Chapter 17
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Smoke curled into the night sky, thick and suffocating. Flames devoured one of Darius’s underground operations, reducing steel and concrete to nothing but ash and ruin. The bodies of his men littered the ground, their blood soaking into the earth like a silent tribute to Lorenzo’s wrath.
And I knew–this was only the beginning.
Darius stood beside me, his face carved from stone, watching the fire rage in the distance. The only sound was the crackling flames and the distant wails of sirens that would never come close enough to matter.
“He’s unhinged,” Darius murmured, his voice void of emotion. But I knew him too well. Beneath that controlled exterior, he was seething.
I crossed my arms, my fingers digging into my own skin. “You expected anything less?”
Darius turned his gaze to me, dark and unreadable. “Stay out of this, Valeria.”
I scoffed, barely holding back my frustration. “That’s not happening.”
“You shouldn’t be involved-”
I cut him off, stepping in front of him. “This is my war, too, Darius. Lorenzo made it personal the moment he decided to burn down everything you built.”
His jaw tightened. “You think I don’t know that? But I’m handling it. And I don’t need you running headfirst into the line of fire.”
“Lorenzo isn’t just coming for you,” I snapped. “He’s coming for me. You think I’ll just sit back and wait for him to tear everything apart? You know me better than that.”
Darius exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple as if I was giving him a migraine. “Damn it, Valeria-”
His phone rang, cutting him off. He answered it with a sharp tone, but the moment the words registered, his expression turned to steel.
“They’ve hit the estate.”
A cold chill ran down my spine.
Lorenzo had retaliated.
Darius turned to me, his voice low and firm. “Stay here.”
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I glared at him. “No.”
“Stay here, Valeria. That’s an order.”
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Darius never pulled rank with me, but tonight, he did. And for once, I didn’t
argue.
Not aloud, anyway.
But I wasn’t staying behind.
As soon as he was gone, I grabbed my gun, pulled on a jacket, and followed him into the night.
The estate was already a battlefield by the time I arrived.
Blood painted the marble floors. The bodies of Darius’s guards lay in twisted heaps, their throats slit, their eyes empty. The metallic stench of death was suffocating, but I pushed forward, gun drawn.
Gunfire erupted upstairs.
Darius.
I ran toward the sound, my heart hammering. Shadows shifted in the dim light. Three men. Armed.
They didn’t hesitate. Neither did I.
The first shot barely missed my head. I ducked behind a pillar, counting the steps before lunging forward.
One bullet. Straight through his skull.
The second one turned his gun on me, but I was faster. I dropped to one knee, firing into his chest. He staggered back, choking on blood.
Then the third man–bigger, stronger–rushed me.
We hit the floor hard, my gun skidding across the marble. He slammed a fist into my ribs, knocking the air from my lungs. I gritted my teeth, twisting beneath him, and drove my knee into his groin.
He howled, but I didn’t stop. I grabbed the knife from his belt and rammed
it into his neck.
Hot blood spilled over my hands as he collapsed.
My breathing was ragged. My vision swam. But I had no time to recover.
A sharp prick at my neck–then darkness.
When I woke, I was no longer in the estate.
Cold steel bit into my wrists. Chains rattled as I shifted, my body heavy
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and weak. My head ached, the lingering effects of the drug coursing through my veins.
I was in Lorenzo’s bed.
Bound.
His scent was everywhere–dark, intoxicating, suffocating.
I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes open. The dim light cast long shadows across the room, and in the center of it all-
Lorenzo.
He sat at the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees, his blood–stained hands clasped together. His suit was ruined, splattered with crimson, his dark hair tousled as if he had just walked out of a war zone.
lips.
Because he had.
He lifted his head, and when our eyes met, a slow, eerie smile curved his
“Finally awake, amore mio?”
I yanked at the chains, testing their strength. They didn’t budge.
Lorenzo chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Struggling is pointless. You should know that by now.”
“Let me go.”
His smile widened, as if I had told a joke. “No.”
I clenched my jaw. “You think chaining me here will make me yours?”
His expression darkened, the amusement slipping away. “You’ve always been mine.”
I spat in his face.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, he wiped the saliva from his cheek, exhaling a slow breath.
“That’s my girl.”
I glared at him, my chest rising and falling with every furious breath. “You’re insane.”
Lorenzo tilted his head, considering me with unsettling calm. “Perhaps. But tell me, cara, if I’m so insane–why did you love me?”
I didn’t answer.
I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
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His fingers traced the bruises forming on my wrist, his touch gentle despite the cruelty of the chains. “You fell for the monster, Valeria. And now, you want to pretend you didn’t?”
I lifted my chin, my voice unwavering. “I never loved you.”
His eyes darkened. “Liar.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, he moved.
Fast.
His hands gripped my jaw, forcing me to look at him, his breath hot against my lips. “You can lie to yourself all you want, amore. But you can’t lie to me.”
I didn’t flinch. “Watch me.”
A flicker of something twisted passed through his gaze–something dangerous.
