Chapter Nine
Sergio
“Dorian just left. But I think I heard screams.” Finley’s words on the other end of the phone made my blood run cold.
After their argument, then after the conversation I overheard with Phoenix, I didn’t wait.
Yeah, I gave up my relationship with Rachel, but that was insignificant.
I needed answers from Seraphina. And if her answers included anything like what I thought they would, fuck Dorian Drakos.
I would fucking kill him, gut him like a pig, then hang up his mutilated corpse in the streets of Santorini for his entire family to see.
I made sure Kai disabled the security system before I broke into her home.
Did he try to stop me? Of course he did.
Kai never liked Seraphina. He always considered her a distraction from my true purpose—taking over the Puglisi family with him and Finley by my side.
That was one of the reasons I left his ass in the States and brought Finley with me on this trip.
I didn’t need to hear his constant complaints about her and my obsession with her.
Finley kept his mouth closed even if he agreed with Kai at times.
They both had been the only people I considered friends.
And they were the only people who knew the true depths of my feelings for her.
However, only Kai had the balls to say what he thought about Seraphina.
You think after all these years he’d realize I didn’t give a fuck what he thought.
When I slipped through the doors of their patio on the ground floor, it was eerily quiet.
Even though it was dark, I could see that everything was either crisp white, soft creams, with accents of cobalt blue or terracotta.
The whitewashed walls had built in sofas with linen cushions that hugged the curves of the room and arched alcoves displayed handmade ceramics and beach themed art.
It was like Gianni and Phoenix’s home and nothing like what Seraphina liked.
As I placed my hand on the cool, curved wall while climbing the stairs, the distinct sound of water cascading nearby reached my ears. As I made my way up the curved staircase, carved from pale stone, the recessed lighting created a soft ambient glow allowing me to see the way.
When I reached the landing, the space opened up. The space was large enough to have two armchairs flanking a large arched window that gave a magnificent glimpse of the night and the Aegean Sea.
The sound of water got louder, coming from a door that stood slightly open. I heard nothing other than water, so I stepped inside the room. Moonlight streamed through the arched windows, its silver glow highlighting the destroyed room.
“Motherfucker,” I mumbled as fear and rage surged through me.
A shattered ceramic lamp lay in pieces across the carpeted floor, its base smeared with something dark. The bed covers were laying on the floor at the end of the bed. And a small blood stain and a clump of hair lay not too far from the broken lamp.
“Sera?” I called out her name so I wouldn’t scare the shit out of her. “It’s Sergio.”
She’d be pissed I was in her home, but at least she would know it was me and not some random intruder looking to hurt her.
When she didn’t respond, my heart sank to my gut.
I moved toward the bathroom door, the sound of my breath as loud as the running water. The door was slightly open, so I pushed it open all the way, fearing what I might find on the other side.
“Seraphina.”
Then I saw her. Curled on the tiled floor of the shower, hair soaked and clinging to her face. Her clothes she wore tonight were torn and soaked, hugging her frame. I rushed to her, my worse fear coming true.
I’m going to fucking kill him.
The water still ran—ice cold now—pouring over her skin in thin streams. Along with a split lip, her eye was swollen shut, her face bruised and also swollen like he might have punched her a few times in the face.
I shut the water off, then dropped to my knees beside her, not caring that my bespoke suit was getting wet.
“Hey.” My voice cracked as I pushed her wet hair away from her face. “I’m here.”
No response.
I haven’t felt this kind of panic or helplessness since she was almost killed by my father. I vowed I would protect her from shit like this happening again. But I failed her again.
Her eyes were closed, but her lashes fluttered, and her body shook.
She was still alive.
“I’m here, baby,” I whispered, my words almost getting stuck in my throat. “I got you.”
I pulled out the phone and dialed Finley.
“I need the plane ready, and a doctor on board,” I said with a tinge of panic in my voice. “I don’t care how much it costs.”
“On it, boss,” he said, only hesitating for a moment.
He knew not to question me even if he wanted to. He heard the screams. I ended the call, then shoved the phone into my pocket.
I pulled a towel from the rack beside the shower stall, then wrapped it around her as gently as possible. An anguished cry escaped her as I lifted her, then her head fell limply against my chest.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry, baby.” I kissed her forehead. “I’m here now.”
Immediately, the weight of the situation settled on my shoulders. I’d make sure she was far away from Dorian Drakos. So far away he would never find her.
I carried her through the wreckage of the master bedroom, past the bloodstained carpet, clumps of hair, and the secret she hid from everyone, toward safety.
Toward reckoning.
Outside, the people of Santorini went on with their lives like nothing had happened.
Like the love of my life hadn’t been almost killed while they lived their lives like she wasn’t the center of my world.
However, they would all soon know that while the Drakos family ruled Greece, they didn’t rule Sergio Puglisi.
Hell was coming, and I would watch it all burn down before I let that motherfucker anywhere near her again.