Chapter 6
six
. . .
Dana
I freeze as the office door slams open, nearly hitting the wall. Luca storms out, his face a mask of fury. His piercing blue eyes lock onto mine, and I feel a shiver run down my spine.
"We need to talk," he growls, stalking towards me. "Now."
My heart races as I follow him into his private study, the click of the lock echoing like a gunshot. He paces the room like a caged panther, his muscles coiled with tension.
"There's a traitor in our midst," Luca snarls, slamming his fist on the mahogany desk. "Someone I trusted, working for those bastards."
Fear grips me, both for him and for us. Matteo most of all. I step closer, wanting to comfort him, but he holds up a hand.
"I can't trust anyone, Dana. Anyone except you." His voice softens slightly, but the intensity remains. "You're the only one I know is loyal."
He cups my face, his calloused thumb grazing my cheek. I lean into his touch, craving his strength, his protection.
"I won't let anything happen to you or Matteo," Luca vows fiercely. "You're mine, and I protect what's mine."
Possessiveness rolls off him in waves, enveloping me. I know I should bristle at his claim, but a thrill rushes through me instead.
"Stay close to me, Dana. Don't go anywhere without my permission." His grip tightens, emphasizing his command. "I need to keep you safe."
Part of me wants to argue, to assert my independence. But the vulnerability in his eyes, the desperation in his touch, silences my protests.
"I'll stay with you, Luca," I whisper, surrendering to his will. "I trust you to protect me."
Relief flashes across his face before the hard mask slams back into place. He nods curtly, releasing me.
"Good. Go to Matteo. Don’t leave his side. Now I need to find this traitor and deal with them." His tone promises violence, retribution.
Whoever the traitor is…I’m afraid even God won’t be able to save them from Luca’s wrath when he finds them.
Luca
I stalk through the estate grounds, a cold rage simmering in my veins. The traitor thinks he can hide from me, but he's a fool. I know every inch of this property, every shadow, every secret.
My men drag forward a sniveling wretch, one of the new hires for the gardens. He cowers before me, his face already bruised and bloody. They found him trying to escape, to slither away like the snake he is.
"Please, Don Romano, I didn't have a choice! They threatened my family!" he blubbers, groveling at my feet.
I crouch down, grabbing his jaw in a vise grip. "You work for me. Your loyalty is to me. And you betrayed that loyalty."
I nod to my men. They haul him to the tool shed, a soundproofed room I had installed for precisely this purpose. I roll up my sleeves methodically as he pleads and begs. I'll get the truth out of him, find out everything he told the rival family. And then I'll ensure he never betrays anyone again.
Hours later, I'm wiping blood from my hands when Marco bursts in, his face pale with alarm. "Boss, we have a situation-"
"Not now," I growl, still focused on the whimpering traitor at my feet.
"It's Dana," Marco blurts out. "They've taken her."
Ice floods my veins. I'm on my feet in an instant, the traitor forgotten. "What happened?" I demand, my voice deadly calm.
Marco swallows hard. "They came for Matteo. But Dana...she told them to take her instead. Said she was in a relationship with you, that she'd be more valuable."
A snarl rips from my throat. That foolish, brave woman. Sacrificing herself for Matteo, for me . Using herself as a pawn.
I'm moving before conscious thought catches up, barking orders. "Lock down the estate. No one in or out. Get me the location of every property the Rossi family owns. Alert our contacts in the police and media. I want a full press blackout."
My mind races ahead, already formulating and discarding plans. They'll expect me to come in guns blazing, but that risks Dana. No, I need to be smart about this.
My mind is racing as fear and panic unlike anything I've ever known grips me. I can't stand the thought of them hurting her. I'm going to kill every one of the motherfuckers when I get my hands on them if they've harmed one hair on her precious head.
I curse myself for putting her in danger. I should have left her alone. She'd have been better off if she'd never met me. But the thought of living without her, of never holding her soft curves against me again, never losing myself in her sweet innocence, is unbearable.
Dana is the only light in my dark, brutal world. From the moment I first saw her, her lush body and sassy smile stirring unfamiliar feelings in my jaded heart, I knew I had to have her. Had to claim her and make her mine .
I tried to resist, to keep my distance, knowing I would only corrupt her. Taint her goodness with the blood on my hands. But like a moth drawn to a flame, I couldn't stay away. And selfishly, I let her in, allowed her to care for Matteo, to soothe my tortured soul with her gentleness.
Now they've taken her from me. Those bastards have her, and it's my fault. I pace my study like a caged beast, a glass of scotch Marco put in my hand that I can't bring myself to drink. I know he was only trying to calm me, which says a lot about how my face must look right about now. But alcohol won't help me now. Only action will. Cold, brutal, unforgiving action.
I'll burn the city to the ground to find her if I have to. I'll call in every favor, threaten and bribe and blackmail anyone who can give me a lead. I'll torture every last member of the Rossi family until they're begging to tell me where she is.
My blood boils with a lethal cocktail of rage and terror and something even more dangerous—love. Because that's what this is, what I've been denying since she first stumbled into my life with her pretty smiles and her fierce loyalty. I love her. I fucking love her and I'll be damned if I let them take her from me.
I slam the glass down, amber liquid sloshing onto the mahogany desk. I don't have time for this, for the loathing and regret churning in my gut. I failed her, but I won't fail her again.
Dana, I’m coming, bella.