Page 123 of Massimo

He sighs, looking years older. "There's more at play here than what you think, Massimo."

"Then tell me, goddammit."

For a moment, I think he will, but then his face becomes guarded again. "Where are all your staff?"

"Used to getting waited on, hand and foot?" I almost sneer in my frustration.

His jaw works as he gives me a look just as hard and lethal as the one I'm leveling at him.

Without blinking, I answer his question with a lie, "Gabe messaged me before I left Catanzaro that there was a nasty stomach bug starting to run through the staff, so I gave them some well-earned time off to recuperate, and so I didn't get the shits. Happy?"

The corners of his mouth twitch with what I swear is a suppressed smile, but his dark look quickly returns. "And your guards? Why are there so few here?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Because we're under fucking attack from Mancini—sincebeforehis daughter went missing," I remind him. "And I'm ensuring my family and all our assets are secure. As you saw for yourself, it's damn hard to get into my home. And don't you think if I had my enemy's daughter here, I'd have her well protected and the place would be crawling with guards?"

He looks about to argue but then snaps his mouth shut. Finally, he nods. "I'll report to the others that you don't have the Mancini princess."

It's on the tip of my tongue to say her name is Nova, and that she'smyprincess, but I catch myself in time.

"You do that," I growl. "And next time, have the fucking balls to come directly to me instead of dragging my family into this. Sophie, especially, doesn't need this stress with her pregnancy. She's been having concerns."

His face caves, guilt flickering across it. He follows me out of my bedroom, while I hide my urgency.

I need him out of my house, away from Nova.

Then I need to fill her with more of my cum and fuck that baby into her as soon as possible.

Chapter 51

Nova

I'vebeenstuckinthe safe room for what feels like hours, trying to keep the panic at bay by distracting myself with a book.

When there was noise coming from the computer monitor, I abandoned my book and watched as Massimo entered his office with a big burly man. The man inspected the room like he was searching for something… or someone.

Massimo hadn't looked stressed as he stood there with his hands in his pockets. He hadn't even twitched when the man came close to the hidden safe room door and the lever that would open it.

Then they left.

Somehow, I know that man was here for me, and is a threat.

Had my father sent him?

But Massimo knew that man—otherwise, there’s no way he would’ve let him inspect his private office. So it couldn’t have been one of my father’s men.

Even if that man wasn't here for me, I know the attack at the gates has everything to do with my father.

As my panic returns with a vengeance, I'm caught between two warring thoughts.

One—that's driven by years of psychological abuse and all my hard-learned lessons—tells me that my father is coming and that Massimo will hand me over.

The other—surprisingly, the one that I'm starting to believe more and more—is that Massimo will protect me. And along with believing that is the revelation is that I'm no longer that same broken girl, and I can fight against my father. I've unfurled or been forged into something new. It doesn't matter which analogy is used, because I'm an entirely different woman.

However, at the moment, the former thought is winning between my warring thoughts, and my inner critic hisses all those self-deprecating words at me. Telling me that I'm a gullible fool for thinking Massimo cares about me and will protect me.

A door slams, and I jump, spinning toward the door that leads into Massimo's office. However, it the door is still closed, so I turn to the computer monitor, realizing the slamming door was in Massimo's office.

As I watch, my mouth falls open in shock as a man charges toward Massimo. Aside from the tattoos covering the exposed skin of his neck, wrists, and hands, he looks strikingly similar to Massimo—only slightly shorter and not as broad.

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