“For what?”
“I’ve achieved what I came here to do, and I’m finished with Rome. The Italian Mafia will be scrambling to hold onto their ports, contracts, and shipping routes. I’ve tarnished their impeccable reputation. I’ve proven they aren’t invincible and I’ve settled a score. The power they’ve had for decades is slipping through their fingers. And you…” He leaned in closer, brushing his thumb along my jaw. I jerked my head away instantly, repulsed by his touch. His hand lingered in the air for a second before he withdrew it with a quiet sigh. “...you’re the most valuable piece.”
“Why?”
There was something darker in his eyes. Personal torment.
“You’ve spent your whole life not knowing what you are,” he said almost too softly. “For that, you should be grateful.”
My pulse spiked.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Tilting his head, he let his gaze drift over my features and then down to my mum’s sapphire necklace hanging around my neck.
“Some people are born into wars they never asked for.”
The way he said it made my stomach turn. He leaned back and folded his arms.
“You’ve started this war! You think Santino won’t find me? There’s nowhere on Earth he won’t come looking for me.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll find you. In fact,” he smirked, a little glint in his eyes. “I’m counting on it. But by the time he does, I’ll be far away, starting a new life.”
I frowned. This man was speaking in riddles, and none of it made any sense.
“Sometimes you have to burn down one empire to free another. It’s nothing personal.”
The van slowed to a stop. One of the men knocked twice on the metal door before it slid open.
Callum leaned forward and gagged my mouth before crouching in front of me and searching my face again.
“If it could have been any other way,” he whispered in a tone that almost sounded sincere and regretful. Hot tears sprang to my eyes. “Just remember, you’re stronger than you think.”
He climbed out of the van and threw me over his shoulder. As he started marching across the gravel, I felt the tracker slipping out of my bra. Shit, shit, shit. It dropped to the ground, rolling over the stones, and Callum paused, twisting around as one of his men picked it up.
Callum sighed. “Throw it in the sea. We’ll be gone in five minutes.”
I lifted my head to find we were walking through the narrow passages of shipping containers at Ostia port. Was he going to tie me up in one and ship me to another country? Or throw me off the next boat? Where the hell was he taking me?
I exited the police station with my arms wide open, head tilted back, and eyes shut. The last of the afternoon sun shone down on my face, and I smiled, breathing in the fresh air.
Freedom.
It was almost enough to consider this as a warning to change my lifestyle. To become a modest man earning a humble living. Almost.
“Please don’t break into song,” my brother shouted from across the car park. I opened my eyes and walked towards the two cars full of my soldiers waiting forme. But the one person I was desperate to see wasn’t among them.
“Where’s my wife?”
“Nice to see you too,fratello,” Giovanni scoffed, slapping his hand on my shoulder. “She’s waiting for you at home.”
Cazzo, that was music to my ears. My wife. At home. Waiting for me. The fact she played such a vital role in getting me released made me even more eager to get home as quickly as possible so I could thank her the way she deserved.
I climbed into the back with Gio, and we started to travel through the city.
“Okay, I’ll admit it now,” Gio said, rubbing his jaw and gazing at me. I smirked, knowing exactly what he was about to say. “You were right.”
“About?” I pushed because I loved to gloat and rub it in.
