Page 30 of Beautiful Vows

The three of us are ready for battle when we reach Antonio’s home, knowing he is the last person to see her alive.

This is no longer about the babies or about Rafe and I being accepted, but about letting the girl we care so much for know we want her in our lives forever.

I fell for Lia quite early.

Obviously, Dante is head over heels in love with her. I have a feeling it’s been for much longer than he’ll admit—perhaps from the moment she first challenged him, or ran from him.

Whatever it is, she ignited something long dormant in his heart.

Rafe wants her too, albeit not as much as I do. But it won’t harm our relationship, because I know she’s slowly winning him over. Her kindness, her strength, her ability to see something others don't—it’s a magic few can resist, least of all Rafe, who guards his heart more fiercely than any treasure.

“Tell Antonio that Dante de Luca is here to see him,” Dante says to the security guard at the front gate to his home. His voice carries the authority of a man who has weight, even as an heir and not yet a leader.

The gate opens, and we drive up the winding road, which is flanked by landscaped gardens and manicured bushes all the way to Antonio’s mansion. It’s a display of old money and power. Although the home itself is an imposing structure with a symmetrical facade and looks a lot like Buckingham Palace. There’s even a central balcony with an ornate railing. Yet somehow I can’t ever see Antonio stepping onto it.

As we reach the door, it swings open to reveal Antonio himself, flanked by his security detail.

“De Luca,” he says, his curious tone as an edge of disdain. “To what do I owe this... intrusion?”

Dante doesn’t bother with pleasantries. “Where is she, Antonio? Where’s Lia?”

Antonio’s eyebrows rise. “Why would she be here?”

“Don’t play games,” Rafe interjects, his patience already thin. “We know she came here.”

“And how would you know that?” Antonio’s eyebrows raise because he knows there's only one way to know.

Dante steps forward, his voice low and dangerous. “And we also know Dominic was seen leaving your home at one-thirty this morning. Strange hour for a Syndicate visit, isn’t it?”

Antonio’s jaw tightens, a flicker of unease crossing his features before he masks it. “My dealings with your father are none of your concern. As for Lia, if she was here, she’s gone now. I don’t control her movements.”

“No?” Dante challenges. “You’ve only been trying to control her entire life. What did you do, Antonio? Threaten her?”

Antonio’s eyes flash. “You dare accuse me? You, who couldn't leave her alone and brought her smack bang into the middle of this world? She was safe until you three vultures swooped in and gave her a point of no return.” He turns to Rafe and points his finger. “You should never have given her the job in the club.”

Rafe scoffs. “She was brought back into this life well before her job at my club.”

The tension is palpable, each man coiled like a cobra, ready to strike. But before it can escalate further, Antonio’s phone rings. He glances at the screen, and something shifts in his expression.

"Hello." He listens intently. His next words send a chill through us. “She’s released her inheritance,” he says into the phone. “That’s a fucking disaster. Why didn’t you talk her out of it?”

Rafe and Dante stare bewildered at each other, and I feel my stomach drop.

“What have you done?” Dante demands, his composure cracking. “Is she running? Did you force her hand?”

Which means she is still alive.

Antonio ignores Dante. Still focused on his call, but his next words turn my blood cold.

“Don’t tell her where the tracker is,” Antonio says, his tone leaving no room for argument. Then he yells, "She told you what?"

In an instant, Dante has Antonio pinned against the wall, his forearm pressed against the older man’s throat. Rafe and I move in tandem, keeping the security guards at bay.

“A tracker?” Dante hisses, his face inches from Antonio’s. “You tagged her like an animal? Your own daughter?”

Antonio doesn’t flinch. “To protect her. Something you clearly can’t do. I did it the night she was nearly killed.”

“Save it,” I cut in, disgust roiling in my gut. “Tell us where the tracker says she is, Antonio. Now.”

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