I tilt my head. She wants to play this game now? Fine. “No. But I do get to decide what he does.” I flick my fingers. And Franco springs into action, grabbing her by the arm so he can take her with him.
“Let go of me,” she shouts, but Franco only follows my orders.
My nostrils flare. “I’m sorry, Stella. I know you don’t want this, and I don’t want to do it either. But I have no other choice. We will see each other again when this is over.”
If it’ll ever be over.
Because he’s found the only place I ever felt safe, and now it’ll never be that again.
She was right. He’ll never stop hunting for her.
And I don’t know for sure if there will ever be … a time when we can truly live in peace.
“No,” she yells. “What if he makes it into the house, then what? What are you going to do, Matteo? You’re just going to sacrifice yourself? What if he kills you?” She struggles against Franco’s grip. “Please.”
I turn around and walk back into my mansion while Franco drags her away to his car, and I close my eyes to try to ignore the pain burning behind them while her protests fade into the distance.
Lucio is going to pay for the pain he’s causing me to give her.
I march into the arms room where my men are waiting for my instructions.
“There are a lot of vehicles headed our way, sir,” one of them says.
“Arm everyone. I don’t care how many guns and bullets you need. Take it all. Kill those Agostini bastards,” I say through gritted teeth. “But leave Lucio alive. I will be the one to make him pay.”
Stella
Franco pushed me into the back seat of Matteo’s car and flips on the child lock before I have a chance to open the door.
“Goddammit, let me out of here,” I scream, but of course he ignores me as he hops behind the wheel and starts the engine.
I kick the door in an attempt to open it and even try to break the window, to no avail. I stop the moment I glance through the front window of the car and spot the Agostini’s cars looming near the gates. Within seconds, they’ve breached them, and my eyes widen as they enter the property.
“Shit!” Franco yells.
He kicks the car into gear and races off, headed toward the back of the property off the beaten path.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Back door,” Franco replies, making a turn so fast I’m nearly knocked out of my seat.
“We can’t leave now. We have to protect Matteo,” I tell him.
“No. He gave me clear orders. I’m sticking to those,” he says, driving as fast as he can.
“We can’t just fucking leave him to die!” I yell, still trying to smash the window, even though I know it’s no use.
Matteo’s cars are fortified on purpose so no one can ever shoot him blindly in the streets, and I’d normally consider it smart, but it’s a real disadvantage when you’re stuck and taken somewhere against your will.
“Goddammit, Franco, where is your loyalty?”
“With Matteo. He decides. End of story.”
“So you’re just gonna drive me to a safehouse, and that’s it?”
“I will protect you with my life, Stella. I promise you that.”
“I don’t need protection,” I growl. “What I need is for you to keep Matteo safe.”
