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“Give me some credit here, Julian.” His gaze meets mine, steady and unwavering. “It’s because I believe in you. Inus. We’ve been through hell together, and we came out stronger for it. That’s worth fighting for. And it’s sure as shit worth everything this town might throw at me. I’ll just pick it up and throw it right back.”
My heart aches. “I don’t…know what to say to that.”
“Then just shut up and listen,” he says gruffly, pressing his lips to my hand briefly. “When I said that I know you, Imeantit. I understand you, Julian Castellani. You’re not the kind of guy who could settle down in the suburbs, raise a family, go to fucking Walmart on the weekends. And neither am I.”
He’s right. I wouldn’t survive in a world like that, and I wouldn’t wanthimto try and fit into it, either.
Men like us were made for the darkness.
I never expected to have a companion there with me, but it makes my heart fire to know that Leo will be that person. I lean in, pressing my lips to his in a fierce kiss. His tongue meets mine, and I taste the desire that always simmers between us.
I’ll never get tired of that taste.
He breaks away, cupping my sore face in his hand. “Julian,” he murmurs, “I spent my whole life hiding who I am, afraid of what my Family would think if they knew I was gay. Afraid of what they would do to me. Now—thanks to AJ—I know. They’d kill me. So I’m not afraid anymore of what people might say or think about me. I’ve made my choice, and I’ll stand by it, no matter what.”
I can’t help my laugh, and he pulls away, a question in his quirked brows. “You can’t leash a lion,” I tell him. “Your Family was foolish to ever try it. But Leo…you’ve changed me, too. Before I met you, I didn’t understand love. It only made people weak, so far as I could see. It killed my mother. Made Jack and Sandro vulnerable. Even La Contessa is helpless in the face of it.” Leo smiles down at me, his fingers stroking my cheek. “But now…I understand. There’s a strength in love that I never saw before. I have you to thank for showing me that.”
As his mouth presses back onto mine, I feel a sense of peace I’ve never known. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel like a freak or an outcast. Unwanted. Unloved.
With Leo, I finally belong.
He pauses from kissing me to murmur into my ear, “I will never let anyone hurt you again.”
Never let anyone hurt me again?
Oh, Leo. You cannot evenimaginethe things I would do for you. But it’s probably best that I keep those things to myself until they’re needed.
CHAPTER56
LEO
Even in thedepths of this park, I hear the hum of traffic. Shadows cling to the trees and shrubbery, providing ample cover for unseen protection that I know must be waiting in the darkness. Anna-Vittoria Esposito asked to meet her in the middle of this large park, assuring us she had permission from the cartel that claimed this territory.
Sandro didn’t like it. Neither did I. But we didn’t have much choice in the matter.
And now we stand in an isolated clearing like a couple of sitting ducks.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I keep my voice low. My senses are on high alert. It’s been a week since my beat-down, but I heal fast, and I’m ready to fight if I need to.
Sandro’s jaw clenches as he scans the area. “A good idea? No,” he admits, his voice gravelly. “But I am out of options if I want to stop a war with the Espositos. Besides, I have a lion walking beside me. Why should I fear the darkness?”
Sandro Castellani gets real fucking poetic sometimes. Still—“It’s not the darkness I’m worried about,” I mutter, but a movement at the turn in the path announces the arrival of our host. Anna-Vittoria Esposito emerges from the shadows, her calm demeanor and regal presence out of place here. A vivid woman in her fifties, she wears a designer trench coat tied tight at the waist, a pencil skirt, and heels that suggest she isn’t too worried about running away from us.
I’ve seen Anna-Vittoria from a distance, even been at a few meetings with her, but I’ve never spoken to her before. Her auburn hair cascades in large, sleek curls and her eyes are surprisingly warm as she smiles politely at us. But beneath the warmth is a hard edge that leaves no doubt who’s in charge here: the Esposito Family matriarch is a powerhouse in the Mafia world.
“Buonasera, Don Castellani. And you, Signor Bernardi,” she greets us. “I’m surprised to see the two of you here together as allies. Don’t you despise each other?” Her tone is light, uncurious.
Sandro shifts beside me. “There have been...developments,” he says, leaving the details unsaid. “But the Bernardi Lion has agreed to stand with me tonight to help explain the situation.”
“Ah,” Anna-Vittoria replies, her eyes flickering between us. “Well, I must admit, I take little notice of other Families—unless they threaten mine.”
“We are no threat to you,” Sandro says at once, his voice steady and respectful. “That is why I am here. To assure you of our goodwill.”
Anna-Vittoria arches one eyebrow. “I don’t consider the murder of my cousin an act of goodwill, Don Castellani.” She’s not going to be easily appeased, judging by the acid in her tone.
“And you have my sincere condolences on his death. But my brother, Julian, did not kill your cousin, Vincenzo. I have evidence to prove it. The killer has confessed.”
Rizzo came out with it after a few days in the cells. Julian didn’t even go anywhere near him—no one did. But I can’t blame the guy. I’d prefer death to solitary confinement in those cells, too. But he’ll have to wait a little while for relief. Julian’s still not back on his feet.
