The elder's question hangs in the air, a death sentence waiting for my signature. I do. Two simple words that would seal my fate and end Dominic's. The shouting from outside grows louder, punctuated by another sharp crack that is definitely a gunshot.

Raymond's head whips toward the main doors, his triumphant mask slipping for a fraction of a second to reveal sheer shock. His grip on my hand becomes crushing, a bone-white brace of fear and anger. A wave of murmuring ripples through the ...