"Would I?" He walked closer, staying out of range in case I decided to redirect my rage. Smart man. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're about five seconds from going back upstairs and finishing what you started."
"I should have." Another hit. The chain holding the bag rattled. "I should have put a bullet in him the second he said Lia's name."
"And then what? The Council would've sanctioned you. They'd have gone after Lia to eliminate the bloodline completely. You'd have gotten her killed trying to save her."
I knew he was right. Didn't mean I had to like it.
"How much longer?" My voice came out raw. "How much more evidence do we need before we can move?"
"Father Benedetto is almost convinced. We get him on our side, we have the Council's blessing. Another month, maybe two." Marco's hand landed on my shoulder. Hard. Grounding. "But you need to hold it together until then. Which means you need to get out of this house before you do something stupid."
"I'm not leaving Lia—"
"Lia is having dinner with Mrs. Rossi. Supervised. She's safe for tonight." He squeezed harder. "You, on the other hand, look like you're going to stroke out from rage. So take my advice: get the fuck out of here. Go to that club downtown, blow off some steam. Do whatever you need to do that doesn't involve homicide."
I wanted to argue. But he wasn't wrong. If I stayed here, I'd end up back in my father's office. And this time Marco might not be able to stop me.
"Fine. I'll go. But if anything happens to Lia while I'm gone—"
"I'll call you immediately. I'm staying here tonight anyway. She'll be fine." He stepped back. "Now go. Find some girl to fuck the anger out of your system. Get drunk. Start a fight with someone who isn't family. Just... breathe fora few hours."
So I went.
The club was exactly the kind of place I needed—too loud to think, too crowded to be alone with my murderous thoughts, too dark to see clearly. I grabbed a drink and found a spot against the wall where I could watch the chaos without being part of it.
People dancing, drinking, laughing like they didn't have a care in the world. Like they weren't living in a world where fathers sold their daughters and sons had to compile evidence before killing their own blood.
Must be nice.
I was halfway through my second whiskey when I saw her.
She was on the dance floor, but she wasn't really dancing. Not like everyone else. She moved like someone who'd never let herself move freely before. Tentative. Testing boundaries. Like she was trying to figure out what freedom felt like.
Dark hair that caught the strobe lights. Big brown eyes that seemed to take in everything. A body that made my mouth go dry. But it was more than physical attraction.
There was something about her. An innocence that didn't belong in a place like this. A vulnerability that made every predatory instinct I had sit up and take notice.
I should have looked away. Should have found someone else, someone harder, someone who could handle what I was.
I couldn't stop staring.
She was beautiful, sure. But I'd seen beautiful women before. Fucked plenty of them. This was different. This girl looked like she was discovering herself in real-time. Like tonight was her first taste of rebellion and it was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
Something in my chest tightened. Something possessive and protective and completely fucking inappropriate given that I didn't know her name.
I told myself I'd just watch. Appreciate the view. Finish my drink and leave.
That lasted about twenty minutes before I found myself pushing through the crowd toward her.
Up close, she was even more devastating. Those eyes looked up at me and I felt it—that click. That sense of recognition that didn't make sense because I'd never seen her before in my life.
But I knew her. On some fundamental level, I knew her.
She was trying to look confident, but I could see right through it. Could see how nervous she was, how out of her depth. Could see that she wanted to run and stay in equal measure.
I should have walked away. Given her space. Let her have her night without some asshole like me ruining it.
Instead, I moved closer.
