Page 52 of Violent Delights

“Thank you,” I say to Domenico as I step forward. They follow me as I make my way into the house, which has a stench of fuel. The curtains, which cost more than most of the household staff who works here makes, the rugs and fabrics, everything is soaked, ready to go up in flames.

“Are you ready?” Domenico’s voice comes from my left, and I nod. He hands me the lighter, and I know I need to be quick. Once the curtain is aflame, the rest of the house will go up quickly. Flicking the flint, I lean in and allow the dancing flame to lick at the fabric, and like I imagined, it’s not long before the fire engulfs the whole window.

Domenico grabs me and we head out with Gillie following close behind. Outside, I stop and glance over my shoulder, watching as the destructive force takes a hold. And that’s when I see him. The man I was meant to marry. He can’t leave his wing of the house. With the help of Domenico and Gillie, we ensured that every window was secure. It wasn’t easy, but we did it. The guards who stand outside his bedroom door are at the hallway windows, banging on them. The glass, which is unable to be smashed, doesn’t allow them to escape either.

I raise a hand and give my betrothed a wave.

There is no escape, darling, because I’ve ensured you pay for your sins.

“Let’s go,” I say as we walk away from the burning building. The rest of the Mosca organization will fall. There will no longer be any threat to me and my family, and I know the Montesanos are safe too.

I slip into the back seat of the car, while Nico joins me and Gillie takes the wheel. It’s time to fly home and face the consequences of my actions. My father knows I planned something. He just doesn’t know what.

“It’s over,” he tells me.

“Not just yet,” I reply as I glance at him. “My father may not be happy about this. And knowing him, I’m pretty sure he’ll disown me.”

Nico cups my cheek gently and whispers, “You have a new family now. It’s me, and I’m never letting you go. No matter what.”

“I hate that we had to go through that,” I tell him then. The calmness slowly washes over me, but so does the realization that the past few months have been brutal on us both.

He shakes his head, and the dark waves of his chocolate brown hair fall over his eyes. “We all have to be destroyed to find out who we really are, Princess,” he says gently before pressing his lips to mine.

The kiss is gentle, and it reminds me that all the violence, every harsh word and action I’ve endured, has brought me here. Not many people get to live the rest of their lives with their soul mate, but I will.

When we break the kiss, I blink back the tears. I almost lost the man I love. He stole my heart in the blink of an eye, and his life almost ended in the same amount of time.

But here we are.

I may be apprehensive about talking to my parents, but I can get through this with Nico by my side.

Epilogue

Lelia

It wasn’t the end.

It can’t be.

Staring at the empty space, I know I have no choice but to move on. My father has made it abundantly clear that nothing will stop him from getting what he wants. As much as I want to walk away, to leave this life and find my own path, I can’t leave my family in the hands of a killer.

Turning to the room, I take it in. It may have been a sanctuary in the past, but right now, it’s a prison.

Two families at war, broken by the hatred of centuries of beliefs.

Taking a deep breath, I make my way from the room and into the long hallway that takes me to the staircase leading to the front room. I haven’t been here as long as most of the staff, but I feel like I belong. My father molded me for years, and I knew it wouldn’t be too long before I had to take my seat beside him within the organization.

“Lelia,” one of the guards calls to me as I reach the living room where the whole staff are waiting.

“What are we going to do?” The man who has been at my side my whole life asks, his voice breaking as he looks up at me with watery eyes.

They all expect me to hate Domenico, but I can’t.

It may seem stupid to most, love at first sight, but it’s real. It happened to me when I least expected it. I grew up hating the Montesano name, the family, and even their staff. The guards who work for the Capo have also come under fire from my own organization.

“I have called a meeting for midday today,” I finally answer. I have to step up. There is no room for me to break down, to cry, or to think about my father in a coma. He made it clear in his letter to me that I have to take the mantel and hold it high.

He was my hero as a young girl. I looked up to him, even though I knew he wasn’t exactly a good man. But in my world, the men who steal our hearts are the ones most deem irredeemable. My mother fell in love with a Capo, and my emotions have been thwarted by a man who I should hate with every fiber of my being.

---