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Insulted, I thought she doubted my ability to handle an enemy. “Tesoro.”
A sad smile lifted the corners of her lips. “I only meant that he’s devious and deceptive. If he’s coming after you, he won’t stop until you’re dead.” She shivered. “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” I replied with conviction. This was as good a time as any to confess the truth. “I’m not a normal guy, Bianca. I haven’t ever been, but it’s different now.”
“The shadow,” she guessed. “Your phantom.”
My chest puffed with pride as I felt his presence stir within, eager to hear more. “Yes.” I may have taken on the persona of the phantom out of necessity, but now it wasn’t just a scarred boy hiding from the world. The phantom/shadow had grown into part of my being, as deeply rooted as my veins and arteries. I was the phantom, and he was me.
Two halves made whole. Two personas mashed together until no line separated them. I felt his agreement and realized we could communicate. He heard and understood me the same as I did with him. And the rage that brewed beneath my skin would be magnificent when unleashed.
“I don’t care about that, Benny. None of it ever bothered me. Not your scars or anything else.”
“I know.” Fuck. She was so goddamn perfect for me. My lips covered hers in a kiss that flamed a wild, carnal need inside to fuck, mate, fill her, and never let her go. I finally pulled away, watching with satisfaction at the flush rising up her neck and the swollen, soft pink of her lips. “Let’s go.”
I held Bianca’s hand as we walked away from the truck and Harley, already knowing it wouldn’t do any good to hide them, not that we felt the need.
Flint was a Marine veteran. He never backed down.
I had waited far too long for vengeance, and I didn’t have any intention of allowing the opportunity to slip away. Carlo was involved in this mess. He worked for Alaric Huber and Salvador Russo. He hurt my fiancé.
This would be the last night he breathed.
Moonlight blanketed the ground in foggy swirls of pale light, bouncing off the pathway ahead of us as if providing a welcome into the sanctuary of the dead. Black wrought iron gates stood slightly ajar as we approached the cemetery hidden from the highway. An entrance that only opened to those who proved worthy.
Bianca gripped my hand tighter. “A graveyard?”
“It’s okay,cara mia. I’m scarier than anything you’ll run into here.”
“Not funny, Benny,” she whispered like she didn’t want to wake the dead. Too cute.
“They’re not gonna pop up out of their graves. Promise.”
She snorted. “Right.”
My girl was fucking adorable.
Stone tombs slowly appeared as we passed beyond the gates. More of the same foggy mist hovered over the crypts and headstones.
I led Bianca through the maze of graves, ignoring the plots and names. The dead should never be disturbed.
Some gravestones towered over their companions while others crumbled from the weather and passage of time. I led Bianca further into the cemetery as the guiding hand of my shadow kept us moving forward.
We finally stopped in front of a gray stone obelisk. A giant, hulking gargoyle perched at the peak. The twin squatted several feet to the right. To my surprise, the pair marked the entrance to a family mausoleum. The name etched into the stone caught my attention, proving my story never ended, as I believed.De Santo.
My family name. In Nevada.
Bianca’s eyes widened. “Benny?”
This couldn’t be a coincidence. “It’s the first I’ve seen or heard of it.”
“Then it’s fate,” she whispered, clenching my hand tighter.
An iron gate stood between the obelisks with a giant chain looped through the latch plate on both sides of the double entry pieces. Elaborate scrollwork and an antique finish revealed detailed craftsmanship. Someone paid a hefty sum to have these installed.
I dropped Bianca’s hand and walked to the padlock that held the gate closed. When I pulled on the lock, it snapped off, crumbling from rust and exposure. Years must have passed since the installation.
Curious, I pushed the gate open and stared at the entrance to the crypt. The gothic exterior rose from the ground like an avenging beast. My gaze flicked over the stone-carved curtains draping the entrance, spilling to the steps leading inside and unveiling the De Santo name.
