Page 1 of Savage Hearts

prologue

CELESTINA

All three ofmy brothers were standing in the circular drive outside Vincenzo’s house. Massimo’s hands were shoved into his pockets, but I didn’t miss the tension in his frame. In true Vincenzo fashion, his arms were folded across his chest, and he wore a menacing glare. My eyes panned over to the youngest of my brothers, Antonio. His expression was filled with something else—something akin to relief.

“Wait here.” Tino barked as he parked the car and climbed out, leaving me to watch them through the windshield.

I was slightly astonished when I saw Massimo shake his hand, nodding his head, and even more shocked when Vincenzo storms around them and rips my door open. His arms wrapped around me, yanking me out of the back seat. As he held me with such force, the air whooshed out of my lungs.

“Celestina.” He stroked my hair, holding my frame against his. “We thought we lost you.” He set me down, his hands gripping my forearms as he scanned me from head to toe. His eyes narrowed when he saw I was wearing a man’s shirt, and I didn’t miss the low growl coming from his chest. “Where the fuck are your clothes?”

“I don’t have any. This is Beckett’s shirt.” I jerked free of his hands and pushed past him. “Where’s Beckett?” I stepped in front of Massimo, getting in Tino’s face.

“Princesa, I told you to forget about him.” Tino looked at Massimo, silently asking him to get control of me.

“Celestina, let’s go inside.” Massimo rested his arm across my shoulder, tucking me into his side. “Madison and the others are waiting for you. Come. Let’s get you cleaned up and into some clothes. Tino…” He paused. “We’ll be in touch about the agreement. Thank you for bringing our sister home.”

“We’ll definitely be in touch. I’m looking forward to our new business deal, Massimo.”

Tino climbed into his car and drove away. It wasn’t until Massimo tugged me toward the front door I finally let my emotions out. A sob ripped through my chest, and my knees buckled.

“I’ve got you.” Massimo scooped me up and carried me into the house.

I was vaguely aware of the others speaking to me, but the only thing I could hear was the sound of my own tears. I was eased onto a soft mattress, and a warm hand pressed against my shoulder.

“What do you need, Celestina? Are you hurt? Should I have Catarina come check you over?”

“No.” Massimo stared at me with concern, making my heart ache even more. “There is nothing she can do to stop the pain.”

Antonio climbed onto the bed beside me and pulled me against his chest. “What happened, Celestina?”

“I fell in love with a man who doesn’t want me.” My tears spilled down my cheeks, soaking his shirt beneath me.

“Love?” Massimo snorted. “Sweet girl, that man kidnapped you to hurt our family.”

“I know that.” I jerked my head toward where he was standing beside my bed. “But something changed, and he went against Manuel Costa… forme.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Where is he, Massimo? Where is Beckett?”

“It’s not important.” Massimo paced the floor, his hand brushing through his hair as he took several deep breaths of his own. “What matters is you’re safe, and you’ll stay that way now that you’re home.”

I sat up, shoving Antonio off me, and slid my feet to the floor.

“You don’t get to fucking say what’s important.” I stood and shoved past him, my shoulder slamming into his as I made my way into the bathroom.

I wasn’t surprised to find my twin sister closing the door behind her. It took her longer than I expected to get past the wall of our brothers. She leaned against the closed door, staring at me with a look of sympathy mixed with concern.

“Are you just going to stand there and fucking stare at me, or do you have something to say?” My temper got the better of me, and I snapped.

Carmela stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, saying nothing. It was all I needed to crumple into a sniveling mess. I folded myself into her hold and let the tears flow against her shoulder.

“I thought I lost you, Cee.” Using my nickname only made me cry harder. “What happened? One minute you were at the bar… the next...” She inhaled as her arms tightened around me.

“I just wanted to feel in control for once. Massimo is always running people off, and Beckett wasn’t intimidated by who he was. It was a turn-on… I just didn’t realize it was a game at first.” I pulled away, swiping at the tears staining my cheeks. “Then something changed… and I fell in love with him, Carmela.”

“Seriously, Cee.” She snorted. “Do you hear yourself? I’m pretty sure what you think is love is just Stockholm syndrome. That man is a monster, not a hero. A few days away from him, and you’ll see that.”

“No.” My veins filled with hot, molten rage, and I shoved my finger in her chest. “You don’t know how I feel. Beckett risked everything to save me. And you’re right, he isn’t the hero I wanted… but he was the monster I needed. Now, my heart, or what’s left of it, beats unevenly.”

“Just tell me how I can help you, Celestina.” Carmela stepped away, gripping the knob behind her. “I don’t know what to do.”