Page 102 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

Giovanni started rummaging through my bag. He pulled out the headphones. “Why do you need these if you don’t have any devices?”

“Protection.”

“From?”

“Myself.”

He squinted at me, clearly not understanding, then dropped them back into the bag. Next, he found my stash of Raw Mercy in a sock, emptied the vials and needles into his hand, and arched an eyebrow.

“You using?”

“Not by choice. Sean had me drugged before fights. I’m lowerin’ the doses to wean myself off it.”

“What is it?”

“Raw Mercy.”

Giovanni glanced at Alessio, who shook his head. “Never heard of it.”

“It stays with me,” Giovanni said, pocketing the remaining vials. I clenched my teeth. “If you need it, you come to me for it.”

When he found nothing else of interest, he kicked the bag back towards me. The car was already speeding out of the city towards the rural hills. I glanced out the window, taking in the pretty scenery. Italy was very different from Ireland’s rolling green moors.

“One more thing,” Giovanni said, his voice dropping to a warning tone. “Show any threat towards my family, go anywhere near my wife, my sisters, or my children, and I will make you regret ever setting foot in my house. Understand?”

“Sure.”

He lifted his chin, glaring at me over the bridge of his nose. “You said you were Sean’s captive. Did he keep you in a bunker?”

I nodded.

“Did he put my sister down there with you? Soraya?”

That familiar jolt of pain in my chest at the mention of her made me catch my breath. I held his gaze, showing him I wasn’t lying when I said, “I have no memory of her.”

“You’ll stay in the pool house and out of sight until I speak to her. Check that she’s okay with you being here. If she says a single bad word against you, or even thinks you could be conspiring with Sean, I will take her word over yours.”

I nodded. From what Nolan had told me, I didn’t know how this woman would react to seeing me again. He said things had been difficult at first, but then she cared about me. That we had some kind of romantic relationship. I found that hard to believe. More likely, she clung to me to keep herself alive until her family rescued her. It must have been a survival mechanism. Nothing more. She’d probably gone back to her perfect life and hadn’t thought of me again.

“If you have no memory of her,” Alessio said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees. I held his gaze, unflinching in the face of his intimidation. “Then you’ll have no problem staying away from her. She’s been through enough.”

“And if I find out that you had any part in what Sean put her through…” Giovanni growled.

“Aye. I’m dead. I’ve got that part.”

They both glared, jaws clenching, unsure whether they were doing the right thing. They weren’t convinced by me, and, honestly, neither was I. The gaps in my memory were a weakness I couldn’t defend.

I rubbed my face as tall iron security gates came into view at the end of the private road. This plan felt as suicidal as taking on Sean alone. I was walking into enemy territory, putting my life in the hands of a woman I didn’t remember.

If Nolan got this wrong—if I’d hurt, scared, or failed her somehow—I wouldn’t make it through this night.

Armed men checked the car at the gate, nodding to Giovanni before letting us through. My heart pounded as the car slowly travelled along a long, winding driveway towards a modern mansion that still kept its Italian charm.

More armed soldiers stood on guard at various points around the building and in the garden. Alessio climbed out first, and I met Giovanni’s gaze.

“Because you’re Cillian’s son and you spared my brother’s life, you’ve earned a chance. Don’t make me regret it,” he hissed his final threat before exiting the car.

I took a few seconds to breathe and rub my chest to ease the mounting pressure. It wasn’t death I feared. It was facing the unknown.