Page 108 of His Tesoro

Angelo put the heavy cast-iron pot in the oven for me while I supervised nervously.

“It will turn out great, principessa,” he said, shutting the door against the high heat.

“I don’t know,” I said, twisting my hands. “It’s my first time baking sourdough. I probably messed it up.”

Angelo scoffed. “Don’t worry. It’s not like the Boss won’t eat whatever you put in front of him.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” I muttered, but my guard’s expression told me I was full of shit. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes and I blushed, reminded of how Matteo had eaten me out on the kitchen counter just yesterday.

Noodle nudged my hand and I scratched his ear. “Do you want to go for a walk, malysh?”

“We have time to go around the block before the bread is done,” Angelo said.

“Okay, let’s go for a quick walk, then,” I told Noodle, who spun around excitedly.

I rolled towards the front door, but it opened before I got there. For a moment, I hoped Matteo was back early, but my heart sank when I saw it was Domenico. Noodle moved in front of me, his body on alert.

“What’s going on?” Angelo asked, hurrying to my side.

“Is Matteo okay?” I asked, glancing between the two men.

“The Boss is fine. I’m here for you, Mrs. Rossi.” The enforcer’s face was impassive, but there was a glint in his eyes that made me shiver.

“What do you mean?”

“The Boss asked me to bring you downstairs. He’s waiting for you there.”

An uncomfortable feeling rose in my chest. Matteo trusted Domenico, but I didn’t want to go anywhere with him.

“I haven’t heard anything about this,” Angelo said.

Domenico huffed. “The Boss sent me up to get her. He has a surprise for her.” His voice was calm, but tension crackled in the air.

“I stay with her,” Angelo said.

Domenico shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

I went to put Noodle’s harness on, but Domenico stopped me. “Leave the dog here.”

“He comes with me,” I said coolly.

Domenico rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, do whatever you want.”

Angelo was messaging someone on his phone as we got in the elevator, and I knew he must be confirming whatever this was with my husband. I took a steadying breath and ran my hand down Noodle’s soft ears. I was overreacting. Matteo just had a surprise for me. There was nothing unusual about that.

The elevator door opened, and Angelo cursed as he moved in front of me, blocking my view.

“Why the fuck are we down here, Domenico?” Angelo seethed.

“I’m just following Boss’s orders.” Domenico grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and pushed me forward, forcing Angelo to jump back.

A chill washed over me as I saw we were in a basement, not the garage. It was dark and cold, and in front of me there was an open door leading to a small cell.

Angelo roared and pushed Domenico in the chest. “What the fuck is this?”

I breathed in sharply as Domenico drew his gun on my bodyguard. “What are you doing? Don’t shoot!” I screamed.

“I’m carrying out the Boss’s orders,” Domenico said. “And I won’t tolerate any treason.”

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