Page 20 of Bound By Honor

“How long?” My voice sounds strange, distant. “How long was he obsessed with her?”

Luciano’s jaw tightens. “Since before she married me. But Maria chose me, and Alessandro... he never forgave either of us.”

The weight of family loyalty suddenly feels like chains around my throat. How many more secrets are buried in our shared history? How many more ghosts haunt the halls of both our families? I think of Dominic’s warnings about getting too close to Luciano and wonder if he knew this twisted piece of our past.

Luciano’s face is inches from mine, his breath warm against my lips.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

“Because I’m supposed to protect you.” Frustration edges his voice. “Not...” He runs a hand through his hair.

“Not what?”

“Not want you like this.” The admission comes out raw, his control finally cracking. “Every moment I spend fighting what I feel for you makes you more of a target. And I can’t—“ His voice roughens with emotion. “I can’t lose anyone else I care about. Not again.”

The admission steals my breath. Before I can respond, gunfire erupts outside. Luciano moves with lethal grace, pushing me behind him as he draws his weapon.

“This ends now,” he growls, and I see the deadly promise in his eyes.

The safe house suddenly feels anything but safe, and I realize we’re trapped between Alessandro’s games and Luciano’s demons. The silence from our security detail speaks volumes—no response on the comms, no movement outside. They’re either dead or incapacitated, leaving us alone until backup arrives.

“Three exits,” Luciano says, voice tight with measured fury. “Front door’s compromised. Back leads to the alley. Garage has a tunnel?—“

More gunfire peppers the building’s exterior. I flinch at the sound, but Luciano remains eerily still, like a predator assessing its prey.

“The tunnel,” he decides. “But first—” He moves to a panel in the wall, entering a code that reveals a hidden arsenal. “Put this on.”

He hands me a bulletproof vest, his fingers lingering as they brush mine. The kevlar feels heavy, foreign against my designer dress.

“Lovely accessory,” I quip, trying to mask my nerves. “Really completes the outfit.”

His lips twitch despite the situation. “Only you would joke during an ambush.” He checks his phone again, expression darkening. “Marco’s team is three minutes out. We need to move.”

“Luciano.” I catch his arm before he can turn away. “About what you said—about caring?—”

“Not now.” But his voice softens, and his free hand comes up to cup my cheek. “Later. If we survive this.”

“When,” I correct him. “When we survive this.”

A crash from the front of the building cuts off his response. Footsteps approach—too many to count.

“Stay behind me,” Luciano orders, leading us toward the garage. “No matter what happens?—”

“If you tell me to run and leave you, I swear to God?—”

“Stubborn woman.” He yanks open the garage door, checking the shadows before pulling me through. “You’re going to get us both killed.”

“Better than living with regrets.”

He turns sharply, backing me against the nearest wall. His eyes burn with something fierce and protective. “You want to talk about regrets? How about the regret of watching someone you care about die because they were too stubborn to listen?”

“Is that what happened with Maria?”

Pain flashes across his features. “Aurora?—”

A bullet whizzes past, embedding itself in the wall inches from my head. Luciano moves with deadly grace, shoving me behind a concrete pillar as he returns fire.

“Two on the left,” he calls out, his voice carrying that dangerous edge I’ve come to recognize. “More coming from the?—”

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