Page 73 of Desire and Revenge

“Goodbye, asshole,” I say with a grin, and unlike him, I don’t miss.

The bullet drills a clean hole through the center of his forehead. For a split second, he looks shocked, and then he drops, dead at last.

My head falls back to the ground and a rumble of laughter rolls out of me.

“Nero?” A sweet voice calls my name, and I lift my head to meet her gaze. The perfect heart-shaped face, those mesmerizing green eyes, and a mouth that could inspire sonnets. “Did we make it?”

“You’re so goddamn beautiful,” I say instead, my hand cupping her jaw as I gently tuck stray tendrils of hair behind her ear.

Her lashes flutter, and she leans into my touch, nuzzling my hand with a soft, contented sigh.

“He’s dead. You’re free,” I tell her gently.

Her eyes search mine. “And you? Are you free?”

I swallow hard. Now that Sebastian is gone, I can reclaim everything that was supposed to be mine from the start. Most of the men already back me, and the rest will fall in line. My whole life has been leading up to this—avenging my father, seizing what I’m owed. But finally, here, all I can think about is wrapping Sofia in my arms and disappearing with her to some distant corner of the world.

“Yes,” I tell her. “But I’m beginning to think that freedom isn’t as great as I thought it would be.”

“If you two are done lying around in the middle of a gunfight, you might want to move,” Amato’s voice interrupts, standing over us with an impatient look. “The cops will be here any moment.”

When I had contacted Carmine Amato a few days ago and laid my plan bare to him, no pretenses and no middlemen involved, he had stared at me blankly for minutes afterwards and then walked out.

I had no idea what that reaction meant, and I had concluded that I couldn’t count on him.

“Why did you do it?” I ask as I climb to my feet.

He shrugs shoulders that are a bit too wide for his frame. “I don’t like you, Castello. No—let me correct that, I don’tknowyou. I knew your father, though. He was a good man. But I’m yet to see what you are. Honestly, I’m not impressed at you playing around with someone’s wife.”

“Last time I checked, your dear, valued chef is married,” I snort. “And I hear her services aren’t limited to the kitchen.”

Something dangerous flashes in his eyes. My hand instinctively reaches for my gun, while my other arm pulls Sofia behind me to shield her.

Then, unexpectedly, his mouth twitches. “Maybe I should take a page from your book and put a bullet in his head. She’s too good for him anyway.”

I smile, even though my face aches from the bruises. “If you need any help, you just have to ask.”

Amato studies me for a moment before extending his hand. “Maybe I will.”

With one arm slung around Sofia, keeping her close to my side, I watch him walk away, knowing this won’t be the last time we cross paths.

“He scares me,” she confesses quietly. “There’s something about him.”

I turn to face her, brushing a thumb gently over her cheek. “I don’t want to talk about him. At least, not right now.”

She swipes her tongue over her lips, looking suddenly nervous. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Us.”

“What about us?”

“I listened to you say your own piece earlier today, and it’s time you listened to what I have to say, too.” I pull her closer till our bodies are pressed together in a perfect fit, like the last two pieces of a puzzle.

She blinks at me, eyes sparkling with curiosity. They remind me of that day at the greenhouse when she asked me why I came back. We’ve really come a long way since then.

“The only thing I’ve ever wanted for you—and still want—is for you to have a choice,” I tell her. “I don’t want to be another Sebastian in your life, or some version of your father. I want you to choose me, not because I’m the only option left or because you’ve been backed into a wall. I want you to choose me because you want me.” I pause, my voice dropping. “Because I want you, Princess.”

“I know,” she smiles softly.

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