Chapter 42 Vin
Vin
I’m three blocks away from the Arsenal, on my way to meet Matti and Tommy for lunch, and the boom almost throws me back in my seat.
Panic and adrenaline surge through me as I swerve and almost hit three cars as I scramble for my phone.
Before I find it, the phone starts ringing through the car speaker system.
“The Arsenal got blown up.” Matti’s voice is tight, controlled, and he’s already talking when I hit the call button. Background noise of sirens, shouting, chaos crackle across the line.
I slam the accelerator to the floor. “Where’s Sophie?”
“She’s—”
Siena’s scream cuts through the call. “THIS IS YOUR FAULT, VIN, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”
My hands lock on the wheel, knuckles white. Blood roars in my ears. The Maserati fishtails around a corner, tires shrieking.
“Is she hurt?” My voice comes out flat. Dead. Because if Sophie’s hurt, if she’s—
“She’s fine,” Matti assures me. “She wasn’t close to the blast and I was near her so I was able to get her out. But Siena’s right, this is—”
I hang up and punch the gas harder.
Salvatore Bellamorte, Sophie’s dad. It had to be.
Rocco ran straight to daddy after he grabbed me, told him his precious daughter was spreading her legs for a Demonio.
It’s not the first time I’ve seen an overprotective Italian father decide that their daughters were better off dead than dishonored.
Giovanna, Tommy’s woman, nearly became a statistic because her father couldn’t stomach the shame of her marrying into our family.
It could be Aurelio, too. Rocco feeding him intel, Aurelio striking at the one unguarded place connected to me.
Either way, someone’s dying tonight.
The Arsenal comes into view, flames licking through shattered windows, black smoke billowing into the sky. Fire trucks angle across the street. Cops direct traffic, and a crowd of neighborhood people stand in clusters watching Sophie’s dream burn.
I abandon the car in the middle of the street, door hanging open, engine running, and shove through the barrier of onlookers.
“Sophie! SOPHIE!”
Finally, I see her.
Standing on the sidewalk wrapped in an oversized shock blanket, her face smudged with ash, eyes wide and glassy. Siena has an arm around her shoulders, and Matti stands guard, scanning the crowd.
The vise around my chest releases. She’s alive.
I’m moving before I think, closing the distance between us. Sophie looks up as I reach her. Raw relief and fear break across her face.
I pull her against my chest, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other arm glued tight around her waist. She’s shaking. Fuck, maybe I am.
“You’re okay,” I whisper into her hair. “You’re okay.”
She nods against my chest, her fingers curling into my shirt.
A man’s voice cuts through the chaos. “SOPHIE!”
I spin, putting myself between Sophie and the threat, hand going to the gun at my back.
The man running toward us is in his 60s, gray hair, mediocre suit rumpled like he threw it on in a panic. His face is a mask of terror and relief as he skids to a stop in front of us.
“Bella ragazza,” he gasps, pulling Sophie from behind me and into his arms in a crushing hug. “Thank God. Thank God you’re safe.”
Sophie’s crying now, her face pressed to his shoulder. “Papa, I’m okay. I’m okay.”
Papa.
Fucking Salvatore Bellamorte. The man who tried to have me killed. The man I’ve been planning to destroy by degrading his daughter.
The man who’s currently shaking my hand with both of his.
“Are you the friend she saved her from the building? Thank you.” His grip is firm, desperate. “Thank you for protecting her. I don’t know who you are, but—”
“Papa, this is Vincenzo Demonio.” Sophie’s voice is nervous but strong.
I watch recognition slam into Salvatore like a freight train. His hand goes still in mine, and the color drains from his face. The corners of my mouth twitch as I watch it sink in that the man he tried to kill is with his daughter. And likely fucking her.
“Demonio,” he repeats slowly.
“Yes.” I don’t let go of his hand, and I hold his gaze steady.
A thousand calculations flash behind his eyes before his shoulders drop. He squeezes my hand once more before releasing it.
“I never thought I would be grateful to a Demonio for anything.” His voice is rough. “But I owe you my life.”
I have to work hard to keep the surprise off my face. Was not expecting that.
He looks at Sophie, then back to me, pulling in a breath. “I must confess something. My wife, she found out Sophie attended a party with… men from your world a couple months ago. I was afraid. I called a friend asking for guidance and she advised me to call the police to break it up.”
The party. The cops working for Aurelio. The setup. He’s really going to admit this right now?
“I found out later that the policemen who went to the scene were corrupt. They hurt people.” Shame stains his voice.
“I put my daughter in worse danger than if I’d stayed out of it.
I hope none of your friends were harmed, and I deeply apologize for any trouble I brought to you.
Seeing your deep care for my Sophia, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you played a part in keeping her safe that night as well. I owe you doubly now.”
Sophie’s looking at me, eyes wide, scared, waiting to see what I’ll do.
This is it. This is my chance to tell him everything, every degrading thing I’ve done to his daughter, every way I’ve used her, humiliated her, destroyed her to get back at him. My chance to watch his face crumble and realize a monster violated his precious little girl.
The old me from two months ago would do it in a heartbeat and find out later if he’s lying or not, just to watch him squirm.
But I didn’t know the full power of Sophie’s trust then or how she melts when I call her regina. I hadn’t said you’re mine while she knelt in front of me.
“You owe me nothing,” I hear myself say. “Your daughter has been an incredibly gracious hostess and kept me safe in her home since that night. That’s information some men would pay dearly for. I hope you’ll take it as a sign of my gratitude that I share it with you.”
Salvatore nods slowly, studying me, then glances pointedly at the burning restaurant.
“I think your secret is out, son.” He pulls Sophie close again, kisses the top of her head. “I cannot tell a grown man and a grown woman how to live their lives, but I ask you, please, if you continue to spend time with my daughter, keep her safe.”
“I will.” The words come out like a vow. Because I will keep her safe no matter what it takes.
Tires screech behind us. Tommy pulls up in his Escalade and climbs out, taking in the scene.
“Aurelio?” he asks quietly.
“Has to be.” I glance at the Arsenal. The roof is caving in now, flames shooting through. “Rocco fed him the intel. He’s the only one who knew my connection to Sophie outside of us and this was the one place connected to her or me with no guards.”
“It’s a desperate move. It shows he’s losing and knows it,” Matti says. “He needs you gone. If you’re gone, the war’s over.”
“Why not hit Sophie’s house?” Tommy frowns. “That’s where Vin actually sleeps.”
“Assumes there’s guards,” Matti says. “Assumes it’s fortified. This?” He gestures at the restaurant. “Civilian target. No defenses. Easy hit.”
I watch Sophie talking quietly with her father, her hand in his, the shock blanket slipping off her shoulders.
The truth settles over me like concrete.
As long as I’m in the life, boss or not, I’m a target.
Even if I walked away tomorrow, Aurelio or whoever comes next would hunt me down for insurance.
If I take out Aurelio and take his spot, I’m the target not just of people in the organization who want my job but other organizations who want to take us down.
Which means as long as Sophie’s with me, she’s a target too.
I look at the burning restaurant. Her dream, her home, gone because of me.
I turn to my brothers, their faces grim in the firelight.
“Aurelio dies now,” I say quietly.
Matti nods once, sharp and final.
Tommy’s jaw sets. “About fucking time.”
Sophie looks over at me. Our eyes meet across the space between us. She doesn’t know what we’re planning or the choice I’m about to make, but she will. Soon.
The Arsenal collapses inward with a roar of flame and timber, launching sparks into the sky.
Now that Aurelio has targeted Sophie, he’s done. Either he’s dead by the end of the week or I am.