“My father is meeting with Marco, this was the only way to get him away but I didn’t know he would plan to leave you with those men.” He adds as he tries to cover as much of me as possible with his suit jacket.
I cry into Nero’s arms as I hear gunshots firing from the room he’s rescued me from.
“I told you your dogs would come.” He smiles coyly at me as he continues carrying me through hallway after hallway until we come to a set of doors that are already open to the outside world.
A car pulls up and Nero squeezes me tighter, saying goodbye without having to speak any words.
“Your carriage awaitsmia cara.” And as soon as the words leave his mouth, the door to the car opens and a man I had mourned, a man I didn’t think I would ever see again, a man who I know now without a shadow of a doubt I love and want to be with, steps out.
Dragna.
Chapter Fifty Eight
Dragna
“Willow.” I breathe as I rush towards her as fast as my body will allow me to.
Our men have the entire compound surrounded and right about now, the only Italian still alive here should be the one standing in front of me with my girl in his arms.
Willow cries as she stumbles from Neros arms, covering herself with his suit jacket and I feel like I’m still in the coma and this is all a dream when she jumps into my arms and I finally feel her against me again. I breathe her in as my hands roam her body, touching her back, her legs, her hair, making sure she is real.
“Moya dusha, fuck, I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” I say and I still can’t believe I have her in my arms.
“I know I have made a lot of promises, but I swear to you, this one I will keep. You are never going to be taken from me again. You will never be hurt again. I will do everything I can to make you happy, to make sure you are safe if you are willing to give me the chance.”
She clutches to me, burrowing herself into me even further. It hurts like hell but I hold back the groan and pull her to me even tighter.
“You’re alive.” She says in shock.
“So are you.” I reply with a shake to my voice, taking a long inhale of her hair because despite the conditions I know she’s been living in here, she still smells like my Willow.
“Let’s get you in the carmoya dusha.” I tell her as I nod at Nero, thankful for his part played in getting Willow back to us safely.
As I turn to carry her back to the car, headlights round the corner making me wince, but as I blink through the pain I see it’s the same car that had been following Willow now speeding down the street towards us.
I run back to Nero as best as I can while carrying Willow and hand her back over to him, drawing my gun and shooting at the car as Mikhail jumps out from the drivers side of our car, gun in hand and already shooting alongside me at who we now know is behind the wheel.
The car slams to a stop as we run out of ammunition we didn’t think we would need and the man behind all of this steps out, holding a gun of his own, pointing it towards Nero and Willow.
“Bravi! Bravi!” Matteo bellows as he laughs manically.
“Look at you all. My own traitor of a son, the beautiful Willow and of course Dragna. Did you really think I wouldn’t be notified of trouble happening here?”
“Put the fucking gun down Matteo.” I spit at him as I come to stand in front of Willow, my arms spread out wide making myself the target.
“You wanted to take me down, so fucking do it. Leave Willow out of this.”
“What are you doing!” Willow screams from behind me.
I glance back to see her trying to fight from Nero’s hold as Mikhail makes his way to them, but I nod at Nero and he knows I want him to hold onto her so she doesn’t put herself in danger.
“You have a hero complex now Dragna? Did almost dying not teach you something? You may have survived then, but you won’t now. ” Matteo shouts as he begins walking closer to us, gun still raised and pointing directly at me.
“Just take the fucking shot.” I coax him and Willow’s cries become louder and louder behind me as Matteo stands in front of me now, pressing the gun to my temple, smirking at me triumphantly.
He turns me around to face Willow who is now in Mikhail’s arms and she looks at me through tear filled eyes that begin breaking the heart she helped me realise I have.
“I love you Willow and I should have told you a million times by now that I do. I’m sorry for all the pain, all the hurt, but I love youmoya dusha, more than anything else in this world. I just wish we had more time.”
