Page 157 of King Of Order

It was impossible to believe it; even after the shootout, the chaos, and the close calls, it had not gotten a scratch.

It remained on the wall, pristine, radiating its quiet appeal.

After taking photos of its charm on my walls, for posterity’s sake, I called for the assemblage team.

I led the wrapping and packing process so Lorenzo could return it to its owner.

When the truck pulled out of the entrance, I inhaled deep.

We’d done it.

I had come out on the other side, and the nightmare of Claudio’s schemes and Fabian’s threats was over.

After the dust settled, Rio handled everything. His connections within thecarabinieriwere extensive, and he knew who to call.

Within the hour, Fabian and Claudio were sitting in the back of a paddy wagon, hands and feet cuffed, their faces ashen, resigned to their doom.

Lorenzo stood back in the shadows with Mauri. The pair was so used to being out of the limelight that the gendarmerie’s lights unnerved them.

Rio stalked to the van, glaring at the men slumped inside the tiny bench seats.

I came alongside Rio, committed to seeing the individuals who tormented me be carted away to the very end.

My man leaned in, his nixed arm rippling as he braced against the van’s roof, his timbre tumbling with thunder and menace. ‘Don’t think about dropping my woman’s name—or mine—in this mess. It’s over for you, not us.’

He gave them both a subtle Omertà kiss, and Fabian blanched, flinching away from Lorenzo and Rio like they were the devil incarnate.

‘Cazzo! All this time?’

Rio nodded with a smirk and a wink.

Claudio, confused as to what was going on, wobbled his head. ‘What the hell was that about?’

Fabian leaned into him and murmured into his ear.

Now it was Claudio’s turn to lose his shit.

His eyes bugged out as he stared at Rio and then at me.

‘You set us up,’ he whispered.

‘Every step of the way, and you played right into it,’ Rio drawled. ‘Is your silence going to be a problem?’

They shook their heads in synchronicity, their bravado long gone.

I came close to pitying them. Almost, but not entirely.

Rio, banding an arm on my waist, stepped me back before soft closing the police van door.

VALERIO

We celebrated our win the Calibrese way.

We gathered around the wooden table on the villa’s terrace, enjoying food, famiglia, and shots of our favorite liquor.

The sea breeze carried the faint scent of salt and citrus.

The sun dipped, casting everything in a warm, golden light, like a blessing on the night ahead.

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