16. Domenico
Chapter 16
Domenico
T he tension in the house is building the closer we get to the wedding. But it’s not only the mansion that’s alive with electricity, I am too because I know that there aren’t many more evenings I can sneak into Lia’s room to see her. And I need a concrete plan.
It’s only a couple of days later when I hear a car pulling up to the mansion, and I don’t realize it could hold the answer to my prayers.
I see him before he sees me—crossing the gravel courtyard beside the fountain, flanked by two guards who don’t know what kind of man they’re escorting. He walks like he’s still in New York. Confident. Quick. Dangerous in the quiet way that matters.
I keep my distance.
Watch.
Assess.
Guillermo has the look of someone who’s seen too much and learned not to flinch. His eyes scan every shadow. Every corner. It’s been less than five minutes and he already knows where every exit is.
I was on my way to see Lia, to talk to her about a plan that’s been formulating in my mind since last night, but this stops me dead in my tracks. I’ve known about Guillermo since I was a kid when my father sat me down and trained me on every man in the Vitale familia. But now that he’s here, he stalks in like a hero and a protector.
He steps into the house and the air changes. He’s worked for Lia’s father for longer than I’ve been alive. He has been Lia’s bodyguard back in New York for years. Now all I can do is pray Cassio doesn’t follow this bastard.
“You must be the new guy,” he tells me, and I can see the smirk curling his lips. He’s testing me. I respect that because he’s looked after the woman who’s stolen my heart since the moment I laid my eyes on her.
This is a man I need to get on my side.
“I am,” I tell him with a confident nod. We’re both in this for the same reason—to keep Lelia safe from the Mosca clan. Even though she’s meant to marry Ignacio, I will spill blood for her, and I have no doubt the man before me will do the same.
I’m sure Guillermo has arrived under the guise of tradition. A loyal protector returning to witness the wedding of the girl he once guarded like a daughter.
He offers a small smile. “I heard you’re looking after my ward,” he says as he hands me a card.
When I take it, I realize it’s a wedding invitation, and this one bears the Mosca seal.
“I am. I will kill to keep her safe,” I inform him without a hint of a smile. I need him to know how serious I am. My gaze is locked on his.
He shifts the enormous suitcase behind him, and he holds out a hand to me. We shake, without words. A silent understanding.
“I’ll show you to your room.” I turn and hear the wheels of his luggage follow behind. I’m sure they carry the weight of secrets better left hidden for now.
“Lia needs someone strong,” he tells me, and for a moment, I think he’s talking about a partner, a lover. Someone who can keep her safe from everyone. But then I realize he means as a bodyguard. My job.
“She does. Luckily, she has me now while you’re not here.” I tack on the last few words, hoping it will show him the respect he deserves. I want him to know I’m not here to take his place but to do the job he was hired to do back in New York. I want him to know I’m on his side.
But he’s not easily swayed.
He’s good.
Too good to trust easily.
As we walk to the wing of the mansion that’s been set up for guests, I stop at the door and open it. He walks through without turning to look at me. His focus is on every corner of the space. I watch from the threshold, not wanting to disturb his thoughts.
“You’re not from around here,” he says without turning around.
I nod, but he can’t see it. “Neither are you,” I throw back easily.
He finally faces me.
We stare at each other in the low light, two men pretending to belong in a place that would eat us alive if it knew the truth.
“I’ve heard about you,” Guillermo says, turning to face me fully now. We’re both the same height, but there is more bulk to the man before me. And that’s saying something. His suit is perfectly pressed, not a crease in sight. Even though his plane has just landed from the States.
I bring my hands together in front of me and lean against the doorframe, my eyes never leaving his. “I’m sure you have.”
“I don’t like it.” There’s a hint of a smirk as he challenges me.
I shrug it off. This is his way of testing me. He wants to see how I’ll react. Deep down, I wonder if he knows exactly who I am. No other man, new to this kind of job, would be as relaxed as I am sparring with him. “I didn’t ask you to.”
He crosses his arms, still watching. “You touched her.”
My heart thuds hard against my chest, stealing my breath for a second or two before I nod. “I did.”
Guillermo tips his head to the side, his gaze narrowing as he regards me. This definitely wasn’t what I was expecting when he spoke to me moments ago. I wonder if Lia told him about me somehow. I know she has her cell phone with her, but would she have told our secret to someone else?
“And you love her?” he finally asks.
I don’t hesitate. “Yes.”
That gets a flicker of something from him. Not quite approval. Not yet. But something closer to curiosity than threat.
“I knew her when she still scraped her knees on marble floors,” he says. “When she thought love was something that came after loyalty, not before it.”
I take a step into the room and square my shoulders. “She’s not that girl anymore.”
“No,” he agrees with a shake of his head. “She’s not.”
I glance around. “We shouldn’t talk here.”
He nods once. “Midnight. Chapel ruins.”
Then he turns away like nothing happened.
The chapel ruins sit at the edge of the estate, half-swallowed by ivy and rot. Once holy, now just hollow. As I move closer to the building, I note there are tall trees that hide the secrets I’m sure have been whispered in this hallowed ground.
I arrive five minutes early because I’m not sure if he’s going to play me. I don’t think he is, but I’d rather be alert than be caught out. But Guillermo’s already waiting the moment I step into the ruins.
“You always show up early?” I ask as I stop in front of him.
The corner of his mouth twitches, and he throws back, “You always talk first?”
Touché.
He leans against a cracked pillar, arms crossed as he regards me. The man is far older than me, but he’s still fit, strong, and I’m sure he can take anyone down.
He tips his head to the side, curiosity clear in his expression. “So. What’s the plan?”
“You’re assuming I have one.” I know I want to get rid of Ignacio. My father wants all the intel I can garner, but the most important thing to me right now is making sure Lia is safe.
Guillermo sighs and shakes his head. “Listen to me Montesano,” he says, using my family name as if it offends him. “If you don’t have a plan, you’re an idiot. If you do, you’re still insane.”
Shrugging, I say, “I’ll take insane.” I lay it out for him. “I want to take Mosca out. He needs to die, but my father wants information. I’m in here for her, to keep her for myself, even if it means I’ll forever be on the run from my family and hers. But I also owe loyalty to my father. He is the Boss, and I can’t deny him the requests he’s made.”
He listens. Quiet. Sharp-eyed.
“I want to burn the place to the ground. The organization, the compound, everything. And for Lelia to be safe, I have to ensure she’s safely hidden when all this goes down.” When I finish, he lets out a slow breath.
“You really think you can kill Ignacio and not start a war? And do you really think that Lelia is going to sit back and allow you to do this on your own?”
“No. Firstly, I think we’re already in a war, one that wasn’t of our making, and secondly…” I pause for a long moment before I continue, “She will never let me go through this alone. And that’s where I need your help.”
He grins, then chuckles, amused. “You’re crazier than I thought.”
I nod. It’s true, I am. Nobody will see me coming, and that’s why I have an advantage. Nobody knows I’m a Montesano. “But you want in.”
His grin fades. “I’m not here for you.”
“I know.”
This time, Guillermo steps toward me. His finger presses against my chest. There’s a warning in his gaze, one that I know I deserve. “I’m here for her. And if you get her killed?—”
I don’t allow him to finish his threat when I say, “You can put a bullet in me yourself.”
We lock eyes. He’s considering killing me right now. Deciding if I’m worth betting her life on.
Finally, he nods. “I’m in.”