me.

‘What a coup,’ agreed the lady next to him.

‘Indeed,’ said Elena.

I mustered a confident smile. I had been hurtling towards this moment ever since I came to Evelina, but now that we were almost on the eve of it, my stomach was constantly churning – fresh plumes of anxiety filling me up, threatening to choke the courage out of me. After Valentino’s death, it had become unavoidably apparent just how close we all were to our own demise. Still, if I cowered behind closed doors, Donata would still come for me, for all of us, like she did that day in Holy Name Cathedral. We had to get them before they could get us. We would not underestimate them again.

I didn’t realize Luca was looking at me until I turned my attention back to him. He caught himself, and refocused.

‘The time?’ asked Cosimo. ‘Please, a little more clarity.’

The respect that Luca instantly commanded from the family had been a little jarring at first. It was as if the day he stepped into the role and vowed to avenge his twin brother’s death, everyone saw him in a new light. They enveloped him gratefully, deferring to his authority without so much as a backward glance – even the older members, the ones who had survived many bosses by now. Luca was the one they were waiting for, and they weren’t afraid to dip their heads in respect to him.

Luca took a step back until his head was framed by the three Marino photographs. He was sure and confident when he answered, and the ripple of his conviction travelled down the table and strengthened the family.

‘One p.m., Christmas Day, at the Marino mansion.’

‘Perfect,’ said Nic.

The others murmured their agreement.

Luca smiled; it was small, and practised, and cold as ice. ‘Buon Natale, Donata Marino.’

The Falcone family laughed, echoes of ‘Buon Natale’ rising up with their amusement.

I laughed too, but I don’t know whether it came from my brain or my heart.

Merry Christmas indeed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHRISTMAS EVE

‘Thanks for coming all the way out here, Mil.’ I pulled my best friend into an embrace and tugged her across the threshold. Her hair smelt like apples and her face was perfectly made-up. She was tucked up to the chin in a goose-feathered cream coat. She looked like a snow queen. ‘You look beautiful.’

‘So do you!’ she said brightly, the smile coming easily to her face. ‘God, it’s freezing. I nearly skidded off the road on my way in.’ She shivered involuntarily. ‘I think it’s time I got a fancier car.’

‘Well, it would match your coat,’ I said.