Page 114 of The Proposal

My eyes dart to Dante when I feel his body stiffen beside me. I hear a low growl emanate from the back of his throat, but I’m grateful he doesn’t express how he truly feels.

Papa gestures for my husband to enter his office. “Come, let’s have a drink. We need to celebrate.”

“I’m going to tell Lucia the good news,” I say.

That has Papa freezing. “Go,” Dante encourages, ignoring my father’s reaction. “Take Romeo with you.”

“Who is this man?” Papa asks, turning back towards the doorway.

“He’s Arabella’s personal guard,” Dante lies.

“He can stay down here,” Papa grumbles.

“Romeo goes wherever my wife goes. She has precious cargo on board. He’s been instructed not to leave her side when I am not with her.”

Papa blows out a frustrated breath. “Fine,” he replies, flicking his hand and dismissing us both.

“Come,” I say to Romeo as I head towards the staircase that will lead us upstairs to Lucia’s bedroom.

When we reach the landing, I notice another guardstationed outside her room. I hate that she is a prisoner in her own home, but I’m also thankful she’s here and that she’s okay. I wasn’t sure what we were going to find when we arrived.

As we approach, I see it’s Elio, one of my father’s most feared men. That makes my stomach sink. There’s something off here.

I stop in front of him, where he’s leaning against the wall beside Lucia’s bedroom door, glancing down at his phone. “Move,” I snap.

“No,” he barks in reply, not even bothering to spare me a look.

That comment garners an instant reaction from Romeo. He pulls a gun from the back of his pants and points it straight at Elio’s face. “I believe the lady said move.”

That gets his full attention, as Elio slowly lifts both hands in the air, stepping to the side. The murderous glare he gives Romeo as he does doesn’t go unnoticed. Papa will not be happy when he hears about this.

I reach for the door handle, jiggling it. “Why is her door locked?”

Elio lifts one shoulder. “It’s probably locked from the inside.”

I raise my hand, banging my fist loudly on the wood. “Lucia, it’s me … are you in there?”

My heart breaks when I hear a muffled sob from inside her room. The next few seconds are a blur of movement as the door flings open, and my little sister collapses into my arms.

“Lu-Lu,” I choke out as tears rise to my eyes. “I’m here, I’ve got you.” I have never seen her so distraught before.

I give her a few minutes to let it all out before I draw back and cup her face. The moment I do, I release an audible gasp. She rushed into my arms so quickly that I failed to see the bruises on her face.

“What the fuck,” I hear Romeo growl from beside me.

“Lucia, who did that to you?” I ask.

“Papa thought it would bring me into line,” she replies, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin. “It won’t. I would rather die than marry that madman.”

“Oh, baby,” I murmur, stroking my hand over her hair. Her left cheek is bruised and swollen, and there’s a cut on her lip. The sight of those injuries sparks a surge of anger deep within me. I want to kill my father for putting his hands on her. “Are you injured anywhere else?”

“I think my wrist is broken.”

I look down and see her cradling it against her chest. It’s swollen and clearly painful. “Papa broke your wrist?” I ask in shock.

He often manhandled us growing up, but this is on a whole other level. The guilt I feel for not being here to protect her is palpable.

“No, he did,” she replies, flicking her chin in Elio’s direction. “He tackled me to the ground when I tried to escape.”

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