Page 70 of Ruthless Desire

She looks at me, those stormy eyes wide with a cocktail of emotions I can't quite decipher. Fear, certainly. Confusion. And underneath it all, a spark of something that makes my blood sing. Desire.

"What happens now?" she whispers, voice hoarse from smoke and screaming.

I reach out, cupping her face in my hand. She flinches but doesn't pull away. Progress. "Now, we regroup. We plan. And then we make those Corsini fuckers pay for what they've done."

A shudder runs through her at my words, but I see the way her pupils dilate, the quickening of her pulse beneath the delicate skin of her throat. Oh, solnyshko. You can't hide your true nature from me.

I lead her to the elevator, keying in the complex security code that will take us to the penthouse. As we ascend, I feel the adrenaline of the night beginning to ebb, replaced by a bone-deep weariness.

The doors slide open, revealing a space that's the antithesis of Shadowcrest's opulence. It's spartan, functional. A fortress rather than a home.

I deposit Natalie on the couch, my hands lingering longer than necessary. She shrinks away, but there's nowhere to go. My lips curl in a mirthless smile.

"Rest, moya koroleva. I need to make some calls and find you some clothes."

Her eyes follow me as I move to the secure landline. Smart girl. Always watching, always searching for an escape. But there is no escape. Not from me.

I retreat to the bedroom, pulling out a burner phone. My fingers move on autopilot, dialing a number I know by heart.

It rings twice before a familiar voice answers. "Pronto."

"Enzo," I breathe, some of the tension leaving my body at the sound of my oldest friend's voice. "We've got a problem."

There's a pause, then a soft curse in Italian. "Dante. I heard rumors, but... How bad is it?"

I laugh, the sound harsh and humorless. "Bad enough that I'm calling you from a safehouse at 3 AM. The Corsinis made their move. Shadowcrest is gone."

"Merda," Enzo hisses. "Are you hurt? Is Natalie...?"

"We're both fine," I assure him. "A little banged up, but nothing serious."

"Thank God for small mercies," he mutters. "What happened, fratello? Last we spoke, things were tense but stable."

I run a hand through my hair, pacing the length of the room. "It's Natalie. She... she tried to get protection from Luca Corsini. Before I brought her to Shadowcrest."

Enzo's sharp intake of breath tells me he understands the implications. "Cazzo. And now they think she belongs to them."

"She belongs to no one but me," I snarl, the possessive fury rising once more. "But yes, that seems to be their motivation. They want her, Enzo. They think they can take what's mine."

"Dante..." Enzo's voice is cautious now. "You know I support you, always. But this obsession with Natalie... Are you sure it's worth it? Worth losing everything you've built?"

For a moment, I'm transported back to our childhood. Enzo and I, two street rats with nothing but our wits and each other. He's always been my conscience, the one person who can speak truth to my madness.

But not this time.

"She's worth everything," I say, my voice low and fervent. "More than the empire, more than my pride. I'd burn the whole fucking world to keep her, Enzo."

He sighs, a sound heavy with resignation and concern. "I was afraid you'd say that. Alright, what do you need from me?"

Relief washes over me. I knew I could count on him. "Information. I need to know everything about the Corsinis' current operations. Their weaknesses, their allies. I want to hit them where it hurts."

"Consider it done," Enzo says. "I'll reach out to our contacts in Sicily, see what I can dig up. But Dante... be careful. The Corsinis aren't to be underestimated."

"I know," I growl. "But neither am I. They'll learn what happens when you try to take what belongs to Dante Corleone."

We talk for a few more minutes, hammering out details and contingencies. By the time I hang up, a plan is already forming in my mind. The Corsinis want a war? I'll give them a fucking apocalypse.

I step out of the bedroom to find Natalie asleep on the couch, her face peaceful for the first time in hours. The sight of her stirs something in me, a protective instinct so fierce it takes my breath away.

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