Novels by Katie o.

CHAPTER 93 SALVATORE POVI returned to the office alone after Lena and I left the interrogation room. The mansion felt unusually quiet, like the entire household understood something fragile had shifted and was waiting to see what would break. I closed the door but didn't lock it. The space that normally gave me control now felt tight and airless. I removed my suit jacket and tossed it over a chair. My sleeves stayed rolled to the forearms. Faint stains of dried blood still marked my hands and the edges of my cuffs. I stared at them for a long time, not with pride, but with a deep exhaustion that settled into my bones.I replayed the interrogation in my mind, then the exact moment I turned and found Lena standing in the doorway. I hadn't feared the prisoners. I hadn't feared Dante or the council or the men who still wanted me dead. But the look on her face when she saw that side of me terrified me more than any weapon. I told myself she must finally understand what I truly was. A man

CHAPTER 92LENA POV I woke up the morning after we got back to the island feeling stronger physically. The cuts on my face still ached, but the dizziness had mostly gone. Salvatore wasn't in bed. I assumed he was working in his office, the way he always disappeared when the empire needed him. As I walked through the mansion, something felt different though. The guards stopped talking the moment I passed. Servants lowered their voices. Everyone carried tension that hadn't been there before. I overheard two soldiers near the staircase."They found another warehouse.""No. The Boss already destroyed it."A third voice answered quietly, "I've never seen him like this."A knot tightened in my stomach.I found Charlie in the war room reviewing stacks of documents. Photographs and maps covered the table. Images of destroyed compounds. He closed one folder the second he saw me. "You shouldn't be here."I noticed the movement. "What are you hiding?"Charlie sighed. "I'm trying to protect you

CHAPTER 91SALVATORE POVI stood beside Lena's hospital bed at dawn and watched her sleep. The nurse confirmed quietly that her condition was stable enough to travel back to the island later that day. I brushed my thumb across her knuckles one last time before I let go of her hand. The words left me almost without thinking. "I'll make sure no one ever gets close enough to hurt you again."Charlie and Diego waited in the hallway. Neither spoke until the door closed behind me. The softness that had been on my face for the past two days disappeared the moment the latch clicked. I was different now.On the private jet home the atmosphere stayed heavy. Charlie laid out the intelligence from Sicily. Several safehouses connected to Caruso had been identified. A shipment of weapons moving through the Adriatic. Two politicians secretly financing Caruso's operations had been exposed. One of my own informants had accepted money to reveal Lena's location during the charity event. I studied every

CHAPTER 90 LENA POVDarkness first. Then voices, muffled and distant. Everything hurts. My head throbbed in a steady, heavy pulse. My ears still rang from the explosion. I tried to piece together the moments. Dante. The gunfire. Running toward the ballroom. Then the blast threw me backward.I forced my eyes open.White walls. Soft beeping from medical equipment. The smell of antiseptic. Panic rose for a second before I felt a warm hand wrapped tight around mine.I turned my head carefully. Salvatore sat in a chair pulled close to the bed, asleep. He still wore the same bloodstained suit from the attack. No tie. His sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Dark stubble covered his jaw. He looked exhausted in a way I'd never seen. One hand gripped mine like he was afraid I might disappear if he let go. He hadn't changed his clothes. Hadn't left. He'd stayed.The moment my fingers moved against his, he woke. Not gradual. Instantly. His eyes snapped open and fixed on my face. The fear inside the

CHAPTER 89 SALVATORE POV The first gunshot cut through everything. I was talking with a Sicilian Don about shipping when it hit. Every conversation stopped. Glasses froze halfway to their mouths. The second shot came sharper and closer. Glass shattered somewhere deeper in the villa. People screamed. Experienced men reached for weapons they always carried. I didn't move. My first thought wasn't about the attack or the politics or the guests about to panic. It was one person. Lena.I turned toward the hallway where she'd disappeared only minutes ago asking for fresh air. Empty. She was gone. My pulse spiked hard in my throat. I didn't wait for instructions or bodyguards. I shouted one clear command that cut through the rising panic. "Find Lena!"Charlie and Diego moved at once. Charlie headed straight for the security room to identify the attackers and lock down exits. Diego began directing guests toward the safer wings, his voice calm and sharp. I ran. Combat training took over witho

CHAPTER 88 LENA POV The dinner was suffocating. Too many smiles that didn't reach anyone's eyes. Too many people watching every move I made. Too many quiet judgments hanging in the air between the polite conversations. I needed air more than I needed another careful exchange. I leaned toward Salvatore and spoke quietly. "I only need a few minutes outside."He looked reluctant. His eyes stayed on my face longer than they should've. "Don't go far."I smiled softly. "I'll be back before you finish your conversation."He hesitated, then nodded. As I walked away I felt him watching until the corridor took me out of sight.The hallway leading toward the gardens was almost silent. Large windows looked out over the moonlit sea. Classical paintings lined the walls in neat rows. Everything felt peaceful, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching. I stopped beside an open balcony and drew a slow breath. Finally there was quiet.A familiar voice cut through it. "You always did