Chapter 16 RAFFAEL
They stitched me up fast. Six neat little loops closed the straight line of where I cut myself with the knife earlier—my valid explanation to be here. This way, I don't have to hide from the security cameras.
My phone vibrates on the stainless-steel tray next to the exam table. I glance at the screen:
Leo:
She’s here.
I had him hack into the hospital security system and watch for Sophia. He didn't ask why, which is exactly why we get along so well. I exhale through my nose and realize how ragged it sounds.
The nurse, already on her way out, stops and gives me a funny glance. I shrug. "I think the pain meds are wearing off."
"I can bring you some more," she offers.
"I'm good." I slide off the table, ignoring the pull at the stitches, and give her a smile, making sure to keep the scarred side of my face turned away from her as the sight rattled her earlier.
She nods, eager to get out and away from me.
Like all prey animals, she senses the predator in me and can't get away fast enough.
I checked the entries and exits when I arrived.
There's only one way in or out of the ICU unless you count the fire stairs—and I doubt Sophia will take those.
She'll have to pass the east corridor, where I station myself just beyond the vending machine alcove, shadowed and still.
The scent of antiseptic hangs heavily in the air.
Not many people are coming and going here, so it's easy to keep the elevator in sight.
Further down the corridor, I spy several men who are undoubtedly guards, and I assume that's where Marcello is being kept.
My heart rate picks up the moment I hear the click of heels, then I see her.
For a breathless few seconds, time stutters.
Sophia glides down the hallway like she owns it.
Her dark coat is belted at the waist, and her beautiful black hair is pinned back; her face is pale and pulled tight.
Her eyes look exhausted and haunted. She keeps a tissue pressed to her cheek, and oversized sunglasses cover most of her face.
But I suppose that's to be expected with her brother in critical condition.
Still, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
And then… he's there.
Roberto.
Smug, patronizing bastard with his hand on her back like he owns her.
He leans close and whispers something. She stops, the smile on her lips is perfect, but now that I know, I see it.
I see the stiffness in her shoulders. The way her arms never quite relax, never fall naturally at her sides like they used to.
I see the slight hitch in her breath as he leans in, how her back arches—not toward him, but away.
Like she’s flinching, without letting herself flinch.
She doesn’t laugh. Not really. Her lips part, but no sound comes out.
She nods at something he says, too quickly, too mechanically.
She’s not with him. She’s performing for him.
A white-hot rage sears through me so fast my vision edges red.
How the hell did I miss it? How could I have been that blind?
Because you refused to look, the little voice in my head sneers.
Her hand lifts to brush a piece of hair behind her ear, but there’s nothing there.
Her fingers tremble as they fall. And that's when I notice the bruise.
Faint. Almost perfectly hidden beneath her concealer. Just beneath her jaw, near the hollow of her throat. A thumbprint.
And suddenly, I can’t fucking breathe.
Igor was telling the truth.
All of it.
She’s not smiling because she’s happy. She’s smiling because she has to. Because if she doesn’t, she’ll pay for it later. Probably already has. I feel like my soul is being ripped in half. Like someone has reached into my chest and has pulled my heart out through a crack in my ribs.
You let her walk into this. You walked away and left her alone with him. You fucking knew what kind of man Roberto Giordano was. I accuse myself.
And I did nothing. Once again, Roberto wraps his arm around her waist and steers her toward the elevators like a man parading a trophy—Sophia's head is bowed, her eyes are cast down—and I finally see it.
She’s not his wife. She’s his prisoner.
I lurch forward. The instinct is primal. Irresistible.
Run.
Run to her. Rip his hands off her. Pull her into my arms like I did before. Shield her from everything—everyone.
Kill him.
Kill him.
But movement near the elevator stops me. Not just the guards trailing them—two of Roberto’s men, hands casually near their jackets—but others. Civilians. Doctors. Nurses. Two women, with a child in a wheelchair. A young couple holding hands.
Too many witnesses. Too many potential victims.
I’ve built my name, my business, my everything on upholding the Omertà. The real code, not the shit men like Roberto pretend to live by. And that code says one thing louder than anything else: Don’t involve civilians.
I can’t break it. Not even for her. Not here. Not now. Not when she’s not in immediate danger. It’s the only thing strong enough to hold me back—the only thing keeping me from tearing him apart where he stands.
You want to kill a monster? Fine. But don’t burn the hospital down around him.
My fists curl so tight my stitches pull, hot and wet under the gauze. I bite back the wince. I want the pain. I need it. Because if I don’t focus, if I don’t stay sharp, I’ll charge out there and do something stupid. Something loud. Something bloody. Something fast.
And that bastard doesn’t deserve fast. He doesn’t deserve one clean shot to the temple. He doesn’t deserve a painless exit. He deserves fear.
He deserves to see me coming.
And Sophia?
She deserves more than a rescue. She deserves safety. She deserves to never have to look over her shoulder again.
This means I can’t go in guns blazing.
Not yet.
I take a step back into the shadow, my heart hammering like a war drum in my chest. I need my men. I need all of them. Because this isn’t going to be a kill, this is going to be a message. I’m going to drag Roberto Giordano out of his fortress of lies and burn everything he touches.
I’ll make him beg. Bleed. Scream.
I'll make his guards and his servants bleed and scream.
I'll make them all pay for every single second of pain Sophia has ever endured.
And I’ll make sure Sophia never has to hide a bruise again. I’m going to wage a fucking war.
And it starts tonight.