Chapter Eleven Ella
Chapter Eleven
Ella
My nostrils flare and I grind my teeth.
God, he hasn’t listened to a word I’ve said, has he?
I’m tempted to stomp on his foot. The urge to cause him even a small amount of pain is strong. It would be nothing compared to what he put me through.
“You are mine,” Tiero says again, each word heavy with conviction.
The words make me want to punch him.
“I will take care of you in every way,” he continues, ignoring the anger that must be written all over my face.
“The thought of you returning to your old life, of other men looking at you… touching you… taking what is mine…”
His jaw tightens.
“That is never going to be acceptable.”
The possessiveness in his voice sends a fresh mix of rage and heat racing through me. I focus on the rage part.
He straightens slightly, though he is still towering over me.
“You belong by my side. From now on, wherever I go, you will go.”
For a moment, I simply stare at him. Utter disbelief floods through me.
“This is a criminal act, Signor De Marco,” I say flatly. “It’s called deprivation of liberty.”
He doesn’t react. Not even a flicker.
As if I never spoke, he continues calmly, “The news that I’ve found my queen has already spread like wildfire in my circle.”
A chill creeps down my spine.
“You’re not safe anymore on your own,” he adds. “Unfortunately, you’ve become a highly priced target.”
Cold shivers race through my body.
“What do you mean?”
“My rivals will stop at nothing to take you in order to get to me,” he says matter-of-factly. “You are my Achilles’ heel.”
He holds my gaze steadily.
“But even though having you in my life makes me more vulnerable, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Is that supposed to reassure me?
Because it absolutely does not.
“It just means we have to take certain precautions to ensure your safety.”
“What kind of precautions?” I ask, still struggling to process everything he’s saying.
“I want to be able to locate you at all times.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“Meaning?”
“A chip in your arm transmitting your GPS coordinates.”
The blood drains from my face.
What the hell? Over my dead body.
A wave of nausea crashes over me, so strong I have to swallow hard to keep from throwing up. Thanks to Gualtiero, that is becoming a disturbingly regular experience.
I force the bile back down and grit my teeth.
“I am not a dog you can microchip,” I snap. “You are completely deranged, Gualtiero.”
“It might save your life if you are ever taken,” he replies calmly.
“If someone kidnaps me, they will expect something like that and cut it out immediately,” I shoot back. “So no. Absolutely not.”
Tiero exhales, clearly losing patience. His tone hardens.
“We will discuss this again once you have calmed down and had time to adjust to your new reality.”
Where is the man I knew? Island Tiero? I really can’t say I care much for this new version of him.
“For now, security around us has been increased. You are not to go anywhere without guards.”
His gaze locks onto mine.
“And this is not negotiable. So don’t waste your energy arguing.”
I wasn’t planning to.
More guards may make any future escape attempts significantly harder, but it also means staying safe, assuming he is telling the truth.
At this point, I’m no longer sure what to believe.
For all I know, he could simply be manipulating me.
The entire situation feels surreal.
Like I’ve somehow stumbled into the middle of a mafia romance novel that’s gone terribly wrong. Did I attract this by devouring all those steamy mafia books over the years?
No, that’s ridiculous. It doesn’t work like that.
One thing is certain, though. I have absolutely no desire to become a bargaining chip for Tiero’s enemies. God only knows what they would do to me.
And frankly, I’d rather God kept that particular knowledge to himself.
“Why are your enemies so determined to bring you down? Why am I not safe? Who exactly are you?”
“You are safe,” he replies evenly. “I had you shadowed from the moment we met to ensure you were protected. No harm will come to you on my watch.”
From the first afternoon?
Unbelievable.
A new realization dawns, and I need to know.
“The day of our first dinner… did you have us followed to Messina?”
He nods without hesitation.
A humorless laugh escapes me.
“The car that followed us down the one-way street,” I continue. “It wasn’t there the second time. Why not?”
“They were better prepared for your friend’s erratic driving,” he answers, somewhat amused. “They took a different route so you wouldn’t notice them. Your car had a tracker. Finding you again was easy.”
Wow.
I’m rendered speechless. Again.
On the one hand, I’m appalled by Tiero’s caveman logic of claiming me as his woman the moment we met.
On the other hand…
A reluctant part of me feels strangely reassured that he was protecting me. Or so he claims.
But if what he says is true, and I have become a target, does that mean his enemies have been watching me this entire time too?
The thought turns my insides to ice.
This is completely messed up.
“What if there’s a mole in your organization?” I ask. “What if someone betrays you and they get to me despite all your precautions?”
Tiero’s expression darkens. Something cold flashes in his eyes.
“You’re safe as long as you follow orders.”
I scoff.
Of course he would say that.
It makes me wonder how real the threat actually is, or if he simply wants to keep me obedient. He could tell me anything.
I have absolutely no way of knowing whether any of it is true.
God, this conversation is starting to sound eerily familiar. It reminds me of the one I had with Baroni.
“Your adviser gives me the creeps,” I say bluntly. “I don’t trust him.”
Tiero’s gaze sharpens.
“Especially after seeing him yesterday with the guy from the cathedral,” I continue, watching him closely. “The same man who was signaling to the person I bumped into just before meeting you.”
Tiero goes completely still.
“What do you mean?”
Ah, so there is something he doesn’t know.
“Right before we met,” I explain, “I bumped into a guy with a low man-bun who was on the phone while watching something… or someone on the other side of the street.”
I pause. “Looking back at it now, I assume it was you.”
I watch Tiero carefully as I continue, “The same man was at the cathedral the afternoon I visited Syracuse. Again on the phone. And the man who came to speak with Baroni yesterday was there too, signaling to him.”
Tiero’s expression turns murderous. A chill runs down my spine, and I instinctively shrink back in my chair.
Looks like I’ve hit a nerve.
Maybe I wasn’t that far off about the mole after all.
Would his own adviser really betray him?
What kind of world have I stepped into?
But right now, someone betraying the dangerously silent man in front of me is not my biggest concern.
“What about Rhia?” I ask. “Is she in danger?”
I need to know my best friend is safe.
“She’s in less danger than you are,” Tiero replies evenly. “But yes, given how close the two of you are, there is a chance they might try to get to her.”
My stomach tightens.
“But don’t worry,” he adds. “I have eyes on her.”
I’m not sure that’s really a relief. She and Lex will be furious when they find out she’s being watched.
“How much danger is she in?” The thought of anything happening to Rhia because of me twists my insides. I could never forgive myself.
“So far, they have shown no interest in her,” he says. “Her safety is a priority to me because Rhia matters to you.”
His gaze softens slightly.
“She is probably safer now than she has ever been.”
I doubt that. Rhia is safest when Lex is around. I wish he were already back from South America.
A sigh escapes me. I hate every part of this.
His calm certainty. The way he talks about danger as if it were just another business variable. The way he has stripped away every ounce of freedom I had without even asking.
Most of all, I hate this suffocating helplessness. Being completely at the mercy of people whose moral compass points in an entirely different direction from mine.
Tiero watches me intently.
Unable to bear the weight of that gaze, I look away.
The silence stretches.
My heart begins to race.
“Look at me, angel,” he says softly.
Reluctantly, I lift my eyes.
He studies me as if he can read every thought passing through my mind. A faint smile touches his mouth, as if my turmoil only confirms something he already believes.
“Chemistry like ours is rare,” he says gently. “I know you feel it too. It’s been written all over your face and deep in your eyes from the very beginning.”
His voice drops lower.
“Even now you struggle against the pull between us.”
My breath catches.
“Stop resisting it,” he murmurs. “And we will find our way back to where we were.”
His eyes hold mine captive.
“We will be happy together.”
The warmth of his breath brushes my neck, and my traitorous body reacts instantly. The seductive tone of his voice chips away at my anger, at the fragile wall I am desperately trying to hold on to.
I want to deny everything he just said.
But the words refuse to come.
Because he is not entirely wrong.
That current between us when our eyes first met… the way the world seemed to tilt for a moment, as if something deep beneath the surface of reality had shifted.
It felt like two tectonic plates colliding.
Like our souls had recognized each other before our minds had time to catch up.
I swallow hard.
If he truly were my soulmate, though, why does the thought fill me with unease instead of joy?
Why is there always this quiet sense of danger humming beneath the connection we share?
He leans closer and presses a soft kiss to the sensitive spot below my ear he discovered drives me crazy.
Goosebumps ripple across my skin.
Before I can stop myself, I lean toward him, drawn by the warmth of his body.
His lips trail along the side of my neck.
The sensation is achingly familiar, and dangerously good.
For a moment my mind drifts, caught in the memory of how easily we slipped into each other’s orbit during my time in Sicily.
No. I need to stop this.
I shake my head sharply, forcing myself to break free from the haze he wraps around me so effortlessly.
“Gualtiero, you’ve completely lost your mind,” I say, pushing the words out before my resolve weakens again. “I can’t stay here. I have a life back home.”
My voice grows stronger as the reality of everything crashes back over me.
“My family may be gone, but I still have friends who care about me. Rhia expected me home a couple of days ago. She must be worried sick.”
The thought twists painfully in my chest.
“And my job,” I continue. “I love my work. My colleagues rely on me. I can’t just vanish without a word.”
The absurdity of the situation hits me all over again.
“Surely someone has reported me missing already. The police will be looking for me. And when they trace where I disappeared, it will lead straight to you.”
My gaze locks onto his.
“This will never work. Just let me go.”
My voice softens slightly.
“Let’s pretend none of this ever happened.”
Tiero slowly straightens.
As he steps back, the sudden distance feels like the first full breath I have taken in minutes.
“Ella, Ella, Ella,” he mutters, shaking his head as if disappointed by my naivety.
The softness in his expression disappears.
“Do you honestly think I’m such an amateur?” he asks.
His voice carries a quiet edge now.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t planned every step carefully, executed every move with precision, and adjusted my strategies when necessary. I always stay one step ahead of everyone else.”
The hair on the back of my neck lifts. The certainty in his voice sends prickles crawling down my spine.
A tremor runs through me as a thin sheen of cold sweat forms along my skin.
My mind races.
What has he done?