Page 110 of Ruthless Guardian

No, it can’t be, I won’t lose her. I shake my head, forcing the devastating thoughts to the furthest corner of my mind. I’ll find Isabella if I have to raze the entire city of Rome in the process.

And I know just where to start.

CHAPTER 54

BEAUTIFUL AND VIOLENT

Isabella

Alfredo Ferrara, Raf’s father, watches me, dark eyes raking over every inch with lethal intent. A smile twitches at his lips, and again, I’m both revolted and amazed by the resemblance between father and son. With midnight hair threaded in strands of gray, strong Roman nose, and that dark, scrutinizing gaze, he’s the spitting image of Raf in a few dozen years.

“You are certainly beautiful,” he whispers as he stalks closer.

Steeling my nerves, I stand tall, eyeing the courtyard and the villa behind it for any possible path of escape. Once he’s within a few feet, he pauses, that intimidating stare razing over me once more. I gather all the remaining saliva in my mouth and spit in his face. Then I offer a sweet smile as I jab my knee into his crotch while he’s distracted.

He doubles over, and his men move on me like a black wave. A beefy asshole wrenches my arm back, and I grit my teeth to muffle the shriek. Another guard grabs my free arm, so I’msandwiched between the two big guys in black, their thick fingers curled around my upper arms.

“Beautifulandviolent.” He smirks as he straightens and pulls a handkerchief from his jacket pocket to wipe the spit from his brow. “I see how you’ve won over my son.” He inches closer, wagging a finger at me. “I’m disappointed in him actually. I thought he would have learned his lesson after the first time.”

My stomach roils as Raf’s confession about his first love rises to the surface. This man murdered her right in front of him. I wouldnotlet that happen again.

“To be honest, when Antonio and Giuseppe brought back word of your arrival in Rome, I was thrilled. My plan couldn’t have worked better. To have you, the great heiress of the Kings’ dynasty right here in Rome was poetic. There was no need for me to go to such lengths to destroy your family all the way in Manhattan anymore.”

“Your plan?” I blurt.

“Yes,signorina, my plan to insert my son into your inner circle.”

My heart lurches, slamming into my ribs before dropping to the soles of my feet. “No…”

“Yes. I was the one behind the ‘Russian’ attack at The Velvet Vault. I was the one who orchestrated the removal of your bodyguard, and I was the one who ensured Raffaele would be there to take his place. Don’t you think it was convenient how he showed up at the club that night, then again that afternoon along Park Avenue when those thugs shot at your car?”

My stomach churns, nausea working its way up my throat. Raf betrayed me? After everything we’ve been through… Oh,DioI’m going to be sick. The things I let him do to me?—

Curling my arms around my torso to keep from falling apart, I glare at the monster who took Frankie’s life. “You are apezzo di merda,” I spit. Piece of shit. “And you’ll never get away withany of this.Papàwill come for me, and he’ll tear you apart limb from limb.”

“I’m afraid it will be too late by then.” He smiles wickedly. “Guards, takeSignorinaValentino back inside.”

Men surround me on either side despite my kicking and squirming, and I’m escorted back toward the palatial estate perched atop the hill. They force me back through the cobblestone courtyard, around the beautiful marble fountain and up the white steps to the entrance of the Mediterranean home with terracotta roof tiles and tall stone pillars lining the entryway.

If I wasn’t being held prisoner, I would marvel at the beauty of the villa beneath the sinking rays of the setting sun. Focusing on that is easier than giving into the panic starting to set in. If Raf really had been planted as my bodyguard, who would come for me? A part of me refused to believe it… His father could be lying, right? There is no way the all-consuming emotions between us aren’t real.

I take a quick second to observe the three men escorting me through the home. One of them must be the weak link, and I’d have to find out which one ASAP. I’m led through the spacious entryway with dark wooden rafters soaring overhead, then forced down a corridor with walls covered in hand-painted frescoes. Did Raf grow up here? Despite the burn of betrayal, I can’t help but picture a tiny version of my bodyguard scampering down these very halls.

“Cazzo,Papà, what did you do?” A male voice echoes down the passageway, and my head spins over my shoulder to find another Ferrara barging through the entryway. One of Raffaele’s brothers. From over the broad shoulders of the guard shoving me forward, it’s hard to tell which one. “Raffaele is going to lose his mind.”

The rest of the conversation is muffled as one of the lead security guys opens a door and pushes me down a dark staircase. The familiar earthy odor once again assaults my nostrils. Oh, hell no, not the wine cellar again. I squirm and kick, trying to get free but the threesome escorting me form an impenetrable wall of muscle.

“Please,” I whisper. “Do you know who I am? My father will pay you more money than you’ve ever seen if you just let me go.”

The big guy holding my arm snorts. “Your father is all the way in America,” he grumbles, his accent thick. “SignorFerrara is right here, and suffering his retribution would be a far worse fate.”

“Zitto, Alfonso, shut your mouth,” one of the other guards hisses.

I’m shoved down the steps and hurried down the hall without another word. The big guy, Alfonso, heaves the cellar doors open, and my stomach revolts at the sight. Massimo is splayed out across the floor, vacant eyes staring up at the stone ceiling. Tiny fragments of crushed pink petals surround his mouth and nose.

I wish I had more of the toxic flower to use against these guys.

“Merda,” Alfonso grumbles as he eyes the body then makes the sign of the cross. “What the hell happened to him?”

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