Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Liana
Iwake at dawn, my body still humming with the memory of last night's encounter.
Rio's weight pressed against me while his mouth claimed every inch of my skin. I feel the familiar ache between my legs and the tender bruises along my collarbone where his teeth marked me as his. I should be disgusted with myself for how easily I’ve given in, but I'm not.
I'm changing, becoming exactly what he wanted me to…
someone who craves the danger he brings.
The bed beside me is empty. Rio must have slipped out hours ago for another early meeting. It's become our routine lately. Passionate nights followed by quiet mornings by myself. I stretch and rise, padding to the window to watch the sunrise.
That's when I see him. A figure moves through the shadows of the garden. My heart stops, then races as recognition dawns on me. The build, the stride and the way he holds himself…I'd know a Manitellie man anywhere. His face leaves the shadows for just a second and it’s enough to see that it’s my cousin Antonio.
He’s the last person I expected to see here.
‘What the hell is he doing in my backyard?’
I throw on clothes and race downstairs, careful not to alert any staff. He can’t be here like this. What if someone sees him? He could be killed. I slip through the patio doors, my bare feet silent as I make my way out to the garden. I scan the area, suddenly afraid I imagined him.
"Took you long enough, little L."
I whirl around to find Antonio leaning against an olive tree, arms crossed over his chest.
"Antonio," I whisper, torn between running to him and running away. "How did you get in here? If Rio's men find you…"
He scoffs and approaches, grabbing me into a tight hug. I immediately wrap my arms around him and melt into his embrace.
"Your husband's security is good, but I'm better," He says as he pulls away, his gaze scanning my face and my body like he’s searching for something. His eyes linger on the marks on my neck and I watch as his jaw tightens.
"I see he's been keeping you busy."
Heat floods my cheeks and I cross my arms, suddenly conscious of the bruises Rio's left on my skin.
"What are you really doing here, Antonio? It's dangerous."
"I came for you," he says simply, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "To take you home."
The words hit me like a physical blow. Home? Italy? The estate where I grew up, confined but still protected. A place built on both love and lies.
"I…I can't just leave," I say, but even as the words leave my mouth, I feel a flicker of something dangerous. Hope maybe…or temptation. “You and Andre said I couldn’t. It would cause too many problems.”
Antonio steps closer, dropping his voice.
"You can. We have it all planned. The next major event you attend together. We will make it look like you were kidnapped by another gang out here. We'll be back in Italy before your cartel prince even realizes you're gone."
"I don’t know…," I whisper, unease filling me.
‘Why am I suddenly hesitant to leave?’
Antonio's eyes harden.
"You don’t actually love him, do you? You belong with your family, Liana. His family is…"
"Our family isn't exactly innocent, Antonio,” I say, cutting him off.
"We are different. We protect our own. These people?" He gestures to the house behind me. "They'll use you until you're broken, then discard you. They will play with you until they’re bored. Is that what you want?"
I think of the warehouse. Of Rio's sister and her casual cruelty and how easily Rio stood there and watched. But then I think of Rio and how good he’s treated me now. The way he looks at me when he thinks I don't notice. Rio wouldn’t play with me like that, would he?
"I…I don’t know," I say finally. “I don’t want to go home and be forced into another marriage alliance. I’ll be trading one cage for another.”
Antonio's face softens, and he reaches out to touch my cheek.
"You don't belong here and you never did. Alessio is dead. This marriage was a mistake and you won’t be forced into another one."
For a moment, I let myself imagine walking away from all of this. I could go back to Italy, back to the safety of what I know, but this time with freedom.
The memory of Rio's words echo in my mind.
"You're mine, Datura. Mind, body and soul. And one day, you're going to realize I'm yours too."
"I need time to think," I say, stepping back from Antonio's touch.
The sound of leaves crunching has us both on alert and I look at my cousin with wide eyes. He grabs my face and kisses my forehead before leaning in and speaking low.
“We’ll come for you, cousin. Be ready.”
I open my mouth to respond, but he’s gone before words can leave my mouth. I don’t know what I would say anyway. My freedom is right there, within my grasp after all this time.
‘So why does my heart feel like it could shatter at any moment?’
Because the truth is, somewhere between the lies and the nights in Rio's arms, I've started to feel something for him. Not just the something I felt for him when I knew him as Frankie. No, this is something different. It’s something that terrifies me more than all his violence ever could and I don't know if I'm strong enough to walk away.