Yes, that security system being down should have been my first godsdamned clue that I was walking into a trap.
Rookie mistake.
“I could show up there at dawn, demanding to see my missing wife. Threatening all sorts of bodily harm and property damage.” Dante’s grin was a thing of evil. “Bet that would throw him off his game.”
“Uncle Gio would see right through you.”
His eyes flashed. “I can be pretty fucking convincing,tesoro. Especially with my bad temper and my actual need to fucking kill him. I won’t be pretending at all.”
I shivered at the idea. “Nevertheless, you’d be putting yourself at risk.”
“Consider this.” Dante crouched down beside the bed. “He knows you’re dead, but there is no body. He’s already paranoid, then I show up. Loud. Obnoxious. A brutish pit fighter he doesn’t respect. Thinking with his dick, his ego bigger than his brain.”
I gripped the covers.Just the thought of him being anywhere near my uncle made me want to throw up.
“I’ll be everything Giovanni expects me to be. Sloppy, proud, arrogant. Demanding he produce you because you’ve been gone all night. My runaway wife. He’ll lie about where he was, lie about you being there. But… any suspicion he might have of you surviving… if I play this right, by the time I leave, he’ll believe you’re really dead.”
“And I stay disappeared while you and Gabriel and Nico continue to look for that evidence. My guess is, it’s somewhere in my father’s old office. There’s a safe in the floor nobody knows about except Enzo, me, Gio, and…”
Luca’s face flashed before my eyes—followed by an instant wash of horror.
“There’s a bigger problem,” I whispered. “What happens to my brother if I’m not around?” My fingers bunched up the blanket. “Will Giovanni get rid of him, like he tried to get rid of me?”
Dante swore under his breath.
Nico considered me for a long moment. Then he nodded once, sharp and decisive. “I’ll go there now. Keep an eye on him.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
“I’m in charge of Draconi security, remember? The cameras were down tonight, and the city was flooded. I’ll use that as my excuse to do a thorough check of the palazzo and make sure your brother is secure. And as far as your plan to act the betrayed husband…” He shot a pointed glance at Dante. “I say start practicing.”
“I already know how I’ll play my part.” Dante’s grin was terrifying. “I’ll get there at dawn, which gives me a few hours to rehearse.”
“And I’ll go check on Luca.”
Relief and dread tangled together in my chest as Ilooked between them, my heart overflowing. “Nico, my uncle is dangerous.”
“Yeah, well, so is breathing in this city.” Nico’s tone was light. “I’ll just tell Giovanni I’m doing my due diligence, keeping Venice safe.”
Dante snorted. “Fuck, you’re so annoyingly chipper before something like this.”
“You know what they say—enjoy the little things in life.” Nico’s mouth quirked. “Also…” His gaze softened just a fraction. “I promised I’d keep an eye on your family,ragazza. Consider this part of our deal.”
That tangle of emotions had my throat closing as Nico straightened, stepping toward the door. His shadows rose eagerly, already reaching for the darkness beyond the threshold, then he paused. “Stay put. If either of you dies again before I get back,” he added dryly, “I’m going to be pissed.”
Dante rolled his eyes. “Just fucking leave, already.”
The minute Nico did, Dante turned toward the bed, looking lost, like he didn’t know what to do with himself.
I’d seen my husband as a warrior—ruthless, terrifying. I’d seen him on the Council floor, all silk and venom, playing the brutish fighter everyone underestimated. I’d seen him standing in front of me with nothing but raw desire in his eyes.
This version of him—shaken from the inside out—felt more dangerous than all the others combined.
I lifted the edge of the blanket in invitation.
He didn’t hesitate, toeing off his boots before sliding between the covers, fitting his body along mine like we’d been carved to match. One arm slid under my shoulders, the other around my waist, drawing me in until every point of contact was warm and solid.
I pressed my face into his bare chest. His shirt was still damp, heartbeat strong and steady. For a moment, we just lay there, breathing, listening to the house creak around us.
