Page 96 of His Savage Ruin
Marco.
He's not moving and I can't tell from here if he's breathing, if they killed him or just knocked him unconscious like they did to me.
The sight makes something twist in my chest because even though Marco has never liked me, even though he always looked at me like I was a problem to be solved, he didn't deserve whatever they did to him.
"Don't worry about your guard dog." Lorenzo follows my gaze. "He's alive… for now. Father hasn't decided yet what to do with him."
My mind is trying to process too much information at once and I force myself to focus on what matters most. "Your father knew about the pregnancy lie the whole time."
"Of course he knew. He's not stupid, Alessia. Neither am I." Lorenzo crouches down so we're at eye level. "Father wanted to handle it carefully though. So, he planned to corner you at my forty-day memorial."
The memorial I never made it to because Matteo abducted me. If I'd gone like Don Emilio expected, I would have walked right into their trap.
"But then you disappeared. Taken by Romano men." Lorenzo's jaw clenches. "How convenient.”
"Father wanted to negotiate with Romano. Buy you back like a business transaction." Lorenzo continues and his jaw is clenched so tight I can see the muscle jumping. "But then word came that Romano was fucking you."
The venom in his voice makes my stomach turn. I open my mouth to say something but he keeps going.
"That's when I stopped listening to Father's plans." His hands are fists at his sides. "Went after Romano myself at that hotel. Father didn't even know I was there until it was over."
The Meridian. The ambush that almost killed Matteo. Lorenzo did that without Don Emilio's approval.
"But he survived. Killed my men and walked out like nothing fucking happened." Lorenzo's voice has gotten rougher with each word. "Made me look like a fool."
A door opens somewhere beyond this room and footsteps echo in what sounds like a hallway or corridor. Lorenzo straightens immediately and some of the rage drains from his expression, replaced by careful control.
Don Emilio steps into the room and the temperature seems to drop. He's dressed in an expensive suit that looks freshly pressed despite whatever he's been doing today, and his silver hair is perfectly styled.
But it's his eyes that make ice spread through my veins—they're cold and calculating in a way that Lorenzo's have never been, like he's already made decisions about my future and is just waiting for the right moment to implement them.
"Alessia." He says my name like we're at a family dinner instead of in a basement where I'm tied to a chair with blood on my lip. "I apologize for the accommodations. Not what I would choose for family, but circumstances require certain... precautions."
Family. The word is a mockery.
"Don Emilio." I'm surprised my voice comes out steady when everything inside me is screaming. "I assume this isn't a social call."
Something that might be amusement flickers across his face. "I always did appreciate your directness, even when it got you into trouble with my son. Most women in your position would be crying or begging by now."
"I learned early that crying doesn't stop what's coming."
"No, it doesn't." Don Emilio moves further into the room and I notice he's holding a phone in his left hand. "But I'm not here to discuss your survival strategies. I'm here to inform you that Matteo Romano will be arriving soon."
My heart kicks against my ribs so hard it hurts. "You told him to come here?"
"I sent him a very clear invitation, yes. With a deadline and consequences for non-compliance." Don Emilio checks his watch like he's timing something.
My heart slams against my ribs. "You're using me as bait."
"You're serving your purpose." He checks his watch like he's timing something. "Romano won't let you go. And when he arrives, we end this."
The casual way he says it makes my blood run cold. They're going to kill Matteo. They're going to use me to lure him here and then they're going to kill him.
"He won't come alone." The words come out desperate even though I'm trying to sound confident. "He's not stupid."
"He'll come alone because I told him to." Don Emilio's voice carries absolute certainty. "And because we have someone inside his organization telling us everything,” before I can say something he continues. "Romeo." Don Emilio watches my face. "Been working for us almost a year now. Every move Romano makes, we know about it."
Romeo. My stomach turns over as I realize he's been betraying Matteo this entire time, has been setting up this moment where everything falls apart.
