Page 36 of The Don's Deadly Assassin

His smell, oh his smell. I could lean into it forever, just breathe him in like the very air around me.

The weight of my emotions threatens to drown me as I realize the depth of my feelings for him. I don’t know what this feeling is. It’s strange, and new, but only one word comes to mind. Could it be…love?

Love was a foreign concept I had never been allowed to entertain, but now it grips me with an unyielding force, leaving me vulnerable in its wake.

It hits me like a tidal wave, overwhelming and terrifying: I am in love with Vincenzo. My chest constricts, and it feels as if the air around me is suddenly too thin to breathe. Love was never part of the plan, not for someone like me. Yet here it is, undeniable and fierce.

And what is a woman in love to do but to save the man who means everything to her? Suddenly, unbearable rage torments me. Rage aimed at myself.

“You wanted to run!” I scream at myself, falling to the ground and allowing the tears to stream down my face. ”You were going to run and leave him to rot at the Handler’s hand. You’re weak, you’re weak, Camela.”

As I lie there, my heart breaking at the thought of Vincenzo being taken from me, I realize it’s the first time I’ve shed tears from emotional turmoil.

There have been tears before - tears of agonizing training, immense pain. But those were automatic. Those were my body releasing them without me ever noticing.

These are different. These tears call to me to a woman in love, desperate to live in a world where Vincenzo stays alive.

My loyalty to my handler is strong, but my love for Vincenzo is stronger. I could never run, could never leave Vincenso in the Handler’s hands.

Such an outcome is simply incomprehensible.

I take a deep breath and stand up, wiping the tears from my face. I know better than anyone that I can't let my emotions get the best of me. The tables have turned. The plans have changed.

I'm Camela Giannelli, the Huntress, and I'll do whatever it takes to save the man I love.

I slip out of the safe house with my bags in tow. No matter what it takes, I vow to save Vincenzo and put an end to the Handler's quest for him once and for all.

The minute I sit in my car and look back at my safe house, I observe a shift in the winds. Things will never be the same again. Camela, the Huntress, raised and brought up by the Handler, knows no other life than the one in his shadows.

This new journey is unknown, wild, and unpredictable.

And yet, I can't afford to dwell on my emotions. Vincenzo's life is at stake, and I'm the only one who has a chance of saving him from the Handler. Pushing aside the fear and uncertainty, I focus on getting back to the Consolini mansion without being detected.

The imposing gates of Vincenzo's mansion come into view, and I take a deep breath.

I can’t let him know who I am, and the challenge is daunting. To protect him, I need to be by his side 24/7. But the invitation needs to come from him, and that will take time.

How in the world am I going to convince Vincenzo to let me stay by his side? It needs to come from him. He needs to ask me to stay, for that is the only way I can protect him.

I have only ever survived by protecting myself. Will I succeed in protecting someone else?

Chapter 13

The Handler

I slam my fist on the antique oak desk, sending papers flying. The crash of my anger echoes through the vaulted chamber filled with weapons and trophies from countless victories - victories the Huntress played a crucial role in.

How could she let me down like this? After all the years I spent honing her skills, sharpening her into my prized weapon. The Huntress was to be my legacy, the culmination of everything I built in the shadows.

Through gritted teeth I hiss, "Camela, you worthless bitch. I should have known better than to trust you with the most important kill shot."

I should have killed Vincenzo myself.

I cannot abide weakness. Any empire is only as strong as its weakest link. And she has proven herself weak, unable to do what must be done. A liability I can no longer afford.

I open the secure line to my top fixer. His cold voice comes through. "Yes, Sir?"

"The Huntress is now the hunted. I'm putting a $10 million contract on her head, dead or alive."

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