Page 17 of Bound By Honor

“We can’t keep doing this,” I say before she can speak.

“Doing what? Being human?” She moves closer, defiant. “Having feelings?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It could be.” Her hand touches my arm, sending electricity through my veins. “If you’d let it.”

I step back, putting distance between us. “Alessandro is watching. Looking for weaknesses.”

“Let him watch.” She follows, eliminating the space I created. “I’m tired of living in fear of what people might see.”

“Aurora—”

“No.” She cuts me off, fire in her eyes. “I saw your face when he mentioned Maria. What aren’t you telling me?”

As her sharp gaze pierces through my defenses, I feel the familiar weight of loss settle in my chest. Maria’s face flashes before me—her laughter, her warmth—reminding me of the fragility of love. I can’t let history repeat itself. I can’t lose her too.

The question hangs between us. My phone buzzes, the screen lighting up with an unknown number. The photo makes my blood run cold—Aurora, alive with the moment, my arm around her hip as we had argued, our faces inches apart. From another angle, it looks as if I am about to kiss her, the intimacy of the moment captured in a snapshot that twists my gut with equal parts desire and dread.

The message below it sends a chill down my spine.

Unknown

I hope Dominic doesn’t see this.

“What is it?” Aurora moves to see, but I lock the screen.

“Nothing.” I grab my jacket. “You should go.”

“Luciano.” Her voice stops me at the door. “Whatever you’re protecting me from—I’m stronger than you think.”

I turn back, taking in her fierce expression, the way moonlight catches in her hair. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

The elevator doors close on her confused expression. My phone buzzes again.

Unknown

You’re not the only one watching.

The message sends ice through my veins. Alessandro’s game is escalating, and Aurora’s caught in the middle. One wrong move could destroy everything—my position, her safety, Luca’s future.

But watching her with Luca tonight, seeing the way she fits so naturally into our world... The price of protection suddenly feels too high.

Something has to give. And soon.

8

AURORA POV

“You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm if you don’t stop scowling,” I tell Luciano, watching his jaw clench as another shopper brushes past us on the crowded sidewalk.

The Magnificent Mile sparkles in the afternoon sun, designer boutiques and well-dressed crowds creating an illusion of normalcy I desperately want to believe in.

“I don’t scowl,” he mutters, dark eyes scanning the crowd with predatory focus. “I observe.”

“You’re terrifying that teenage girl with your ‘observing.’” I nod toward a young shopper who quickly averts her gaze from Luciano’s intimidating presence.

His hand finds the small of my back as we navigate past a tourist group, the touch sending electricity through my spine. “My job is your safety, not making teenagers comfortable.”

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