Page 84 of King of Obsession

But first, I had an intruder to break.

The man whimpered as I wrenched his arm higher behind his back, sending fresh shockwaves of agony through myinjured shoulder. I gritted my teeth against the pain. I’d endure far worse to keep Cleo safe.

‘What the hell are you talking about? All he did was kidnap her over ten years ago. She was not then and has never been his fiancée.’

His lips curled. ‘Oh, but she is. Did she deny it?’

Another jolt went through me. ‘Context?’ I demanded.

‘If I tell you, will you leave me alone?’

‘I might.’

‘Are you a man of your word?’

‘No. Still, you need to speak lest you lose your tongue. I mean, in a literal sense. I’ll fuckin’ chop it off.’

Fabio swallowed hard. ‘He wants her back. Cleo. She’s his property. He says she’s his to marry.’

The words spilling from the man’s mouth sent chills racing down my spine.

‘Cleo was born into our Conti clan,’ he mumbled. ‘Her mother is a distant cousin. Everyone always said she was destined for amazing things. My father, Franco, also our leader, took a shine to her early on and started grooming her to be his perfect little wife from ten.’

Nausea hit, making me want to throw up.

The thought of a grown man preying on a child was enough to make my blood rage and boil. But I could ill afford to lose my damn head, not now.

‘So what happened?’ I demanded.

Fabio cursed. ‘They were engaged within the cult. Father planned to have a fuckin’ wedding ceremony, but she reported him to the cops, and Dad was arrested. He went to court, and they jailed him for minor endangerment. It was short-lived, and he returned when she was eighteen.Next, she ran off in the middle of the night and to Italy. Father was furious. He went after her after finding out she’d tried to return to Naples to her grandfather’s people, who were meant to shelter her. He tracked her down, but somehow, she escaped him, and he went to jail. This time for a longer sentence, he served first in the old country, then Australia.’

I could only imagine the kind of fearlessness it had taken for Cleo when, little more than a kid, she’d dug deep to save herself despite being hunted down.

More so, she’d found the courage to break free of her captor twice.

The irony of my obsession with her didn’t escape me, and I sucked my teeth, hoping I was nothing like the monster she’d escaped.

‘She belongs to no one,’ I snarled, seeing crimson.

My grip tightened on Fabio’s arm, drawing a moan of pain from him. ‘Cleo is her person, not some object to be owned.’

Revulsion churned through me as Franco’s weak-assed son spilled out the details of his father’s scheme.

‘Cazzo! He hopes to claim his bride once and for all. His queen to rule at his side. He’s been planning it for years, preparing everything for when he gets out of jail in a few months.’

I’d last seen Franco in Napoli years ago. Then and now, the idea of that sick fuck laying a single finger on Cleo made me want to tear him apart with my bare hands.

I tightened my grip on Fabio’s shirt, hauling him in close. ‘You listen to me,’ I growled. ‘Cleo will never be his, you understand? I don’t care what kind of twisted plans Conti has. I’ll shed blood before I let him lay a hand on her.’

Fabio’s eyes were limpid and frightened in the moonlight. ‘You don’t know what he’s capable of,’ he stammered. ‘The things he’ll do to get what he wants.’

‘I don’t give a fuck,’ I snarled. ‘He’s never getting close to her again. And if you’ve got any sense in that thick skull, you’ll pray I never spot your fuckin’ face near her residence ever again.’

I had to get back to Cleo, but first, I needed to send Fabio home with a stern message.

I dragged the man to the storehouse on the edge of Cleo’s front yard.

I located a rope hanging on the external wall.

---