“Bunker, now.” I shove the phone into my pocket and storm out, every step heavy with rage. Our estate is locked down tight, and soldiers rotate constantly. How the hell did this happen?
The ride to the bunker is quick, a perk of having everything built on the estate. One of the ideas I pitched to Caterina years ago, and as a result we now have more control, spend less time travelling, and it’s harder for our enemies to attack us.
Carlo’s waiting outside as I pull up. I jump from the car, round the corner of the shed, and watch as he punches in the code to open the door. We’re halfway down the stairs when a high-pitched, desperate scream slices through the air.
“Please… stop.”
My breath catches in my throat. There’s no mistaking that voice; I’ve heard it numerous times. Charlie. Rage consumes me instantly, and the demon within is unleashed. “Get the doctor to the house now,” I bark at Carlo, marching down the hallway with him right on my heels.
I enter the room just as Nico raises his knife towards Charlie. I grab Nico by the shoulders and throw him across the room. He crashes against the wall, crumpling to the floor while clutching his side. I spin to face Marco. “Chi di voi le ha fatto questo?”Which one of you did that to her?
Their faces pale, their confidence starts to crumble right before my eyes. I take a better look at Charlie and see her chained to a chair, battered, bloodied and bruised. Her beautiful, plump lips cracked and bleeding, a dark bruise blooming on her cheek. Her top has been torn, exposing her, her perfect tits now marked by someone else. I flip the table over in my fury. How dare they touch her!
Nico’s eyes dart, stuttering, “Non l’avevamo mai vista prima, Don. Pensavamo fosse una spia.”We hadn’t seen her before, Don. We thought she was a spy.
“Non torturiamo le donne!”We don’t torture women! I roar at them, rage boiling over within me. They don’t dare take a step out of place. It was a rule Caterina enforced when she took over from her dad, Marco. No woman or child was to be harmed unless it was warranted, and this definitely wasn’t. I kneel before Charlie, gently lifting her face.She keeps her eyes shut, her tears falling hard as she tries to pull away from me. “Principessa, look at me.”
Her eyes flicker open for a moment, meeting mine before she tries turning away again, embarrassment filling her eyes. I reach behind and unchain her, pulling her into me so she’s straddling me when I stand. Her chest presses against mine to shield her dignity. She wraps her arms around me, burying her head into my neck, looking for an escape from reality.
Marco calls out, “Non sapevamo che significasse qualcosa per te.”We didn’t know she meant something to you. Like that should make a difference.
Carlo’s fist connects with Marco’s face. He grins triumphantly when blood splatters across the floor.
“Which one did this to you?” My voice drops low, deadly.
Slowly, she looks up and points. Nico. I draw my gun from my waistband, pulling the trigger without a second thought. Marco’s body slumps to the floor, and Charlie lets out another ear-piercing scream. Lucky I’m used to screaming, otherwise my ears would be ringing.
“Carlo.” I nod toward Nico. Carlo steps forward, grabbing him from behind and breaks both his arms with brutal efficiency. “Put him in the cells. I want him kept alive. Charlie will have her revenge.” I storm out the bunker, carrying her toward my car. Her body trembles against mine. My breath is heavy, but I force myself to steady it, for her sake. I guess there’s no more hiding, no more pretending about what the Carlisi family businesses are. It’s time she finds out the truth.
I slam the car door shut behind me. Her muffled sobs against my chest are a cruel reminder that I was supposed to protect her. I hold her on my lap to keep me grounded and not lose control. She’s the only thing keeping the demon inside me from tearing back downstairs andending Nico myself. But I know what needs to happen. This isn’t just about me. Charlie has to be the one to kill him, or she’ll never stand a chance at ruling the Cosa Nostra.
The silence in the car between us is suffocating, broken only by her trembling breaths and quiet cries. It gnaws at me. How the hell did I let this happen? I had built the estate to be a fortress; I thought she would be safe within our grounds. Yet here she is, broken and scared, because I failed. Protecting her wasn’t a choice; it was an oath I swore to Caterina.
Pulling up to the mansion, I don’t even let the engine idle, killing it straight away. I keep her close, rubbing her back with my rough hands. I’m trying to be gentle with her even though it’s not in my nature. “Principessa,” I growl, but she only sobs harder, trembling like she’s about to shatter. It drives me mad with guilt.
I tighten my grip around her, hauling us out of the car, and storming through the front door where Rosa is waiting in the foyer. “What happened?” she asks. Her worried expression drops to Charlie in my arms.
But I ignore her and march down the hallway. “Luciano,” Rosa yells out behind me. I haven’t heard her raise her voice like that since I was a teenager, when Stefano and I broke an expensive statue from fighting in the house.
Charlie’s voice is a fragile whisper, barely there. “Where are you taking me?”
“You need to be looked over.” She protests against me, trying to slip free from my grip, but I don’t let her go and I’m too strong for her to compete against. The operating room in our house is ready, and our doctor is already waiting for us inside.
Charlie’s eyes are wide open when she spots the male doctor, her fear starting to rise again. “Please don’t leave me,” she begs, voicecracking like a child’s. She grabs my shirt, trying to keep me close as I place her on the table.
I stroke her cheek with a tenderness that feels like betrayal to the anger simmering inside me. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Our doctor works quickly, calming her while treating all her cuts and bruises. Nothing is broken, just cosmetic and pain that will hopefully fade in a couple of days.
Once the doctor gives the all-clear and leaves the room, I can’t hold it back any longer. I spin on Charlie, unleashing my pent-up anger on her. “You’ve fucked up royally, Principessa.”
She looks away silently, shame consuming her. I grab her chin, forcing her to meet my piercing eyes. “Starting tomorrow, you’re going to learn everything there is to know about your family.”
“No,” she whispers, defiant yet defeated. “I don’t want to anymore.”
“You don’t have a choice.” I punch the wall beside her, causing her to flinch. “For fuck’s sake, Charlotte, stop being naïve. You’re the principessa to the Cosa Nostra of New York, one of the biggest mafia organizations in the country.”
Shock flashes across her face. Good. She needs to understand the weight she carries, and if I have to be the cold, hard hand that forces her to face it, then so be it. I have fought to protect the Cosa Nostra for many years, and that isn’t about to change just because I have a soft spot for Charlie.
