Lucian climbs to his feet, and I watch as he rinses the blood from his hands. “Remove this piece of shit from my house,” he barks, and it’s only then I see Franco and Matteo.
They don’t look at me as they pick up Dante’s body, and when they carry him away, only blood remains on the tiles where he died.
Using the tub, I pull myself up on trembling legs.
Lucian shrugs out of his jacket, and then he comes to wrap it around my shoulders. His arms slip under me, and I’m lifted to his chest.
There’s zero hesitation as I wrap my arms around his neck. I bury my face against him while my relief washes the horror away.
Lucian carries me to another room. He takes a seat on the bed, and then he holds me so tightly it borders on painful.
I hear him take deep breaths. I feel his body shudder against mine with residual anger.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice raw with emotion.
Lucian kept his promise.
He killed Dante for me.
A calm feeling washes over me, and I hold my husband tighter.
It’s only then I realize I’ve found the freedom I’ve been fighting so hard for.
I’m finally free from Dante.
I’m free.
Chapter 20
LUCIAN
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.
I sure as fuck won’t be asking forgiveness for killing Dante.
I suck in a deep breath, and then I pull back so I can see what damage the motherfucker has done to Elena.
The moment I saw Leo on the floor, fear flooded me, unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
What I found when I rushed into the bedroom ripped the air from my lungs. All I saw was Elena’s discarded wedding dress. And then I heard the angry grunts coming from the bathroom, and it baptized my soul in fire and brimstone.
Seeing Dante on top of my wife, tearing at the meager clothes that covered her body, robbed me of my sanity. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to and I sure as fuck didn’t want to.
I’ve never killed a man with my bare hands until today. My only regret is that he didn’t suffer more.
My eyes scan over Elena’s delicate features, and the bruise forming on her cheek rips a growl from my chest. Her skin has split, and the sight of the thin trail of blood makes my body shudder violently with newborn rage.
Our eyes lock. Instead of trauma and fear, she looks at me with so much calm it makes the rage fade.
Elena moves her hands to my jaw, and then she surprises me by slowly leaning in and pressing a kiss to my mouth. “Thank you for keeping your promise,” she whispers against my lips.
“Are you okay?” I manage to ask, my voice rough with emotions.
She moves her hand to her cheek and touches the bruise with the pad of her finger, and then she nods. “I’m okay.”
I wrap my arms around her again and hold her tightly to my chest. Elena hides her face in the crook of my neck.
I lift a hand to the back of her head and curl myself around her.
God, if I hadn’t noticed something was off…
The shock begins to fade, and the adrenaline flows from my veins. I just hold her because I’m not ready to let go yet.
Just like before, it takes Elena a moment, and then she begins to cry. Delayed shock shudders through her. “Thank you,” she squeezes out. “Thank you, Lucian.”
I press a kiss to the side of her head and take a deep breath of her.
The door to our room opens, and Aunt Ursula comes rushing in. “Dio! What happened?”
“Dante attacked her,” I bite the foul words out through clenched teeth.
Aunt Ursula comes to place her hands on Elena’s shuddering shoulders, and then I lose my wife as she turns to my aunt.
“Dio. Dio,” Aunt Ursula keeps repeating when she sees Elena’s face. “Come, cara.”
I stand up and watch as Aunt Ursula takes Elena to the bathroom, and then I close my eyes. I take a couple of deep breaths before I walk out of the room to face Tino.
I hear him threatening Franco at the bottom of the stairs, and pulling my Glock from behind my back, I take the stairs down. I lift my arm and order, “Move, Franco. I’ve got this.”
With the barrel of my gun trained on Valentino Lucas’ forehead, I say, “You brought that piece of shit into my home.”
“You killed my right-hand man,” Tino spits at me, his face tight with rage.
“He attacked my wife.” My finger tightens around the trigger. “You’ve allowed that motherfucker to abuse Elena for years and expect me to do the same?”
“She’s my daughter to offer to whomever I want.”
Christ almighty, give me strength.
Unable to stop myself, I dart forward and slam the butt of the gun against Tino’s face.