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Tomaso stood with a grin on his face, a knife in his hand. He had the blade pressed against her jugular, daring me to make a move.
The stench in the air was gasoline, cans lined up toward the back. If the flames got to them, the entire place could blow. Everything was far too similar, including my anger.
“Let her go, Tomaso. The fight isn’t with her.”
“Isn’t it? You were supposed to die in that fire fifteen years ago. Did you know that? Mattia told me. If this bitch hadn’t tried to save your life, you would have. No. You lived. Somehow, you became everything to my father.” His voice no longer sounded like the intelligent, studious young man but that of another monster formed in the bowels of a loveless house.
I moved closer and he tightened his hold. The flames rolled to the rafters, the crackling sound forcing a yelp from her mouth.
“You planned the attack on her. You had me lured to the warehouse. Why?”
“I thought it would be easy. You’d be killed in the line of duty. Then I’d take Mattia. But you refused to die. You just had to return. Didn’t you? Didn’t you?”
Jesus Christ. The man was unhinged as Franco had been. How had I not seen it?
“What do you want?” I asked, keeping the barrel pointed at his head. Too many lives had been lost, family members suffering because of the hunger for power. The goddamn vicious cycle was determined to continue.
“Isn’t it obvious? Everything you have.”
The statement was simple, to the point, but one I knew had haunted him for his entire life. Nothing he had done was good enough and he would never have ascended to the throne.
“You can have everything except for Lucia. I don’t give a shit about any of it. But no one takes her away from me.”
As the smoke began to billow, the horses suffering, I was losing patience as he slowly became more unhinged. I took a careful step closer.
“You’d give it all up for the love of one woman?” Tomaso laughed.
“Without issue. You can have it. The estate. The money. The power. I don’t want it.” I glanced into her eyes, realizing I meant every word. However, at this point I only hope I sounded convincing.
“Fine. Drop your weapon. Prove to me you love her.”
I held my weapon out to the side, taking my time show him my intentions. As beams began to fall, the flames crawling toward the stalls, Lucia struggled even more.
“Drop your goddamn weapon or she dies!” he snapped.
“Fine. Let her go now,” I snarled.
Another beam fell and I sensed Lucia was ready to explode.
“Do it!” he snapped.
I slowly bent down, never taking my eyes off him. Something had pushed him into losing hold on reality. The man was dangerous.
“We can’t let them die. Let me get them out. Please!” Her scream was met with a jerk around her throat.
“Shut up. Don’t you remember that night? Do you remember how scared you were? How much you wanted to save him? I heard all about it. And you thought he was dead. Now, you get to relive it all over again.”
He took his eyes off me for a split second and it was all I needed. Yanking the knife from my leg, I had one chance at saving her life. Through the haze of smoke, I pitched the blade, not bothering to wait to see if it hit its mark.
I lunged forward, but his hold remained, his arm wrapped around her throat. As I pitched him to the ground, the ugly haze of light flashed against the metal blade. I’d hit the target, the blade slicing into his neck.
But he refused to give up the fight, struggling in my hold to follow through with killing her. I slammed his arm against the floor several times, the knife finally breaking free. Then I pushed her away, impaling him to the floor.
“Get out of here!” I called.
“No. I’m saving the horses,” she yelled, racing closer to the flames.
Tomaso continued to fight, issuing several hard punches.
