Chapter 28
I wake slowly, my body deliciously sore. Daniel's arm drapes heavily across my waist, his breath warm against my neck. Morning light filters through the thin motel curtains, casting the room in a soft glow.
For one perfect moment, I feel... whole. Complete. Like the broken pieces inside me have finally found their proper alignment.
Then reality crashes in.
I ran away from my own wedding. Left Bruno Sartori standing at the altar. Abandoned my family, the casino deal, everything.
My stomach twists into a tight knot. What have I done?
I shift slightly, and Daniel's arm tightens around me. Even in sleep, he's protective. Possessive.
"You okay?" His voice is rough with sleep, vibrating against my skin.
"Just thinking."
"Dangerous activity." He presses a kiss to my shoulder. "Especially at—" he squints at the bedside clock "—six in the morning."
I can't help but smile, but it fades quickly. "Damiano is probably losing his mind right now."
Daniel goes still behind me. "Probably."
"And Enzo..." My voice catches. Sweet, protective Enzo who's always been my champion. "He's probably tearing the city apart looking for us."
Daniel sits up, running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "They'll be angry. Furious, actually. But they love you, Lu. They'll understand eventually."
"Will they?" I turn to face him. "I just destroyed a multi-million dollar deal. The casino license, the alliance with the Sartoris against the Russians... I threw it all away."
"For yourself," Daniel says firmly.
"Is that noble or selfish?" I whisper.
"It's necessary." He cups my face. "You can't keep setting yourself on fire to keep everyone else warm."
I lean into his touch, drawing strength from his certainty. "Damiano will never forgive you."
"I know."
"He trusted you to protect me."
"I am protecting you." His thumb traces my cheekbone. "From a life you don't want."
I close my eyes. "What do you think they're doing right now?"
Daniel sighs. "Honestly? Damiano's probably in his office, making calls, pulling in every favor he has. Enzo's likely threatening everyone who might know where we went." He pauses. "They'll have people checking airports, train stations, bus terminals."
"The Sartoris?"
"Riccardo will be livid. Bruno..." He shrugs. "Hard to say. Depends how much he actually wanted this marriage."
I think about Bruno's face when we agreed our marriage would be in name only. The relief in his eyes. Maybe he's not as upset as everyone thinks.
I shift in Daniel's arms, my body suddenly tense. The memories I try so hard to bury claw their way to the surface.
"There's something I need to tell you," I whisper. "About what happened to me."
Daniel's eyes darken. He sits up against the headboard, pulling me gently against his chest. "You don't have to, Lu."
"I want to." I take a deep breath. "I want you to know everything."
His arms tighten around me, protective but not confining. "I'm listening."
"It was when Damiano found out who Zoe really was." My voice sounds distant, even to my own ears.
Daniel nods. "I remember the chaos when that came out. And how you played us that day when you took Zoe out of that basement"
" I had to. Damiano was so angry. I'd never seen him like that before." I twist my fingers together. "But I believed in love back then. I saw how Zoe looked at my brother, how he looked at her. I knew it was real."
I close my eyes, remembering. "So I helped her. I told her to hide until Damiano calmed down enough to listen. We arranged to meet at this little café."
Daniel's breathing changes, growing more controlled. He knows what's coming.
"Byron's men were waiting. They grabbed me and Damiano inside the café." My voice catches. "They took us to some warehouse." Daniel's hand finds mine, squeezing gently.
He already knows the story but I'm trying to buy some time before saying what still hurts.
I take a deep breath.
"Two men. They took turns."
Daniel's body is rigid against mine, but his touch remains gentle.
"But they didn't just..." I swallow hard. "After they were done with... with their bodies, they used other things."
Daniel goes completely still.
"A gun barrel. A knife handle." My voice drops to barely a whisper. "They laughed about it. Said they were making sure no man would ever want me."
A tear slides down my cheek. "I was a virgin before that day as I already told you."
Daniel's arms tighten around me, and I feel a dampness against my hair. He's crying too.
"That's why I couldn't..." I struggle to find the words. "Why I thought I'd never be able to..."
"Lu," Daniel's voice breaks. "You are the strongest person I've ever known."
I shake my head. "I'm not strong. I'm broken."
"No." His voice is fierce now. "You survived something that would have destroyed most people. And you're still here, still fighting."
"Sometimes I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore."
Daniel tilts my chin up, making me look at him. "For yourself. For the life you deserve."
I lean into him, drawing strength from his solid presence. "I used to dream about falling in love, having a family someday. After what happened, I thought that was impossible."
"Nothing is impossible for you," Daniel whispers against my hair. "Nothing."
I close my eyes, letting his words wash over me.
I pull back slightly, studying Daniel's face. I realize how little I actually know about him.
"You've been my shadow for so long," I say softly. "But we've never really talked, have we? Not until recently."
Daniel's expression shifts, something guarded replacing the tenderness. "That's how it's supposed to be. Security maintains distance."
"But you were different with me. So serious, so..." I search for the right word. "Formal. Even when I tried to talk to you."
He looks away, jaw tightening. "I knew my position."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I'm your bodyguard, Lu. I work for your family." His voice drops lower. "It means I knew who I was, and who you were, and that those worlds don't mix."
I touch his face, turning it back toward mine. "But they have mixed. We're here."
"Because I broke every rule." His eyes meet mine, intense and vulnerable. "Because I couldn't stand by and watch you marry someone else, even though I know you deserve better than me."
"Better than you?" I repeat, confused.
"Look at me, Lu." He gestures to himself, to the scars visible on his chest. "I'm damaged goods. Broken. The things I've done, the things I've seen... You deserve someone whole."
I almost laugh at the irony. "Daniel, I just told you what happened to me. If anyone's broken?—"
"Don't." His voice is sharp. "Don't ever call yourself broken again."
"Then don't call yourself that either." I take his hand, placing it over my heart. "We've both survived things that should have destroyed us. That doesn't make us broken. It makes us survivors."
He's quiet for a long moment, his hand warm against my skin.
"Tell me your story," I whisper. "I want to know you. All of you."
Daniel takes a deep breath. "It's not pretty."
"Neither is mine."
I look away from Lu's expectant face, my throat suddenly tight.
"I don't know if this is the right time," I say, my voice rougher than I intended.
"Why not?" She touches my face, turning it back toward her.
"Because we just ran away together. Because you just told me about the worst thing that ever happened to you." I pause, swallowing hard. "Because I'm afraid of what you'll think of me when you know everything."
Lu's eyes don't waver. "I'm not afraid."
"Maybe you should be."
She shakes her head. "This is you, Daniel. Whatever you've done, whatever you've been through—it's made you who you are. And I'm here with you, aren't I?"
I take a deep breath. She deserves the truth. All of it.
"I grew up in Detroit. My father left when I was four. My mother worked three jobs to keep us fed." The words come out mechanical, like a mission report. "At eighteen, I joined the Army Rangers. It was a way out."
Lu listens silently, her hand still on mine.
"I was good at it. Following orders. Completing missions. Killing when necessary." I feel her fingers tighten slightly on mine but continue. "After my third tour, something broke in me. I couldn't sleep. Couldn't connect with anyone. The military shrink called it PTSD."
I look down at our joined hands. "When I got out, I was lost. Damiano found me through a mutual contact. Offered me a job."
"As security?"
I nod. "I was perfect for it. Already dead inside. No attachments. No distractions."
Lu flinches at my blunt words, but I can't soften this. She needs to know who I am.
"For years, I was a ghost. I did my job. Protected the family. Eliminated threats. I didn't form connections. Didn't want them." I meet her eyes. "Matteo and Noah were the closest things I had to friends, but even with them, I kept a wall up."
"And Damiano?"
"I respected him. He gave me purpose when I had none. Structure. A place to belong, even if I never really felt like I belonged anywhere."
I run a hand through my hair, frustrated at my inability to articulate what I need to say.
"The thing is, Lu, I've been empty for so long. Dead inside. And then..."
"And then?" she prompts softly.
"And then there was you." The words come out raw. "At first, it was just a job. Protect the boss's sister. Keep her safe. But you were..." I struggle to find the right words. "You were fucking sunshine. Bright and warm and alive in ways I'd forgotten people could be."
Her eyes widen in disbelief.
"I tried to keep my distance. Told myself it was professional. But it was more than that." I look away. "I was afraid of contaminating you. Of my darkness touching your light."
"Daniel—"
"Let me finish." I need to get this out. "After what happened to you, when they assigned me to your security detail, I watched you struggle. Fight. Survive. And something in me started to wake up."