I help her stand, supporting her when her legs tremble. I wash her carefully, then I pat her dry with a thick towel and lift her into my arms. She melts against me instantly, head resting on my chest as I carry her back to the bed, lay her down, and pull the covers over her body.
I should leave.
Instead, I slide in beside her and watch her sleep. For hours. I watch the steady rise and fall of her chest, the way her lashes rest against her cheeks, the soft parting of her lips.
Eventually, when the sky begins to lighten, I force myself to get up, head back to my room, dress in workout clothes, and head down to the gym.
As I push through my sets, my mind keeps circling back to the same truth: I’m not letting her go. When her father fulfills his end of the deal, I won’t honor mine.
That decision will start a war. Marco is going to lose his mind when I tell him. But I don’t care. I call the shots. She’s mine, and no one, not Massimo, not Andrea, not anyone is taking her away from me.
I finish my workout and step out of the gym into the main hallway. Voices carry from near the foyer, Marco and Daniel, along with a few other men standing nearby.
Marco is clearly scolding Daniel, and the idiot has the nerve to look deviant.
I walk over, still wiping sweat from my neck. Daniel sees me first and stiffens.
I stop in front of him. “This is the second time you’ve failed at a simple fucking job. Guarding her. One task. And you keep fucking it up.”
“I’m sorry, Boss,” Daniel stammers. “It was late. I thought she was asleep. I went back to my quarters. How was I supposed to know the bitch was going to try and?—”
The bitch.
The moment it leaves his mouth, I see red.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I growl, stepping right into Daniel’s space. “What did you just call her?”
Daniel’s face goes pale. He stutters, blood still dripping from his broken nose. “Boss, I—I didn’t mean?—”
My fist flies before I can think. The crunch of bone echoes down the hallway as I break his nose for the second time. Daniel staggers back with a pained grunt, blood pouring down his face.
I give him a couple more blows, until he's bent over on the floor, couching.
I bend down and grab him by the collar.
“Call her that again and I’ll cut your tongue out and feed it to you.”
Daniel coughs, blood dripping onto the marble floor. “Sorry, Boss, I?— ”
I don’t let him finish. In one fluid motion, I pull the knife from my belt and drive it straight through his left ear, pinning it to the wall behind him. The scream that rips out of Daniel is raw and guttural. Blood pours down the side of his head as he thrashes in agony.
“You’re done,” I snarl, voice low and lethal. “You’re no longer her guard. In fact, you’re off duty completely. You’re going back to the perimeter with the rest of the foot soldiers. Maybe standing in the rain for twelve-hour shifts will remind you of your place.”
I release him with a disgusted shove and wipe the bloodied knife on his shirt. The other men are dead silent, staring at me. They’ve never seen me like this before. Even Marco lookssurprised. Daniel is whimpering, rocking on the floor, blood dripping between his fingers.
“Next time you fuck up,” I say quietly, “it won’t be your ear. It’ll be your throat. Do you understand?”
He nods frantically, tears mixing with the blood on his face. “Y-yes, Boss.”
I turn to the rest of them.
“This is your warning. Every single one of you. Disrespect her in any way, word, action, or look, and you’ll end up worse than him. Am I clear?”
A chorus of “Yes, Boss” echoes immediately.
I don’t wait for more. I turn and walk away.
Marco follows me down the hall, falling into step beside me once we’re out of earshot.
