Page 124 of His Fatal Love

“Because you’re a Castellani-loving traitor, Leo. And because you deserve all this—and more—for Roxy.” He prowls around me, circling like a shark.

“Blame Dad for that,” I tell him hoarsely. If he doesn’t know she’s alive, I’m not telling him. She’s in as much danger from AJ as she is from Dad.

I see what’s going on.

AJ wants me dead. Always has. He’s using a very convenient excuse to make it happen.

“I blame you and your Castellani whore.” AJ’s voice is cold and hard. “You killed her together. Remember?” When I say nothing again, he goes on, “Maybe this’ll jog your memory.” He gives a nod, and as the first blow lands, I close my eyes and brace myself for the pain.

Because no matter how much this hurts, I plan to hold tight to the promises I made to Gino. I’ll protect him. HimandRoxy.

No matter what.

* * *

I come to again, and I’m as surprised as anyone.

Gradually, my vision clears, the blurred shapes around me sharpening into focus as the pain hits me, hard.

And that’s when I see him.

Julian.

My heart lurches in my chest and I make an involuntary jerk in the chair, barking in agony as I do.

Naked, hands bound, Julian hangs limp from a hook embedded in the ceiling, his body a brutalized canvas of bruises and cuts. Blood drips slowly from his wounds, pooling darkly on the cold concrete floor beneath him. His eyes are closed.

I think he’s dead.

I fight against my bindings, desperate to reach him, but I’m too tightly secured, and the chair is bolted to the floor.

And still Julian makes no movement at all.

My heart freezes. Cracks. And the shadows shift as AJ steps forward, holding something. A phone. With a photo…

A photo of me. Sleeping.

“We were headed to your apartment to get you, Leo. Saw this psycho standing around outside staring at the sky. Two-for-one, we figured. And then I found this on the Castellani’s phone,” AJ informs me. “More proof of betrayal. Right, boys?” He looks around the room and I hear their shouts of agreement. “Fucking disgusting, Leo,” AJ says, crouching down next to me. “But this ain’t about that. This is because you went against blood. You killed Gino’s woman—and that can’t stand.”

I glance at Gino again. He stands a little apart. The regret in his eyes speaks volumes, but revealing Roxy’s true fate would only put him in danger as well.

“So tonight you’re going to die tonight with your whore,” AJ crows. “But don’t worry. When we’re done chopping you both up, we’ll dump all the body parts together. Mix and match.”

There’s a sadistic chuckle from the others.

I look back to Julian. I don’t want to look, don’t want to remember him this way, but if I’m going to die, I still want him to be the last thing in my mind.

That’s when I see it.

A tiny shift in his chest. Then a deeper breath, and I see his toes twitch. His eyes slit open, just a crack, a flash of ice between the lashes.

He’s looking at me.

CHAPTER50

JULIAN

I leftLeo’s apartment in the middle of the night, needing some space to think. It was a full moon, hanging heavy and jaundiced in the sky. As usual, I tried to remember my mother’s face. I try every full moon, as though it holds some magic. But the prosopagnosia held strong, as it does every full moon.

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