Chapter 15
I picked at the delicious pasta, my appetite finally returning after weeks of stress. Just as I reached for another piece of bread, my phone buzzed on the table.
My hand froze mid–reach. Dominic’s name flashed across the screen. Again. The constant harassment had become background noise at this point. I picked up the phone, finger hovering over the block button. It was time to cut this last tie.
But the preview caught my eye. My breath hitched as I opened the message thread.
The fork clattered against my plate. There they stood, in front of my parents‘ pristine white marble headstone. Camilla’s red–painted lips curved into a cruel smile as she posed with a sledgehammer propped against her shoulder. Dominic’s face… I’d seen that look before, right before he’d-
My hands shook as I read his message:
“Should have stayed where you belonged, Val. Your parents would be so disappointed in their little slut. Maybe we should help them rest in pieces instead of peace?”
The room spun. Bile rose in my throat as memories of the “accident” that killed my parents flooded back. The brake lines. The cliff. The investigation that went nowhere because of Dominic’s connections.
“Tesoro?” Lorenzo’s concerned voice seemed far away. “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. Just turned the phone toward him, letting him see the twisted message and photo for himself.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Lorenzo’s face transformed, all warmth vanishing as he read the message. His jaw clenched, and for the first time, I glimpsed the dangerous man that lurked beneath his gentle exterior.
“They’re at my parents‘ grave,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “They’re going to-”
“They won’t touch them.” Lorenzo’s voice cut through my panic. He spun toward the door, barking orders in rapid Italian. “Marco! Take your team to Sacred Heart Cemetery. Now. Protect the graves of Antonio and Maria Salvatore. If you find those bastards, bring them to me.”
Chapter 14
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11:55 Sun, 2 Mar 6
The rush of footsteps and slamming car doors echoed through the house. Lorenzo turned back to me, pulling me into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent as tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Shh, tesoro. I’ve got you.” His hands stroked my hair. “Nothing will happen to your parents‘ resting place. My men will handle it.”
I clutched his shirt, trying to steady my breathing. “What if-”
“No what–ifs. You’re safe. Your parents are safe.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Those animals won’t hurt anyone else you love. I promise.”
Minutes stretched like hours as we waited. When Lorenzo’s phone buzzed, my heart stopped. His entire body tensed as he read the message.
“I’m sorry, tesoro.” His voice was tight with barely controlled rage. “They were already gone when my men arrived. The headstone…” He paused, jaw clenching. “It’s destroyed.”
A wounded sound escaped my throat. The beautiful marble marker, the last physical connection to my parents, smashed to pieces by those monsters. My legs gave out, but Lorenzo caught me before I hit the floor.
“How?” I choked out. “How can they keep hurting me like this?”
“They won’t get away with it.” Lorenzo’s arms tightened around me, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I swear on my life, they will pay for every tear they’ve made you shed.”
“They have to suffer,” I growled, rage replacing the crushing grief in my chest. My fingers curled into fists against Lorenzo’s shirt. “I want them to feel every bit of pain they’ve inflicted. I want them to lose everything, just like they took everything from me.”
Lorenzo lifted me into his arms, cradling me against his chest as he carried me to the leather couch. But instead of trying to soothe me like before, a dark satisfaction crossed his features.
“I’ve been holding back, tesoro.” His thumb traced my tearstained cheek. “Waiting to see how you wanted to handle this. I didn’t want to push you toward vengeance if that wasn’t what you needed.”
“And now?”
“Now I see the fire in your eyes.” He settled me in his lap, his expression hardening. “Now I know you’re ready to make them pay. We’ll plan this carefully. meticulously. They won’t see it coming until it’s too late.”
Chapter 15
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