by Bella J.
“Such a shame…such a shame he messed up such a pretty lady.”
A cold tremor moved all the way from my neck, down my spine, settling heavily at the soles of my feet.
Messed up? What did he mean by messed up?
Dear God. My head was spinning, blood and adrenaline rushing through my veins.
“So…so…so pretty.” His words were now nothing more than mumbling.
“Why did he mess Layla up? How?” I jerked him, desperate to get more answers, but with his eyes closed, he just kept on mumbling, the sound growing softer and softer.
“So…so…so…pr—”
And then I lost it. I grabbed the gun out of Lucio’s hand, aimed…and pulled the trigger. Within a split second, there was nothing left of the man whose body still sat in the chair. With a bullet wound to the head, bruised face, and knives sliced through his hands, the son of a bitch was now where he deserved to be. Hell.
Lucio wiped away a drop of blood that splashed on his cheek. “I’m guessing you have a clue as to what he was rambling on about?”
I nodded, my mind still in shock.
“This blonde he was talking about—”
“Layla. Her name is Layla.”
“She someone to you?”
I walked over to the table with the knives and picked up the cloth to wipe my hands. “You can say that.”
“What can I do?”
Typical Lucio. Always ready for orders, ready to help. No questions asked. That was what I liked most about him. He didn’t meddle, interfere, or try to get you to “open up.” You told him to do something, and he did it. Loyal fucker.
I turned to face him. “I need you to keep this between us until I can figure out what’s going on with Layla and why Matteo is using her.”
He walked closer. “You heard what this asshole said. They want to ruin us, and since they didn’t manage to pull off their plan with Karina, you’re next.”
I tossed the cloth on the table. “I heard what he said.”
“They are using her to get to you.”
“Yeah, I got that. I need to figure out how they’re using her, and what they’re doing to her.”
Lucio leaned back against the table, grabbing the edges with his hands. The heavy, bold, black snakes inked on his arms seemed like they were alive, moving along with the muscle. “I’ll get some of my informants on it, try to get as much info as possible.”
I nodded. “I don’t have to tell you that discretion is key.”
“Nope. I got it. Now, get out of here. I’ll take care of this mess.”
“Thank you, Lucio.” I stepped closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulder as we hugged. I appreciated the crap out of this man and knew one day he would be bigger than all of us.
On my way out of the warehouse, my thoughts were like a goddamn train wreck. Bits and pieces of information all scattered around, making no fucking sense. If my instincts were anything to go by, Layla was in a shitload of trouble. And by what the dead motherfucker told me, it might already have been too late.
I needed to figure this all out. All these puzzle pieces needed to be connected in order for me to see the bigger picture. But there were still pieces missing…and I knew just where to start looking for more.
Chapter 10
Dante
Lucio and I had been parked outside Kate’s house for the last two hours.
“You’re sure this is where we need to start looking?” Lucio glanced my way.
“If Layla had half the chance to go somewhere, it would be here.”
I stared out the window. The house still looked exactly the same. Blue panels with white-framed windows. After Layla left, I drove past this house at least a hundred times just to push the stake deeper into my chest.
The brown bench was still in the exact same spot on the porch. We spent countless nights sitting on that bench, talking, kissing, joking, laughing—and, of course, watching sunrises together.
“Happy anniversary.” I smiled and held out a blue velvet box.
Layla’s eyes lit up. “Dante, what is this?”
I shrugged. “It’s our anniversary, babe.”
“Our anniversary?”
“Yeah. It’s been six months, two weeks, four days, and,” I glanced at my wristwatch, “two hours and thirteen minutes since we went on our first date.”
She smiled the kind of smile that reached her eyes. It was that exact kind of smile that had me pussy-whipped for her the second we met.
“That’s some anniversary.”
“Sure is.” I placed the box in her hand. “Open it.”
She pursed her plump, heart-shaped lips, glanced at me, and slowly opened the box.
“Dante.” Her eyes beamed, and she sucked in a breath. “What…”
I took the box from her. “It’s what they call the Imperial Topaz. It’s the most prized color of the gem.” I removed the necklace from the casing, and she turned while holding her hair, allowing me to place it around her neck. “The ancient Egyptians and Romans associated the golden gem with the sun god, giving it the power to protect.” Gently, I slipped my palms over her shoulders as she let her hair down. “It reminded me of you.”
She turned to me, clutching the gem between her fingers. “How so?”
I placed my palm on her cheek, my thumb lightly moving over her skin. “Your eyes. Your love for the sunrise. And that the most important thing for me is to protect you, to keep you safe.” I placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Always.”
She leaned closer, demanding another kiss. I was in no position to deny her. I would never deny this woman anything. From the very first time I laid eyes on her, I knew she would be the one to change everything for me. She would be the woman who would hold my life in the palms of her hands.
Our kiss lingered, her sweet vanilla and musk scent swirling around me, making me want her in ways which were definitely not appropriate while sitting outside on the porch.
A few strokes of her tongue against mine, and then she pulled back. “Thank you, Dante. It’s an incredible gift. I love it.”
With my fingertips, I brushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear. “I love you, Layla. There is not a gem or a treasure in the world worth more than loving you.”
A faint shade of pink tinged her cheeks. I loved it when she blushed. It reminded me how innocent and good she was. It also reminded me how much I didn’t deserve a woman like her. She was my exact opposite. Beautiful—inside and out, and utterly worthy of being loved.
She placed her hand against my cheek, the softness of her touch melting the last bit of ice I had left in my veins. She changed me. Her love made me want to be a better man. Her man.
“I love you, Dante. More than words can say.”
I placed my hand over hers, nestling my cheek deeper into her palm. To me, it felt like I had waited for her my whole life, and now that I finally had her, one lifetime didn’t feel long enough. It was moments like these I prayed to God and hoped like hell there was such a thing as eternal life because I planned on spending eternity with this woman.
Little did I know back then my time with Layla would be limited. Eternity wasn’t meant to be for us. It was unfortunate that I had to learn the hard way, losing my heart in the process.
Lucio sat up in the passenger seat. “Check out the SUV.”
I looked out and saw a black SUV parking in front of Kate’s house. In silence—and anticipation—I waited to see who was in the car.
First, a man dressed in a suit got out from the passenger side. He looked left and right, up and down the road twice before opening the back door to the SUV.
True as fuck, there she was, getting out of the car.
“That her?”
I nodded. “Lucio Valenti, meet Layla Moore.”
She wore a dark brown coat to ward off the early autumn cold. Big, round, dark sunglasses covered most of her upper face as if she was trying to hide.
Within a few short strides, Layla was up the stairs
and knocking at her sister’s door with a man standing behind her. Three men stayed behind, one guarding the vehicle, the other two standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Why all the muscle?” Lucio shifted in his seat.
“He’s protecting her.”
“From what?”
“Me.”
I continued to watch as Kate opened the door, two sisters hugging each other so tightly, one would think it was a fucking reunion.
Layla slipped inside the house, and I cursed. “Fuck. I need to be inside that goddamn house.”
Lucio unbuckled. “Well, then, let’s go.”
He was out of the car before I had the chance to stop him.
I jumped out and called after him. “Lucio, what the fuck are you doing?”
“I’ll tell you what I’m not doing.” He fastened his suit jacket. “I’m not sitting around and waiting for shit to go down.”
Fuck, I love this man.
We crossed the road, and the men standing by the end of the stairs turned their attention to us immediately.
“Gentlemen,” Lucio started, “do you know if a certain Kate Moore lives here?”
One guy glanced at the other before turning his focus back to us. “I suggest you two move along.”
Lucio skipped onto the pavement. “It’s really urgent that I get hold of Miss Moore. Is she here?”
“I said move along.”
“So, I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Lucio moved closer, both men straightening, their warning glares fully focused on us.
“What the fuck is your problem?”
Lucio shrugged. “I don’t have a problem. Do you have a problem?”
I had to smother a laugh. If pissing these guys off was Lucio’s plan, I’d guess it was fucking working.
“Listen, man,” one of the men took an intimidating step forward, “just fuck off before we hand your ass to you on a silver fucking platter.”
Lucio seemed offended. “No need for violence. I just need to see a certain Layla Moore for a teeny-tiny second.”
I saw the guy at the back move his hand under his jacket. On instinct, I reached and placed my hand on my own weapon. I appreciated Lucio’s little display of balls, but going on a shooting spree at the side of the road in broad daylight was not ideal.
Lucio held up his hands in a mock surrender. “Whoa. No need for that. I just—” And then he darted toward the stairs, rushing past the men before they tackled him to the ground. He thrashed and fought, but when his eyes met mine, he winked. That was when I realized he was creating a diversion for me to slip into the house. Sly motherfucker.
While Lucio kept the three men busy—by getting his ass kicked—I rushed around the house to the back door. I knew there was another guy in there with Layla and Kate, so I grabbed my gun and slowly eased the door open, peeking inside.
Voices came from the direction of the living room, and I softly stepped inside, keeping my gun at the ready. Every step was slow and calculated. I could not fuck this up and let Lucio get his ass beaten to a pulp for nothing.
“What is going on, Layla?” I heard Kate’s voice.
“You know I can’t tell you that.” My heart skipped a beat when I heard Layla. I moved through the kitchen and placed my back against the wall by the door.
“How do you expect me to accept that? After all this time?”
“I know it’s a lot. And I’m sorry I’m dragging you into my mess.” I heard the remorse in her voice, the regret. It made me want to take her into my arms and never let go. “But I had no other option,” Layla continued. “You are the only family I have left. I had no choice but to come to you for help.”
“Does Dante know?”
“He knows I’m here, yes.”
“Does he know everything?”
I inched to the side, peeking around the corner. Kate was sitting on the couch with Layla standing before her.
“No, he doesn’t.”
“You need to tell him, Layla. He needs to know.”
What the fuck was Kate talking about?
A movement at the entrance caught my eye. It was the bodyguard shifting from one leg to other before clearing his throat. He was paying careful attention to the women, and I got the feeling he wasn’t happy with their conversation.
Layla looked at him before letting her head down. “I need to see this through, Kate. I have no choice. It’s the only way I can protect him.”
The sound of glass shattering came from outside, and the bodyguard rushed to the window. “Fuck. Come on.” He grabbed Layla’s arm and started to drag her toward the door.
“He said I had twenty minutes,” Layla pleaded.
“We’re leaving. Now.”
“Stop!” She tried to jerk her arm free from his hold. “You’re hurting me.” And that was when the possessive fuck in me took over.
I ran into the living room aiming my gun. “Take your fucking hands off her.”
He twisted her arm and slammed her back against him, holding his arm around her throat, his gun against her temple. “Take another step and I’ll blow her fucking brains out.”
I stepped to the side, slowly making my way toward Kate, who had fallen to the floor. “If you so much as hurt a fucking hair on her head, I will cut you up and send the pieces to your mother for her fucking birthday.”
“Dante,” Layla breathed out, “what are you doing here?”
I ignored her. I focused all my attention on the fucker behind her, never taking my eyes off him.
“Let her go, and I’ll allow you to leave here with both your balls.”
He tightened his hold around her neck. “I have three men waiting outside. There’s no way you’ll be able to get out of here alive.”
A click sounded from behind him. “Think again, motherfucker.”
“Layla, get down!” I yelled, and she dropped to the floor the second the gunshot went off. Blood spattered against the wall, and the bodyguard’s lifeless body dropped, Lucio standing behind him with the gun.
I rushed across the room toward where Layla was crouched, crying as she frantically tried to get the blood off her face.
“Layla.” I leaned down, placing my hands on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face, her golden hair covered in streaks of crimson. “Dante. What have you done?”
Chapter 11
Layla
I was covered in blood. A dead man was lying beside me, crimson staining the laminated floors as his blood pooled around him. My heart was beating so fast, so loud, it was all I heard. Everything else was on mute. Dante was rushing toward me, but in my view, it all happened in slow motion. For a few seconds, my thoughts were scrambled, my mind confused, yet alert.
Adrenaline burned as it swooshed through my veins, my chest rapidly rising and falling with every breath. Nothing about the scene that played out in front of me made any sense. Everything was wrong. The harder I tried to pull my mind from the fog, the more I realized Dante had played right into his hands.
“Layla, are you okay?”
I focused my gaze on his face—the face I had fallen so helplessly in love with so many years ago. The face I still loved.
“Dante.” My voice was nothing more than a rush of air. “What have you done?”
If only he knew. If only he knew how much was at stake—how deep all of this went. Every molecule of my being wanted to tell him. I wanted to scream at him, to let him understand this all was so much bigger than just us.
I was losing control. I was losing the fight against those who threatened everything I loved.
Dante wiped at my cheek—probably trying to get the blood off my face—before running his hand down my arm, wrapping his fingers around my elbow. “Come on. We have to go. Now.”
I pulled back. “No. I can’t go with you.”
He frowned in confusion. “Layla, there’s no time. We need to leave.”
“No, Dante. You don’t understand.”
>
“The one thing I do understand is if we don’t leave right now, a whole lot of shit is going to come raining down all around us within the next few minutes.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw a man helping Kate up from the floor, and he glanced our way. “Dante, bro, we need to leave, pronto.”
Dante pulled me to my feet. “Layla, I know something is going on. Matteo is using you to get to me somehow, but you need to trust me. You need to trust that whatever it is Matteo has over you, I can help you.”
With every heartbeat and every breath, I wanted to believe I could trust in Dante. That I could share my burden with him and not feel so damn alone. But deep down I knew I was in too deep, too far gone for anyone to help me now.
I jerked my arm free from his grip. “You can’t help me. No one can.”
Kate stood next to the man across the room, tears running down her face. “For God’s sake, Layla. Tell him.”
“I can’t, Kate. You know what’s at stake,” I argued.
“Exactly. And he has a right to know.”
Dante glanced from me to Kate, then back to me, confusion plastered on every contour of his face. “Okay, whatever the fuck you two are talking about, we don’t have time right now.” He grabbed me around my waist and pulled me up, throwing me over his shoulder.
“Dante! Stop. Don’t do this.” I thrashed against his back. Fought to get free. But he only tightened his grip on me as he rushed out of the house. “Dante, you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“We can discuss the matter of me not knowing what I’m doing later.”
Within seconds, Dante shoved me in the back seat of a car and got in next to me. Kate climbed into the front passenger seat while the other guy slipped in behind the wheel. The engine started, and I immediately grabbed the handle of the door, but it wouldn’t open.
Dante looked my way. “Child lock.” I glared at him, and he shrugged. “Safety precaution.”
The car swerved onto the road, the force shoving me to the side, and I glowered at the driver.
Dante noticed. “Layla, meet my cousin Lucio.”