Allowing love in opens you up to pain.
It allows others to hurt you, to make your life hell.
But for her, I'll do it any day.
"I lo—"
"No." I press a finger to her lips. "You'll tell me that when I see you again." Tears sparkle in her pretty eyes, and I bask in the affection she holds for me. She's seen every part of me, the man, and the monster, and yet, she still wanted to admit she loves me.
But now is not the right time.
I'm about to speak again when the doctor enters the room. "Ms. Cavallone," he says, stopping at the foot end of the bed. "Have you decided?"
Luna nods. "Yes, let's do it. I have to try." The pain in her words lances me, deeper than I could ever have expected.
"Great," the doctor says. "I'll get you booked in urgently."
I turn to the man. "I need to take care of some business, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I trust you'll take care of my girl." My words cause him to blanche because there is an underlying threat in them. If he doesn't take care of Luna, I'll be taking care of him. And it won't be pretty.
"Yes, of course, Mr. De Rossi," he mumbles, fear obvious in his response. "Let me get this done and we can get you into surgery as soon as this afternoon," he says to Luna.
"Thank you." Luna's voice is a whisper, and I can feel her eyes on me, boring into me with frustration. When I turn to her, she rolls her eyes. "You don't have to threaten everyone in my life you know."
"When it means life or death, I most certainly fucking do," I inform her easily. "I need to go, but I'll be back before you come out of surgery." Once again, I steal her lips, parting them with my tongue to taste her sweetness. She's warm, her tears have trickled down her cheeks, wetting my face. When I finally pull away, I lock my gaze on hers. "You're going to be fine," I promise, because if anything happens to you, I'll burn the fucking world down. I don't voice my words, but I know it's clear in my eyes what I mean.
"I'll see you later," she tells me and then, I know I need to go. My blood already boiling at the thought of coming face to face with the man who tried to kill her. The man who hurt her. Vengeance rings in my ears as I make my way down to the car where Thiago is waiting.
"Mario's already at the warehouse, they're waiting," he tells me as we slip into the car.
My thoughts are at war. With me stepping into my father's shoes so quickly it's forced me into a role I wasn't yet ready for. I thought I was, but everything that's happened since his death has felt like I've been on autopilot.
Now, with Luna's surgery looming, I have come to learn that I'm in love. The thought of losing her confirms it. My father once told me when that emotion has settled in your soul, the idea of not having that person around you, it breaks you. It squeezes every ounce of emotion from your heart. And with her, that's exactly what it feels like.
As the car pulls up to the warehouse, and we come to a stop, Thiago kills the engine and glances at me in the rearview mirror. "Are you ready, boss?"
"I've been ready since I heard she'd been in an accident," I inform him. "Let's go." We exit the vehicle and make our way into the large, mostly empty warehouse. Inside, Mario along with a couple of our soldiers stand guard. A man once again is in my hot seat. When my father first introduced me to this place, I knew it would become my second home.
"It seems we found ourselves a coward," I say as I near the chair. The man in question looks so much older now than he did when we signed the contract. Even though not much time has passed. "Mario, why don't you tell me about our friend here?"
"Well, his name is Tommaso Cavallone. He hires men to do underhanded jobs for a fee," Mario speaks slowly as he circles the assassin who's bound with chains to the chair. Even though his struggles are futile, and he knows it, he doesn't stop. "He's fifty-eight, a Sagittarius, and he loves to drink a neat vodka after every kill." A chuckle vibrates through Mario's chest when Tommaso stills all movement, shock evident on his face when he realizes we've dug deep.
I arch a brow, my gaze meeting my best friend's before I ask, "Anything else I should know?"
"Yes, actually." Mario stops in front of me, but his stare doesn't leave our captive. "He likes to pay for entertainment, even when they're not legal." At those words, I can't help but feel my blood boil.