COG
Ciara’s Pov
I stared at the man standing before me, my pulse racing. The same man who had pulled me from the ground at
the cemetery. The same man who had disappeared before I could even say thank you.
Now, here he was–inside a dimly lit meeting room, his presence commanding, his dark eyes watching me with quiet amusement.
I exhaled sharply. “Who are you?”
He leaned against the conference tableti
The name sent a chill down my spine.
“The leader of the Gurrelio Cartel?” I repeated, my voice laced with disbelief.
Zaverio nodded, a slow smirk tugging at his lips. “Surprised?”
I clenched my jaw. “You’ve been asking about me. Why?”
Zaverio didn’t answer immediately. He studied me as if deciding how much to say. Then, with a calmness that unnerved me, he replied, “Because I knew Tony wouldn’t save you.”
His words sent a sharp pain through my chest. Because I knew Tony wouldn’t save you
Anger simmered beneath my skin. “And how would you know that?”
He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. “Because I know more about your life than you think.”
I scoffed. “That doesn’t answer my question. How do you know?”
Zaverio’s smirk deepened. “Look at me, Ciara. Really look at me.”
I frowned, my gaze sweeping over his features. He was tall, broad–shouldered, with sharp cheekbones and piercing dark eyes. There was something familiar about him–something that sent a strange, uneasy feeling curling
stomach.
in my
His voice was softer this time. Five years ago, our paths crossed.”
My breath hitched. Five years ago…
A memory slammed into me like a wrecking ball.
It had been a stormy night. The rain had poured relentlessly as I stumbled into a bar, drowning my misery in cheap whiskey. Tony and I had fought–one of the worst fights we’d ever had. I had stormed out, desperate to escape the suffocating prison of our marriage, desperate to feel something other than pain.
That night, a group of drunk men had surrounded me, their hands grabbing, their laughter cruel.
And then he appeared.
A man with dark eyes and a quiet strength. He had pulled me away, shielding me with his body, making sure I was safe.
I had almost kissed him that night.
I had wanted to.
Until Tony arrived.
I blinked back to the present, my heart pounding.
My lips parted, but no words came out
Zaverio’s gaze never wavered. “Now you remember, don’t you?”
A lump formed in my throat. “Tony took you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible
Zaverio nodded. “He thought he killed me.”
The room spun.
Tony had ordered his men to take him away. I had fought, screamed, begged–but Tony had laughed, telling me that men who touched his wife didn’t live to see the next sunrise. And yet he had cheated on me without a car world
I had believed he was dead.
I had mourned him.
And now, he was standing in front of me, alive.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “You’re the one who saved me that night.”
C
the
Zaverio’s expression softened. “And I’d do it again.”
I swallowed hard, my emotions a tangled mess. “Why didn’t you come back? Why i
y now?”
His jaw
tightened. “Because I had to rebuild myself. I wasn’t going to return to you as a dead man walking.”
My vision blurred with unshed tears. “You let me think you were dead.”
His voice was gentle but firm. “Would you have left Tony for me back then?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Because we both knew the answer.
I had been too scared. Too trapped. Too broken and so blindly in love that I couldn’t see past Tony and his
manipulations.
Zaverio sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I never stopped watching over you, Clara. And when I heard what Tony did–when I found out about Hailey, the gunshot, the miscarriage–I had to step in.”
Pain lanced through me at his words. I looked away, swallowing the lump in my throat.
Silence stretched between us before he spoke again,
“This isn’t just about the past, Ciara. I called for this meeting because I need you.”
I snapped my gaze back to his. “Need me for what?”
Zaverio’s eyes darkened. “To take down Tony.”
A cold chill ran down my spine.
Tony. The man who had stolen seven years of my life. The man who had betrayed me.
The man who had almost killed Zaverio.
I had sworn I would never let him hurt me again.
it without you.”
Zaverio took a step closer, his voice low. “I’ve waited years for this moment. And I won’t do it with
I sucked in a shaky breath, my heart thudding against my ribs.
This was it
This was my chance.
I looked into Zaverio’s eyes, the fire inside me burning brighter than ever.
And then, with quiet determination, I said, “Tell me everything.”
Zaverio smiled, “First, there’s something you should know.”
