Page 235 of The Devil's Fire

“Still no answer.” Luca said.

“They better be dead for letting her slip out on their watch.” I sneered, storming through the back entrance where a car was already waiting.

I walked around the car, getting into the driver’s seat, and Giovanni and Luca slid inside. I slammed my foot down on the gas, the tires screeching as I raced towards the safe house.

My hands clenched around the steering wheel, anger surging through me from that reckless woman.

“What?” I snapped into the phone when I answered.

“She got out safely and is taking a cab.”

“Follow that cab, but keep a distance.”

“Yes, sir.”

I parked the car out of view when I reached the safe house.

“Go figure out what happened to Cecilia and Ava.” I told them, storming towards the safe house Althaia was staying in.

Despite my anger, I still entered quietly, hoping to be wrong, but I was fucking right when she was nowhere to be found.

I turned off the TV, sitting on the couch in complete darkness as I waited for her return. The kitten jumped on my lap, circling, and it made itself comfortable.

“Your owner is about to get her ass spanked raw.” I whispered, stroking its fur.

Some time passed before I heard a loud thud coming from the other bedroom.

“Ow…” I heard her wince. The kitten recognized her voice, made a sound and sprung in her direction.

Quietly, I rose to my feet, watching her silhouette entering the living room.

“Damn, you have no idea how close that was.” She said with relief in her voice as she talked to her kitten.

“Was it?” I asked, flipping the switch to turn the lights on.

Her whole body straightened and aimed a gun at me. She had a gun, and that set me into a blinding rage.

Her eyes widened and hid the gun behind her back.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Oh, fuck indeed.”

seventy-eight

Althaia

“Damiano…” I swallowed hard as I looked at him, feeling my heart rate going up once again. “I…uh…” My mind went completely blank when I tried to come up with some kind of excuse. But who was I kidding? I was in deep shit no matter what.

“Quiet.” He growled out, and I clamped my mouth shut.

Damiano looked at me with his darkened eyes. I had seen that look on his face before, moments before he was about to end someone in the most brutal way.

And now it was aimed at me.

He slowly walked up to me, his eyes scanning my body, before he met my eyes. I had to tilt my head up to be able to see his face when he stopped in front of me.

My breath hitched in my throat at how close we were. He still had that effect on my body, making it flutter and tingle without even touching me, and his face was so close to mine that it almost felt unreal.

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