Chapter 55
Caterina
I pivoted, slamming my fists into the battered punching bag again and again, imagining Vincenzo’s face was in its place.
We were so close to finding her and bringing her home that I couldn’t rest. Roman and his men were flying in tonight, and we’d sneak attack his property until we found the entrance.
Vincenzo thought he was slick when he abandoned his men and took Harlow underground.
He thought his men would be loyal and keep quiet, but he was wrong.
We knew where they were, but we didn’t know the specifics.
We couldn’t go in blind, either. The moment that asshole told us about Vincenzo’s bunker, I wanted to run, take my car, and rescue my wife, but Spencer and Malachi grabbed me and knocked some sense into me.
My brain is clouded with the need to save her, but I can’t let it blur everything else.
Vincenzo would have traps all along the pathway.
He was determined to keep her for himself.
The asshole should have made sure I was dead before he left, but he slipped. His mind was only on Harlow. Given, I looked dead, so he went with it. I looked up at the sky. Whichever God was up there, thanks.
When I finished destroying the punching bag, I walked out of the house towards the cabin.
Moira had been a needy bitch when it came to my healing and health, and refused to let me come out back.
I got it. She was protective. She was the closest thing to a grandmother I had in my life and had been there since I was young.
Her sternness was sometimes needed, but it was annoying as fuck.
Titus and Lucifer heeled at the door when they saw me, instantly knowing something was wrong.
It was the first time I’d been here since then, and three weeks was a long time for my babies to go without seeing me.
They whined when they realized Harlow wasn’t behind me.
My hand caressed their soft fur, scratching behind their ears as I gave them both much needed love and affection they’d missed.
“We will bring Mama home tonight, babies.” Titus leaned his head to the side, confused, while Lucifer whined and nudged me slightly. “I know, babies.”
Sometimes I wondered how life would be if Vincenzo was never born.
He’d been the family’s greatest enemy for years, and I still didn’t understand why he hated us.
Was it because we were Italian? Did he have some desire to be the only Italian mafia in Chicago?
The two of us weren’t the only families, but we worked with the others in harmony. He was just a greedy bastard.
If my mother never died at his hand, my father would still be leading the family, and I could be normal—as normal as a mafia princess could be.
It would also mean I never would have met Harlow.
As fucked up as it was, Vincenzo brought us together, and my desire for revenge brought forth this undeniable love for the woman that made my stone-cold heart whole once more.
I believed in soulmates when I was younger, watching my mama and papa fall in love with each other every single day.
Even with the hell Vincenzo put us through, my father found a way to bring her flowers and dance with her in the kitchen.
Their love was always known, and it is what shattered him in the end, but now he was happy once again after being a stubborn ass for years.
I also didn’t help by being the devil on his shoulder.
Love was beautiful, even if it was fucking terrifying knowing one day it could be ripped from your hands, taking your heart along for the horrid ride.
Love was a risk. We were already trusting one person to handle every fragile piece of ourselves, but the outcome was worth every single last minute of it.
When I got her back, I was going to be a better wife.
I was going to hold her while she cried and broke down from the trauma and pain Vincenzo caused her once again.
I would be the shoulder for her to cry on and the anchor she needed to steady herself.
When she was ready to conquer the world, I would be by her side while she rose from the ashes into the beautiful queen she was meant to be, standing by my side until the end of time.
We would have our family. Serenity would be ours officially once Harlow was safe, and then we would work on everything else.
My father would be a grandfather, and he would love Serenity regardless of DNA.
When Harlow was ready, we would have more children whether she wanted to adopt more or do IVF and carry.
I told her I wanted to marry her again, and that was the truth.
Our relationship started off as a farce and I was a complete bitch about the idea of love, but she was my reason for breathing, the reason I wanted to fight another day, and the reason why I saw beauty in life.
Without her, my world was black and white, no life or color.
I wanted her by my side for the rest of eternity.
My phone rang, snapping me from my thoughts. “What?”
“Roman will be here in twenty. Get your shit together,” Spencer barked through the line before disconnecting.
I kissed Titus and Lucifer on the head before running out of the house. Hopefully, they would see their mama in a few weeks when she was healed and ready for them to jump all over her.