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“But none of it is true. I had nothing to do with what happened. I would never knowingly let any harm come to her. I am in love with her.”
He burst out laughing, slamming his hand over his face as he started to march a few steps back and forth. “You think I am a fool.”
“That is the last thing I think you are, Buccini. But I swear to you, on my life, on my damned soul, on the empire I have built, I am madly in love with her. I would do anything for her. I would tear my own heart out and give it to her if it meant she lived another day over me. You don’t know me and you don’t ever have to like me. But all you need to know is how much I would give to protect her, make her happy and cherish her for the rest of my life.”
He stopped pacing and glared at me, pure rage all over his face. “You have a funny way of showing fucking love! You expect me to believe you? To give her over to you in an alliance, just so you can give her to Galiz like it was your plan all along?”
“That was never my plan. I will protect her from Galiz. I am the only one who can,” I snapped, standing up again with anger. The pain and loss of blood was starting to affect me, but I meant what I said. I wouldn’t be leaving until I had his blessing.
“No. You are not. She is marrying Enzo tomorrow and she will be in the safest estate in Italy. Galiz won’t be able to get to her and neither will you!”
“Maybe you are a fucking fool! You really believe Enzo Aiani can protect her? By keeping her in his home like a prisoner? That is the life you want for your sister? To live in fear and isolation forever? She will be miserable! And you think a bit of paper will stop me? Even if you force her into this marriage, she will still be mine! Elenora will belong to me and I will spend the rest of my life fighting for her. No man, no distance, no armed fucking walls or amount of time will ever stop me. So either you do yourself a favour and sign that fucking contract or you fend for yourself in a country I own! Either way, I will have Elle!”
We both stared at each other, our chest rising and falling in rageful breaths as the silence stretched between us. Suddenly, the roaring of an engine and a screeching of tyres caused me to turn as Giovanni’s eyes widened in alarm at the car racing towards us over the bridge.
“Fuck!” I roared when I saw Lorenzo behind the steering wheel with a face of thunder, his deadly gaze set on Giovanni. With a sharp turn, the car mounted the pavement and headed straight for him. Buccini lifted his gun and started shooting at the windscreen, but I could see it was too late. Lorenzo was about to hit him. Diving forward, I shoved Giovanni’s body out of the way, causing him to tumble over the side of the bridge and into the river below as my body collided with the bonnet of Lorenzo’s car. Crippling pain rocketed through every inch of my body, but especially my head as I felt the back of it hit the concrete after I rolled off the car. I attempted to lift my body off the hard ground with my hands as the ringing in my ears subsided. I could feel blood trickling down the back of my head and looked up to see Lorenzo climbing out of his car with a shocked expression.
“Alessio! What the fuck did you do that for? I was about to fucking kill him!” Lorenzo roared, before his eyes diverted to the fifteen Buccini soldiers who were racing towards us from the other side of the bridge. He started opening fire at them, his body still half in the car as he shielded himself with the door. Fury took over and I could only see red. Grabbing Giovanni’s gun off the floor, I stood to my feet and hobbled towards him. He turned his head just in time to see me lift the gun and pull the trigger. His body slumped back into the car; his eyes still open as the blood poured down the side of his head.
I dropped the gun, falling to my knees because I was too weak to stand anymore. My eyes were drooping and I felt all the energy draining from my body. My vision was warping, blurring and sharpening again. I could make out Fabi and Finn racing forwards just as Buccini men surrounded me, tying my hands behind my back and lifting me to my feet.
“Leave me!” I bellowed at Fabi and Finn, who were now trying to fight their way through the soldiers to get to me but were immediately overpowered by the volume of them. I dropped my head to my chest in defeat, knowing they had just sacrificed themselves too.
My head lolled as I tried to grapple with my consciousness. I couldn’t pass out. Not now. I had to get myself to Elle. I had to save Fabi and Finn. Giovanni’s wet shoes came into sight in front of me and I forced my head up to stare at him. His clothes were soaked, stuck to his muscular frame and his black hair had water droplets dripping onto his face as he glared at me. But he was alive. And that was the main thing. Elle would never forgive me if he had died.
“Barbieri shot Lorenzo,” Maximus, his underboss, stepped up next to him as I smirked.
“Finally. I’ve been wanting to shoot his ass for weeks,” I muttered under my breath.
Giovanni regarded me with deep curiosity, but I could see his mind racing to work out what the fuck just happened. He’d thought I set that up. To get Lorenzo to storm in and kill him. But now he wasn’t sure what to think.
“Leave him here,” he ordered his men. “And his underboss. I’ll sign your contract under two conditions. The marriage clause is removed. And we are taking Finn. No traitor gets away with crossing me.”
“No!” I shouted as his men started pulling Finn towards the black SUV parked on the road. “Take me! Fucking take me. I sent him. It’s on me. Whatever you want to do to him, do to me. I’ll take it!”
“Alessio, don’t!” Finn growled, shaking his head as Gio held up his hand to pause his men. His eyes danced with intrigue as I struggled against his men’s grip.
“You want revenge? You want someone to blame? I give you permission to torture me with no retaliation. Do your worst Buccini. You will never get this opportunity again.”
He moved his gaze over to Finn, who was shaking his head, pleading with Gio to take him instead. “Fine. Let the traitor go.”
I exhaled in relief as I was dragged towards the car.
“Do nothing!” I ordered Fabi and Finn as they stared at me with wide eyes from their position on their knees, arms tied behind their backs. “Do nothing!”
Fabi nodded once in understanding with his jaw clenched tight as I was thrown aggressively into the back of the SUV. I laid on the back seat and closed my eyes, letting the darkness drag at my mind. I prayed that they would take me back to the Buccini residence and torture me there. At least then, if this was how I was supposed to die, I may get a chance to see Elle one last time.
Nice To Meet You
Cecilia
“Elle, you need to calm down,” I tried again to calm my daughter’s uncontrollable rage as she kicked and punched the door of the safe room the Buccini soldiers had locked us in for her own safety. She had tried to steal a car, attacked one of the soldiers who stopped her and had been screaming in Enzo’s face to do something to stop this.
“How can I calm down, mamma? Why aren’t you helping me? Why didn’t you stop Gio?” She yelled as I grabbed her upper arms and forced her to come away from the door.
“Because he is the Boss of this family and I could not disrespect him in front of his men. I have a position of power now, yes, but he is still above me.”
“So, his image means more to you than my happiness? Then the fact he is about to kill the man I love!”
