Page 62 of Power
He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. Just disbelief and something uglier beneath it. “You think you can walk away from me? After everything? Because you’re Dario’s latest whore? What, you think he’ll marry you or something?”
I hold my ground. “If you don’t, I’ll make sure every secret you’ve ever tried to bury gets dragged into the light.”
His amusement vanishes as he stands to move towards me. The air tightens between us and his expression darkens. “You really don’t know when to shut up.”
The slap comes fast. My head jerks to the side, skin burning where his hand landed. I taste blood.
The pause lingers between us. He’s watching and waiting to see if I’ll crumble and beg like I used to. But I don’t move, don’t say a word.
His voice softens, turning sickly sweet. “You know, I thought you’d come crawling back on your own. I didn’t even have to lift a finger.” He leans closer, gripping my chin between his fingers.“No one will ever love you the way I did, you stupid bitch. No one will ever put up with you and your pathetic need to be loved.”
I jerk away. “That wasn’t love, Enzo. That was control.”
His face darkens, and before I can brace myself, his fist collides with my stomach. The air rushes out of me as I stumble back, my knees threatening to give out. I swallow the pain but refuse to let him see how much it hurts.
He towers over me, his voice venomous. “You think you’re strong now? Think you’ve found some hero to save you? Dario’s dead the second I get the chance. And you—” He grabs my arm, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. “You’re not leaving, not until he’s dead and I’ve taught you a lesson.”
My stomach clenches, but I force my voice to stay even. “You’re making a mistake.”
He laughs. “I think you already made yours.”
The door opens, and two of his men step in.
Enzo nods toward me. “Take her and lock her up. You know where.”
I don’t fight when they grab me. But as they drag me away, one thought echoes louder than the pain in my ribs.
This ends here. One way or another.
Chapter 19
Dario
Dannika stands in the doorway with her arms crossed and her mouth pressed into a tight line. "She hasn’t come back since she left yesterday."
I don’t react. Or at least, I pretend not to. I keep my posture relaxed with my fingers drumming lightly against the desk. “She’ll be back.”
Lying to myself is something I’ve never been good at.
Dannika shifts and studies me like she can see the cracks forming beneath my skin. She takes a step closer, her voice dropping into something softer, silkier. "You know, if you need a distraction—"
I glance up and she’s already undoing the buttons of her blouse, revealing the smooth, golden skin of her breasts. Her lips curve, eyes dark with intent.
"I can help."
"No, you can’t."
The words come out flat and unwavering. I don’t even bother pretending to consider it. She freezes as surprise flashes across her face before irritation settles in. She huffs out a breath and snaps the buttons back into place with jerky movements. "You know, most men would kill to—"
"I’m not most men." I push away from the desk and stand. "Don’t offer again. Go do your job or get the fuck out of my way."
She narrows her eyes and her jaw tightens, but she says nothing. Just spins on her heel and leaves.
The second she’s gone, I exhale, long and slow. My chest feels like it’s caving in. Vittoria should have come back. I should havegone after her the second she walked out that door. Should’ve pulled her back and locked the damn house down if I had to. She has no idea what she’s walking into. Or maybe she does, and that’s what fucking scares me.
The phone rings.
I already know who it is before I answer.
