Page 125 of Fire and Silk
But Mina already gave Matteo quiet instructions—once Lira and Salvatri land in Italy, their men are to kill both of them. She’ll say it’s cleaning up. No loose ends.
But I’ve already put measures in place. My men in Italy know the real play. They’ll protect them both like blood.
Still. My siblings are relentless. They don’t give up. They never did.
Matteo shifts. “Love makes you a loser, huh?”
I don’t answer at first.
Then I feel it. A single drop breaking free. Heat under my eye. It cuts down my cheek. I wipe it away without thinking.
“It does,” I say quietly.
He exhales through his nose, tone subdued. “The lawyers are waiting. You want a minute? I can tell them to hold.”
I shake my head. “No. Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty - Lira
Mico’s arm clamps around the back of my thighs like I weigh nothing. My voice shreds against the sky. My fists pound into his back, useless. My heel twists. I kick hard—lower, with aim for his balls.
He grunts. The blow lands.
He stumbles a step, jaw locked in pain, and I twist against him, wriggling free just enough to slip down. The moment my feet hit the earth, I’m running.
I bolt toward the forest, longing for the man who stood there and watched it happen like it meant nothing. I don’t care. I’ll still run to him.
“Severo!” I scream.
But I don’t make it far.
Fingers catch my hair. The yank jerks my spine back so sharp I gasp. Mico hauls me back with a grip I’ve never felt from him before—not gentle, not protective. Possessive.
“Let go of me!” I spit. I claw at his hand, at his wrist, twisting, pulling—but he’s stronger.
His other hand grips my arm, drags me toward the car waiting just at the edge of the trees.
“Stop it, Mico. You’re hurting me—”
He doesn’t stop.
I kick again, but he doesn’t flinch this time. He slams me against the side of the car. My shoulder hits first. The metaltakes the sound, and then his face is in front of mine, close, too close.
“You’re never going back to him,” he growls.
My chest rises too fast. His face is red, sweat beading at his temple. I see madness in his eyes—desperation carved into every line of his face.
“You hear me?” His voice shakes. “You’re not going back. I love you, Lira. Come to your senses.”
Tears push against my eyes—not from pain. From fury. From humiliation.
I choke down the sob.
“If you don’t stop this right now,” I say through clenched teeth, “you’ll lose me. Do you understand me, Mico? You’ll lose me forever.”
Something in him twitches. But the look that follows isn’t surrender—it’s obsession.
“I’m not losing you again,” he whispers, and his grip tightens. “I won’t.”
