Men along the upper terrace.
Another pair near the pool.
More stationed along the drive beyond the cypress trees.
After whatever happened this morning, there’s no pretense of subtlety.
Before we reach the front doors, they’re opened for us.
Cool air spills out across the terrace, carrying the faint scent of polished stone and fresh flowers.
Inside, the entry hall rises two full stories overhead, pale limestone floors stretching beneath our feet while walls of glass frame the rolling green hills beyond the villa.Sunlight pours through the space, turning the interior into a study in quiet luxury.
For a moment, I simply stand there, absorbing it.
The silence inside the house feels strangely heavy after the violence of the helicopter blades and the chaos at the cathedral.
Dante releases my elbow only after the doors close behind us.
Then he pauses a few steps away, his attention shifting briefly across the room, cataloging the space the way men like him always do.Exits.Sightlines.Corners that might hide trouble.
When his gaze returns to me, it’s steady again.
Intentional.
As if the entire morning—blood, vows, helicopters, armed escorts—has unfolded exactly the way he expected it to.
“This will be your home for the immediate future,” he says.
His voice is calm.Matter of fact.
Not unkind.
Which somehow makes it worse.
Something tight settles behind my ribs, a feeling that’s dangerously close to despair if I let it grow any larger.
I force myself to inhale slowly instead.
When I look back at him, I keep my voice quiet.
“And am I going to be locked in the bedroom?”
“Do you want to be?”
Chin tipped back, I meet his gaze.
Dante takes a step closer, not crowding me, just enough to shift the air between us again.
Then shockingly, he sighs.“Unless you try to escape, this whole place is your home.”He pauses.“Welcome to your new life, Mrs.Moretti.”
ChapterNineteen
Valentina
Hill Country, Texas
My new life.
