Page 77 of Their Reckless Thief
“Stop. We’ve been through worse. We’ll get through this. You and me, remember? We always figure it out.”
Will had finally stopped pacing, his back to us as he stared out the window. “We’ve gotta take him down, Viv,” he said quietly, his voice full of restrained fury. “He can’t keep getting away with this.”
Vivian stood up and got ice packs out of the freezer. “Oh, we will. But not yet. He’s too powerful. We need to be smart about this.”
I took the ice packs from Vivian and let them numb the ache in my ribs. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Going after Roberto right now would be suicide, but the thought of him getting away with what he’d done made my blood boil.
“One day,” I muttered, closing my eyes as the painkillers I’d taken earlier started to kick in. “One day, he’ll pay.”
Vivian’s eyes softened as she knelt beside me again, her hand resting on mine. “And we’ll be the ones to make sure of it. Get some rest. I’m going to start packing.”
Roberto had stripped everything from us—our home, our security, our dignity—but he hadn’t taken our resolve.
I was bruised, beaten, and tired as hell. But I wasn’t broken. Not yet. And if Vivian and Will had anything to say about it, I never would be.
We would figure this out. We had to.
I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion wash over me, but Roberto’s voice still echoed in my mind, reminding me of the harsh reality of our situation.
“You are mine.”
Not for long, you son of a bitch. Not for long.
My achingbody protested with every move as I packed. The apartment felt different now since Vivian had packed a lot over the past few hours. Boxes stood all over the floor, drawers were pulled open, and closets held nothing but empty hangers on the rods.
I hated it. I hated that Roberto had the power to uproot everything I’d built with Vivian.
Vivian had gone ahead to scout the hostel we’d crash at for a few nights. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. She’d already packed her bags, her anger fueling the frenzy. Me? I was dragging. Every inch of my body ached from Roberto’s rough handling, and I was moving slower than I wanted to admit. I was so fucking tired, but I wasn’t broken. Not yet.
I decided I’d enjoy one last night in my bed before we left this place behind forever. I would stuff the final pieces of my life into worn duffel bags, but before that, all I wanted to do was collapse onto the mattress and forget for a few hours that my life was unraveling.
I stepped into the darkened bedroom, my hand brushing against the cool wall as I made my way toward the bed.Something felt off… It was too still, too quiet. My skin prickled with unease.
That’s when I noticed a figure sitting in the shadows by the window.
My breath caught in my throat, my pulse spiking as fear surged through me. I froze in place, adrenaline flooding my veins as I instinctively reached for my knife, but I was dressed in pajamas, and my weapons were packed. I opened my mouth, ready to scream?—
“Dolcezza.”
That voice.
It was deep, commanding, and unmistakable. The smooth, lethal sound of it cut through the darkness like a blade.
Vincenzo.
23
VINCENZO
Being in her room,the scent of her surrounding me, was almost too much to bear. Every breath I took was filled with her—warm, familiar, and maddeningly intoxicating. How the hell could I miss someone this much after such a short time? It was an absurd thought, and I tried to shake it off, but the second she walked into the room, the sight of her stopped me cold.
Her hair was a mess, and there was a weariness in the way she moved. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world, and seeing her like that twisted something inside me.
Her sharp, startled voice broke through the silence. “What the fuck are you doing here? You can’t scare people like that.”
She stood frozen in place, staring at me like she wasn’t sure if she should run or attack. I leaned back in the chair, my eyes locking onto hers. “You broke your vow.”
Her expression shifted, her mouth tightening. “Fucking Luca,” she muttered under her breath, her jaw clenching.
