Page 79 of Brutal Vows

He doesn’t linger on it. Instead, he turns to Adrian. “Any casualties?”

Adrian hesitates before sighing. “Dante lost some men taking the harbor,” he admits. “We took a few hits securing the compound, but everyone’s accounted for.”

A familiar voice breaks through the tension.

“We should throw parties like this more often,” Matthias drawls as he strolls through the warehouse doors. “My wife keeps saying I don’t get out enough. We should make this a yearly thing.”

Laughter ripples through the men, their expressions lighter despite the carnage surrounding them. Blood stains their faces and suits, but there’s no mistaking the bond between them.

These men are killers. Monsters. But if they call you a friend, they’ll walk through hell for you.

“We need to get Gia to the safe house,” Vitali says, his grip on me tightening. “Send the injured to the compound for treatment.”

Everyone nods.

As we pass Matthias, he smirks. “You did damn good, Gia.”

I manage a small smile, determined to ignore the lingering humiliation twisting in my gut. Because despite everything…one thing is certain.

I survived.

The drive to the safe house is heavy with silence. Vitali refuses to let me go, cradling me in his lap as we navigate the darkened streets of Italy. I won’t lie—I’m ready to go back to Miami. The magic Italy once held for me is gone.

Vitali murmurs quietly with Kenzo, who is at the wheel, discussing the next steps. With his father’s empire now reclaimed, he has a decision to make. What to do with the De Luca mafia. Neither he nor Kenzo believes the men will rally behind Antonia after how easily she was manipulated, but dissolving the organization isn’t an option either. Not unless he wants to create a power vacuum that could unleash even more chaos.

I focus on steadying my breath, pushing through the pain. My face feels like it’s swelling by the second, and I already know I’m going to look like a piñata at a toddler’s birthday party for a while.

Through it all, Vitali never stops touching me. Histhumb moves in slow, soothing circles over my skin, and every few minutes, he presses a soft kiss to the top of my head. A silent promise.

I close my eyes and let myself sink into the warmth of him, into the safety of his arms, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I allow myself to believe that I’m truly safe.

The car rolls to a stop in front of the villa, hidden behind towering iron gates and surrounded by acres of dense foliage. The safe house. Kenzo kills the engine, and before I can attempt to move, Vitali tightens his grip on me, lifting me effortlessly into his arms as he steps out of the car.

The night air is crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. I barely register it. Pain hums beneath my skin, throbbing with every movement, but I bite down on my lip to keep from whimpering. Vitali notices anyway.

“I’ve got you,amore mio,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss against my hairline as he carries me inside.

The villa is dimly lit, the faint scent of antiseptic hanging in the air. A man in his fifties, dressed in a white button-down with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, steps forward. Dark eyes assess me with a clinical sharpness.

“Sit her down in the guest room,” the doctor instructs, already moving toward a table where a medical bag sits. “The sooner I check her injuries, the better.”

Vitali strides through the hall and gently lays me down on the bed, brushing my hair away from my bruised face with a tenderness that has my throat tightening.

“Stay with me,” I whisper, my fingers weakly gripping his shirt.

His jaw clenches, but he nods, perching on the edge of the mattress while the doctor gets to work.

I flinch as cool fingers probe my ribs, hissing when the doctor presses against a particularly tender spot.

“Two, maybe three cracked ribs,” he announces. “Swollen cheek, split lip, bruising across the torso…” His voice fades slightly as he continues his assessment, checking my arms, my legs. A deep sigh escapes him. “You took a hell of a beating, but nothing is life-threatening. You’re lucky.”

I snort, though it makes my ribs scream in protest. “Yeah, I feel real lucky.”

The doctor doesn’t crack a smile. He reaches for a syringe, filling it with a clear liquid. “This will help with the pain. You’ll need rest, ice packs for the swelling, and?—”

“Just do it,” I interrupt, exhausted. “No lectures.”

He gives me a look but nods, injecting the painkiller into my arm. Warmth spreads through me almost instantly, dulling the sharp edges of pain.

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