“Even if the Rossis don't do anything to you, my family will hunt you down to the corners of the earth,” I tell Zack. “My older brother, Roarke, was in the special forces, and he'll crush you like the pathetic little pest that you are. You will be nothing but scum under his boots by the time Conor gets to you.” I take pleasure in the quick flash of fear in his eyes. “You're better off dealing with the Rossis than my family. You will curse the day you met me when they find you.”
“Thanks for the tip. I’ll make sure they never find me.”
I clench my jaw and keep my eyes on the gun barrel, the cold steel, refusing to cower in my last moments despite the harsh beating of my heart. There is a slight tremor in his hands, but he tightens his grip on the gun.
Okay, this is it.
I brace myself for pain, but suddenly, the door explodes inward with a deafening crash, splintering wood and sending shards flying. And then a shot rings out, and someone screams.
Chapter Seven
Lorenzo
Sweat beads on my forehead as I sprint down the hallway toward Matteo’s office. When I'd called security from the car, they confirmed Fiona had badged in. I had them pull up the camera feeds—and that's when I saw Zack escorting her to the elevator. To the top floor. That information was enough to send chills running down my spine.
I’ll kill him.
I will fucking tear him to pieces if he hurts one strand of her hair.
I’m halfway there when suddenly, a deafening crack rips through the air, a sound that freezes me in my tracks. A gunshot. Time seems to warp, stretching and distorting as the sound reverberates in my ears.
Adrenaline floods in waves, pushing me to sprint the rest of the way to Matteo's office. I barely notice the broken door as I rush in, chest heaving and sweat slicking my hair as I stop to take in the scene. My father is holding a gun and a man is bleeding on the floor.
Fiona.
My eyes seek her out like a hound sniffing blood, and I don’t breathe until I spot her, standing by Matteo’s desk. I feel my knees go weak when I realize that she’s alive, but she’s terrified by the look of things. And then I see the gun lying a few feet from the bleeding man. And I realize one thing. He came in here to kill her.
I see red. Maybe it should be enough that the man is injured already and incapable of hurting Fiona anymore, but the need to punish—to avenge my woman—is strong. I pounce on Zack, teeth bared and nostrils flaring as I tear into him, punching him like a man possessed by some kind of vengeful demon.
Someone yells, and another voice joins in, but I can't push past the red haze in my head to think of anything but killing this man. I'll stop when he stops fucking breathing. Hands grapple to pull me off him, but I simply shrug them off, my fist pounding into the man who thought himself bold enough to threaten Fiona. He doesn't deserve to live.
“Stop, goddamnit! You’re going to kill him!” Antonio’s voice barely registers as two sets of arms grab me. “If you want to kill him, do it somewhere it’s not going to be a hassle to clean up, you fucker.”
Antonio and another set of arms manage to pull me off Zack, but not before I land a final kick to his face that sends his eyes rolling back as he loses consciousness. I shrug off the hands holding me as I turn to Fiona, worry blackening my face as I rush to her side.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice ragged, even to my own ears. “Fuck, baby. I'm sorry. So fucking sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”
“I’m fine,” Fiona says, her face a mask as she takes a step away from me. She moves back when I reach out to touch her, the physical distance she’s creating making my chest ache.
“Fiona—”
“It’s my fault for coming to confront him here alone when my job was to find him and then report to you,” she says, her voice so matter-of-fact—yet another distance she's creatingbetween us. An emotional one this time. “I apologize for the trouble, and saving my life was all the payment I need for the work I've done…”
“Fiona.”
“My work is done here, so let’s not see each other again, Lorenzo.”
I reach out to take her hand, to stop her from leaving and explain, but she evades my touch, storming out of the door and leaving me with a burning feeling in my chest. “Fuck!” I curse, kicking a chair and sending it sliding across the room. I run a hand through my hair, misery and frustration pouring out of me in waves.
A hand on my shoulder pulls me back, and when I turn around, it’s to find my father watching me with something akin to pity. “Are you two…involved?”
I sigh and walk to the other chair in the room and drop down on it. “Yes, and she found out about Natalie.”
“Wait, you and Fiona O'Shea?” a voice calls out, and for the first time, I notice Nico. He must've been the other pair of hands that pulled me off Zack. “When the fuck did that happen? And who the hell is Natalie?”
My father's sign is heavy. “I’m sorry, son,” he says, apology in his tone. “I had no idea you were already involved, or I would never have pressured you into going to lunch with Natalie.”
“Well, this is messed up,” Antonio muses. “But how about we put your relationship drama on the back burner for now and deal with this mess. I called Matteo, and he’s catching the next flight back. And Luca’s on his way.”
