Page 35 of Dangerous Devotion

No matter what dangers lay ahead, no matter what threats we faced, I was staying right here, by his side.

It wasn’t just about protection or safety. It was about us—this unexpected and intense connection that had formed between us. Everything we’d been through in such a short time—the fights, the passion, the moments of vulnerability. Somewhere on the way, I’d decided he was the one for me.

I looked up at Vince. His jaw was set, his shoulders tense. Without thinking, I reached up and placed my hand on his chest, right over his heart. I felt it beating strong and steady beneath my palm.

Vince glanced at me, surprise softening his features for a split second.

I gave him a small nod, trying to convey everything I was feeling without words.

I’m here. I’m not leaving. We’re in this together. A team.

And then he took my hand and removed it from his chest, and I suddenly felt cold to my core.

He flinched when Hawk’s guy started the first stitch.

Vince might appear bigger than life. Invincible. But he was just as human as the rest of us.

CHAPTER NINE

Istared out of the window, my mind still reeling from Zotov’s revelation, trying to think it over logically.

The manicured lawn of La Dimora stretched out before me, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding inside.

My father hated me enough to put a contract out on me. It made sense. I’d always known, ever since my mother killed herself, it would come to this. Him or me.

But this was how he wanted to go about it? And if Zotov’s information was true, he wasn’t only targeting me; it was all of us. What was his end goal?

If he killed all of his children, who would take over Salvini Global Enterprises? Who would take over as the capo of the Salvini family?

What would happen to his legacy? Shouldn’t he be more concerned about that?

My jaw clenched as I thought about all the times I’d swallowed my anger and resentment for the sake of family unity. What a fucking fool I’d been.

A fool who’d thought that finally, everything I’d worked so hard for would come to fruition.

The door opened, and I turned, ignored Dom and my brothers staring at me, and watched Hawk enter.

He gave me a single, sharp nod.

My stomach tightened. If Hawk’s sources confirmed Zotov’s story, then this shit might be real.

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the weight of responsibility settle heavily on my shoulders. I’d always felt responsible for my siblings, but I never thought Father would extend our fight to include all of them, to threaten all of them.

Did he think using them, threatening them would weaken my resolve and my position?

I suppressed a sigh. He knew my weak spot and had gone for it. Of course, he would.

But I couldn’t just take Zotov’s word for it, no matter how much Hawk trusted his sources. I needed to verify this information myself.

“Go talk to Marco Bianchi, and bring me everything we have on Father’s recent movements,” I said to Hero, my voice low and controlled. “Phone records, financial transactions, everything. And I want eyes on him 24/7.”

Hero nodded, his face grim. “Already on it.”

As he turned to leave, I called out, “Hero?”

He stopped and turned back around.

I raised my voice so that everybody in the room could hear me clearly. “Not a word of this to anyone outside these walls. Understood?”

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