Enzo
“Sir,” a panicked whisper shook me awake.
I was awake and slipping out from under Serena in a second. “What?”
“There’s been a breach in the perimeter. Six, possibly more, are coming in fast.” With that, my man ran out of the room as fast as he could.
I got out of bed, slid into my boxers, and turned back to the bed. Serena slept on, her blonde hair splayed out on the pillow. Sated and sleepy, exactly as I wanted her to be.
It killed me that I had to wake her up, but her safety came first. I would kill those who thought they could disturb her sleep.
“Serena,” I said, shaking her shoulder.
She whined, pulling the blanket up higher. Cazzo, I hated having to do this.
I shook the bed and raised my voice. “Wake up.”
I ripped the blanket away, hating how she curled into a ball to keep warm as the cold air hit her.
All I wanted was to give her a night she’d never forget. One that would show her how much I could add to her life.
I leaned over, grabbed her by the shoulders, and shook her. “I need you to wake up.”
“Fine,” she whined. I needed her to move faster than this. I needed to move faster than this.
Her eyes fluttered open. She jerked back, the intensity of my face likely surprising her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. I picked her up and headed to the closet.
“We’re under attack.” I placed her as far back in the closet as I could, turned, and went to the nightstand. Grabbing the small handgun I kept in the drawer, I undid the safety, picked up the linen blanket, and returned to her.
I crouched, holding the gun out to her. “Take this. If anyone opens this door that isn’t me, point and shoot.” I pulled the blanket around her. It was black, helping her blend into the darkness, and covering her naked body.
“I don’t want to do this.” The fear in her eyes made me hesitate.
“Amuri, I don’t want you to either. I need to go out there and remind people what it means to attack me.” I pointed to the gun. “This is a last resort, one that you won’t have to use, but will make me feel better that you have it.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “Okay. Go.”
I kissed her hard and fast, then closed the door.
Pressing the knob on the wall next to the closet, the panel slid open, revealing a collection of guns. With practiced hands, I grabbed the holster, strapped it to my leg, added extra ammo, and picked up the gun.
I left the room, closing the bedroom door behind me, and moved toward the hull of the boat.
The only sounds were the waves lapping against the boat. Then an odd splash, one of rhythm with the water.
I scanned the edge, keeping my breath calm and my gun raised.
A black blob appeared over the edge. I didn’t think, only pointed, relaxed, and took my shot.
This had to be a one-shot, one-kill situation. Any excess gunfire might alert the others in the group that we knew they were here.
My aim was true, as whoever tried to come over fell back into the water with a loud splash.
More gunshots rang out in the night. No yelling , no excess noise. Just the shots, then silence.
We were surprising them as much as they had surprised us.
I had run drills with my men for situations like this, so we were never unprepared. They called me paranoid, but looking at how efficient we were, I knew they wouldn’t make the same comment.
We needed to be lethal and never underestimate our enemies.
I listened, searching for the off-cycle splashing as I quietly made my way toward the back of the boat.
I came into full view of the hull, spotting two more bodies pulling themselves up over the deck at the same time they spotted me.
I took my shots, moving faster than they could reach for their weapons. They collapsed, dark blood leaking onto the wood floors.
Spinning, I noticed I was the only person in the area: none of the other men had come back here.
A mistake.
Where were my men? If they were all at the front, there was no one patrolling. No one was ensuring we had no blind spots.
I had killed three, but there were at least eight. Or was it nine reported to be approaching?
The numbers didn’t matter, but the chance that one of them made it through our defenses because we were too focused on getting to where we thought the action was left us wide open.
My heart ratcheted into my throat. It was an easy path to Serena. If it were me, I would’ve studied the boat layout and known exactly where to go.
I had to get to her. I promised her safety, that she wouldn’t have to use the gun, and I’d keep that promise to my dying breath.
I sprinted back to our room. Whoever was here had come for her. Just like last time.
The door was open, and a tall person in a black wetsuit stood in front of the closet, reaching for the handle.
I slid across the floor onto my side, skin tearing from the impact. It was wet from the person who thought they could harm the woman I’d devoted myself to.
I had to be careful with my aim. One stray bullet could go through the closet and hit Serena. The person turned. I could see the man behind the mask smiling as he raised his gun.
I didn’t let him get a shot off. I pulled the trigger, the bullet burying itself in his calf. He yelled, falling to his knees.
I stood, took aim, and pulled the trigger. The next bullet found his shoulder— his gun arm.
Another press of the trigger, and his knee shattered as he fell to the side.
I stood over him as he screamed in pain. “Faccia di culo.” I put a bullet between his eyes, shutting him up forever.
Maybe this would serve as a warning to whoever was after Serena.
I stepped over the dead body and pulled the closet door open. I saw the glint of a gun and called out fast—before she could shoot me by accident.
“It’s me, Serena.” There was a gush of air and a hiccup, tearing my heart apart. I couldn’t imagine how scared she was. What was she thinking, being forced to hide while someone came to hurt her for a second time?
Serena crawled from the back of the closet and into my arms. Her body shook as she cried.
I sat down, pulling her closer, and rocked her. There was nothing I could do but comfort her as she worked through her emotions.
Was the threat over? I wasn’t sure, but I had to trust my men to do the jobs I trained them for. Being with Serena and ensuring she was safe was my only priority.
The only thing I could do as I held her in my arms, where I had wanted her for what felt like my entire life, was pray that this wasn’t the beginning of the end.
That she saw through the brief moments of violence to the love and happiness I could give her and Harper.
I was asking a lot, maybe more than I deserved, but I clung to hope as I held her, keeping her face turned away from the dead body on the floor.
After a minute or so, her shoulders stopped shaking, and her breathing evened out.
“Tesoro mio, we need to move.” I stood and put her on her feet, holding her steady as she swayed. Reaching into the closet, I grabbed the first dress I could find. “Arms up,” I instructed.
Serena let go of the blanket she had been clinging to and raised her arms. I slipped the dress over her head, continuing to block her view of the body.
“Sir,” one of the men called, entering the room. “The threat is neutralized. We have the dinghy pulled up and ready to go.”
I looked over my shoulder, allowing my anger to show on my face. “I want to know how this happened.” I wrapped an arm around Serena, leading her to the door. I glanced down and found her face ashen, staring down at the body.
“Hey.” I tipped her chin up to look at me and not the mess on the floor. “I told you that anyone who tried to harm you wouldn’t breathe for long, si? I meant what I said.”
Her eyes filled with tears, but none fell as I urged her to move.
“Okay, Lorenzo. I think I believe you now.” She spoke so softly, I almost missed it.
We walked down the steps and to the hull, which was clean of the bodies I had left.
My men stood in a line, hands behind their backs, heads bowed.
One took a step forward. “We apologize. This will never happen again.”
“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to her for putting her in danger with your lack of diligence,” I snarled.
As if they practiced it beforehand, all five men got down on one knee, heads still bowed, hands fisted and pressed against their chests. It was a pose of subservience, of an apology that didn’t need words because in my world, actions spoke louder than words.
I glanced down at Serena. Color had come back to her face, and she no longer looked like she was seconds from screaming and running away in fear.
I leaned down and whispered in Serena’s ear. “They’ll stay like this until you tell them to rise, and not let it happen again.”
“I have to say it? Not you?” she replied, keeping her eyes on the men.
“Yes. This is for you, not me,” I said.
“What should I say?” she asked, reaching down and squeezing my hand.
“Whatever you want,” I said, wondering what she’d come up with.
She took a step forward, gripping my hand so tightly I was sure she was going to break a knuckle, and stared at my men.
“Rise.” Her voice was raw from crying but held strong.
The men obediently rose and lifted their heads, but kept their hands fisted over their chests. As one, they said, “Improvements will be made.”
I nodded in approval, though none of the men were focused on me. They stared at her, waiting for her instructions.
She turned back to me and said, “I’d like to leave now.”
I bowed, and the other men followed suit, then jumped into action. “Come vuoi, mia regina.”
helped her into the dinghy and pulled away from the yacht.
Hopefully, my plans weren’t ruined as I steered us to our next location.
One that was locked down completely.