Chapter 21 Damon
I stand at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the house, watching the sun set over the water, my phone heavy in my hand.
Tommy's latest intelligence report confirms what I already suspected—the Vergas aren't going to stop.
They'll keep coming, keep escalating, until one of our families is completely destroyed.
Behind me, I hear Viviana in the kitchen, humming to herself as she makes dinner. She's in danger because of me. Because I chose to protect her instead of handing her back immediately. Because somewhere between duty and desire, I fell in love with her.
My phone buzzes. A text from my father: New intelligence. Vergas planning something bigger. Need to meet.
This ends now.
I dial Tommy's number first.
"Boss?"
"Set up a secure line with my father and Roberto Bonacci. Tonight."
"Both of them? Together?"
"Together. It's time for a joint operation."
There's a pause. "You sure about this?"
I look back at Viviana, who's started setting the table for two, completely unaware that everything is about to change again.
"I'm sure. The Vergas want a war? We'll give them one. But on our terms."
"Who was that?" Viviana asks when I join her in the kitchen, but I can already tell from her expression that she knows something's shifted.
"Business." I sit down across from her, but my mind is already moving through tactical considerations. Entry points, timing, casualty assessments.
"What kind of business? Anything I should know about?"
I'm quiet for a moment, cutting my chicken with mechanical precision while I decide how much to tell her. She deserves the truth, but she also deserves to sleep tonight without nightmares.
"The kind that ends this. All of it."
Her fork freezes halfway to her mouth. "What do you mean?"
"I'm tired of running and hiding you away like some dirty secret. Tired of looking over my shoulder every time we step outside." I meet her eyes. "The Vergas won't stop, Viviana. They'll keep coming until they destroy both our families."
"What are you going to do?"
"What I should have done weeks ago. End them. Joint operation. Both families working together. One coordinated strike to eliminate the Verga organization completely."
She sets down her fork, and I know her appetite is gone.
"When?"
"Tonight."
"That's not much time to plan."
"It's enough." I reach across the table, taking her hand, feeling how cold her fingers are. "I know this is scary, but it's the only way we can have a real future. No more safe houses, no more hiding, no more looking over our shoulders."
"What if something goes wrong?”
"Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong." I tighten my grip on her fingers, wishing I could be as certain as I sound. "But if it does, if something happens to me, there's a protocol already in place. Tommy knows what to do. He'll get you somewhere safe."
"Don't talk like that. You’re scaring me."
"I have to. You need to understand what's at stake here."
"I understand perfectly. You're risking your life for me."
"I'm risking my life for us." I bring her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "For the future we talked about. For the chance to be together without all this hanging over us."
She's quiet for the rest of dinner, but I sense her mind working, processing the implications of what I've told her.
The call comes later and I take it in the study, closing the door even though I know Viviana will try to listen through the walls. The conversation switches rapidly between English and Italian as my father, Roberto, and I coordinate the details.
"Simultaneous strikes on all three locations," my father's orders crackle through the encrypted line. "No survivors, no witnesses."
"My men can handle the warehouse district," Roberto adds. "But we'll need your explosives expertise for the main compound."
"Tommy's already sourcing the materials," I confirm. "Shaped charges for the gates, incendiaries for cleanup."
We spend the next hour going over entry points, escape routes, communication protocols. It's the kind of detailed planning that usually takes weeks, compressed into a single night because we don't have the luxury of time.
"One more thing," Roberto says as we're wrapping up. "My daughter. She should be with my family during the operation."
I understand what he's really saying. If this goes wrong, if I don't make it back, Viviana needs to be with her family. Somewhere she can grieve and heal and eventually move on with her life.
"I know you want her home, but until this is finally over, she’s safer where she is,” I tell him. “If I don’t make it back, Tommy has instructions to delivery her immediately back to you.”
"Are you sure she’s safe?”
“As safe as she can be under the circumstances.”
“Let’s end this tonight. Kill those bastards.”
"I'll do my best, sir."
When I end the call, I go upstairs to find Viviana sitting on the edge of our bed, staring at nothing. She's changed into one of my t-shirts, her legs pulled up to her chest, looking younger and more vulnerable than I've ever seen her.
"You heard," I say.
"Some of it. Enough to worry."
I sit beside her, pulling her against my side, feeling the way she melts into me despite everything.
"Talk to me. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that a few months ago, the most dangerous thing in my life was sneaking out to nightclubs. Now I'm sitting here listening to my... whatever you are... plan a war."
"What am I to you?"
She's quiet for a long moment. "You're the man I can't live without. Even when you scare the hell out of me."
"Do I still scare you?"
"Not you, all this other stuff." She gestures toward my phone, toward the world of violence and strategy that she's only beginning to understand. "The idea of losing you before I've really had you in my life."
Her honesty cuts. I stroke her hair, buying time while I figure out what to say.
"What if I told you that after tonight, we can figure out what comes next without constantly looking over our shoulders?"
"I'd say it sounds too good to be true."
"Maybe. But it's worth fighting for."
She looks up at me, and I see the fear and love warring in her dark eyes.
"Promise me something."
"If I can."
"Promise me you'll come back. I know you don't make promises, but make this one."
I cup her face in my hands, feeling the softness of her skin, memorizing the way she looks in the moonlight streaming through the windows.
"I promise you, Viviana Bonacci, that I will do everything in my power to come back to you if it’s the last thing I ever do."
"That's not the same thing."
"It's the best I can give you."
She nods, understanding that in my world, even that much is more than most people get.