Page 26 of Tormented Oath

"Tommaso will be here in ten," he says, moving closer. "You should get some rest."

"Thank you," I say, meaning it for more than just tonight. "For everything. The car, Tony, all of it. I?—"

He catches my hand, pressing the car keys more firmly into my palm. "Don't thank me yet." His thumb traces my pulse point, sending shivers down my spine. "This isn't charity, Ava. This is me making sure you're safe. That you have what you need."

My heart twists. Because he means it. I can see it in his eyes, feel it in the possessive way he touches me. And God help me, but part of me wants to believe it, wants to lean into his strength, his protection, his care.

But I can't. The Fiori family doesn't forgive betrayals. And if they found out about Tony almost spilling their name tonight...

"You should go," I whisper, even as my body screams to pull him closer. "Your ride will be here soon."

Instead of moving away, he leans in, resting his forehead against mine. For a moment, we just breathe the same air, existing in this fragile space between what is and what could be.

"Come stay with me," he says suddenly. "You and Tony. The penthouse has plenty of room. He'd be safer there, away from people who might try to use him."

The offer steals my breath.

"I can't," I say, the words physically painful. "Not...not yet. There's too much..."

"Too much what?" His voice is gentle. "Too much history? Too much pride? Too much fear?"

All of it. None of it. Too much truth I can't tell him.

A car's headlights sweep the parking lot, Tommaso arriving right on time. Stefano sighs, pressing a kiss on my forehead.

"Think about it," he says, stepping back. "The offer stands. For both of you."

I watch him walk away, every step increasing the distance between what I want and what I have to do. He pauses at Tommaso's car, looking back at me. "Sweet dreams,tesoro."

Then he's gone, leaving me clutching his car keys and fighting tears. I go back inside, my vision blurred. Behind me, Tony mumbles something in his sleep, reminding me why I'm doing all this, why I have to see it through.

But as I close the door and slide down against it, I wonder if I'm not just trading one kind of danger for another. Because betraying Stefano Rega might keep us alive, but the look in his eyes when he called me his—that's the kind of thing that could destroy me in entirely different ways.

I curl my fingers around his car keys, feeling the metal bite into my palm. A gift freely given. Protection freely offered. Trust I haven't earned and can't keep.

Somewhere in the distance, a siren wails, part of Chicago's lullaby. I close my eyes, exhaustion, guilt, and want warring in my chest.

Tomorrow, I'll have to contact my Fiori handler. I have to figure out how to play this game without getting us all killed. I’ll have to be smart, calculating, worthy of my heritage.

But tonight...tonight I let myself feel the weight of Stefano's keys in my hand and pretend, just for a moment, that I'm worthy of his trust after all.

CHAPTERSIX

Stefano

Tomasso'sblack SUV idles in the motel parking lot, a machine too sleek for its surroundings.

I watch Ava through the rearview mirror until she disappears inside her room, my keys still clutched in her hand. The sight causes something possessive to cramp in my chest—she's keeping something of mine.

"Boss." Tomasso's voice cuts through my thoughts. "We've got trouble at the docks."

The words should snap me to attention, but I'm still caught in the memory of how Ava felt in my arms, how she leaned into me despite her protests. The way she looked at her brother—fierce, protective, ready to burn the world down to keep him safe.

Just like me with Angela.

"Someone's been poking around the shipments," Tomasso continues, pulling onto the empty street. His tone carries the weight of worse news to come. "Security caught three men an hour ago. Not locals."

That gets my attention. I force myself to shift mindsets, from the man who just held Ava to the one they call Monster. "Caught them how?"

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