Boots striking concrete in sharp, controlled echoes that filled the room with a rhythm of contained fury.
“Renzo cannot be forced to do anything,” he said, voice deliberate, each word measured like a strike.
“He knows the modules, the operandi of this family. He took you on a mission that could have ended your life—a woman who had no clue how our world operates.”
“He hated you so much he wanted you gone. He knew the risks of meeting with other families, yet he did it anyway, all because of that foolish promise he made to Violet’s sister on her deathbed.”
“So no, Renzo knew exactly what he was doing. And you... you ignored my calls. Not once. Not twice. Again. And again. Such defiance isn’t courage. It’s ignorance. It means you underestimated me. And you will learn—quickly—what that costs.”
He stopped suddenly. Right in front of me.
Close enough that I had to tilt my head up to meet his eyes.
I forced my gaze down to the floor instead, focusing on the dull, stained concrete beneath my knees.
The weight of every decision I had made pressed down on me.
I could face whatever punishment was coming, accept it fully—but I could only hope that Renzo would be spared.
I knew Renzo hated me, yet I didn’t believe he truly wanted me dead.
The way he had yanked me away from the blast’s direct path... if he hadn’t steered me toward that particular side, I would have been reduced to ashes.
Vincenzo exhaled slowly through his nose, then straightened.
“The Sicilians didn’t come tonight to kill anyone. Flattening the tires? That was deliberate—to avoid human casualties.”
“The directional explosives... they weren’t meant for our men. They were meant to destroy the vehicles, nothing more.”
He let the words settle.
Then his gaze sharpened, and he crouched, bringing his face level with mine.
Close. Dangerous.
“If they wanted all of you dead, they wouldn’t have wasted time with tires. The blast would have hit while you were driving home.”
A pause.
“The Sicilians have already taken responsibility for the attack. We’ll deal with them—on our terms. At the right moment.”
He leaned slightly closer, voice dropping to a lethal cadence.
“Matteo Alvarez and the Sicilians are secret partners. The Sicilians planted those bombs in the vehicles parked outside to send a message—proof that Matteo is watching you.”
“If you had stayed away from that meeting, nothing would have gone wrong. But you didn’t. And your reckless move—taking that bomb from the car—cost me the entire third battalion. Somehow, only you and Renzo survived. That’s... surprising.”
The room went still again.
I stayed on my knees.
Breathing slow.
Pain still pulsing through my body—but now, something else had taken root beneath it.
Understanding.
And something more dangerous than the pain.
