His weight sagged against me, heavy, almost crushing. My arms strained to hold him up, panic clawing up my throat. Luciano Moretti—the man who commanded empires, who made others kneel with a look—was slipping through my fingers like sand.“No, no, no,” I whispered frantically, pressing harder against his wound, my hands slick with his blood. “Stay with me. Don’t you dare leave me now.”His lashes fluttered, his dark eyes unfocused, but his lips curled faintly. “You… sound like me.”The weak tease made my heart shatter. I wanted to scream at him, shake him until his arrogance returned, until the dangerous king in him woke up and told me I was his again. Instead, I bent lower, pressing my forehead to his.“You’re going to be fine,” I swore, though my voice cracked. “I won’t let you die, Luciano. I promised.”A rustle came from the shadows. My head snapped up, fear lancing through me—enemy? Another bullet waiting?Instead, one of Luciano’s men, Matteo, stumbled into view, his face pale a
The night felt endless, every second stretching like a thread ready to snap. The smell of gunpowder still hung in the air, sharp and metallic, mingling with the iron tang of blood that clung to Luciano’s shirt.He refused to let me go. Even as his body trembled, even as his breath grew shallow, his hand was locked behind my neck, pulling me close.“Luciano,” I whispered, pressing against him, terrified of the weight of his silence. “You need help. You’re bleeding too much.”He didn’t answer right away. His forehead pressed harder against mine, as though he was using me to anchor himself in place. For the first time, he looked… human. Not the untouchable mafia king who bent the world with a glance, but a man fighting to keep himself tethered to life.Finally, his lips moved, brushing against my temple. “Don’t… let them take me from you.”My throat closed. He thought I’d let him slip away. That I’d give up. The thought alone broke something in me.“I won’t,” I said, fierce now, choking
Blood burned in my veins, every heartbeat a reminder that I was too close to death. My hands shook, my vision blurred, but when those men raised their guns at her—at Aria—I felt a fire stronger than pain.I don’t remember willing my hand to move. One second my body was failing me, the next I was pulling the trigger.The man fell. Dead. And for the first time in what felt like forever, the courtyard was silent again.But I didn’t look at him. Not once. My eyes stayed on her.Aria.The way she’d stood in front of me—small, trembling, but unbroken—made my chest ache more than the bullet wounds. She should have run. She should have saved herself. But instead, she shielded me, as though she were the one built of steel and I was the fragile one.God help me, I’d never hated myself more than in that moment.I should have been the one standing. The one protecting her. That’s who I was. Luciano Moretti. The man who didn’t bow, didn’t kneel, didn’t bleed for anyone.Yet there I was. On my knees
The moment I saw that shadow move, every muscle in my body froze. My throat went dry, but I forced myself to keep my voice steady.“Luciano,” I whispered, my eyes still locked on the far side of the courtyard. “We’re not alone.”His fingers tightened around mine, his jaw clenching. Even bloodied and on his knees, he radiated control. “Don’t look scared, Aria. Fear feeds them.”I swallowed, trying to steady my breath. My hands were shaking, though I tried to hide it. I couldn’t tell how many there were, or who they were. Enemy? Ally? Ghost of another fight?The silence stretched until I thought I might scream. Then—footsteps. Slow, deliberate. Whoever it was wanted us to hear them.I shifted, placing myself in front of Luciano without thinking. He was hurt. He couldn’t fight like this. But me? I would.The footsteps drew closer, and then a tall figure stepped into the moonlight. My heart dropped.It wasn’t one man. It was three.Their guns gleamed in their hands, their eyes cold and fi
I sat by my father’s side, clutching his hand as if my grip alone could keep him tethered to life. His breathing had steadied, but his skin was still pale, his lips cracked. The medic had left us alone to gather supplies, and suddenly the room felt too quiet.Too quiet.The gunfire that had rattled the walls before was gone. No more shouting, no more chaos. Just silence.My chest tightened. That silence wasn’t peace. It was a warning.“Papa…” I whispered, squeezing his hand. “It’s too quiet.”His eyelids fluttered open, his gaze weak but sharp. “Where is he? Where is Moretti?”I swallowed hard. “He went outside. He hasn’t come back.”My father’s grip tightened, frail but desperate. “Aria, listen to me. This silence… it’s not good. You must leave. Now.”Leave. The word stabbed me. My heart pounded, because leaving meant one thing—leaving Luciano.I shook my head fiercely. “I can’t just walk away! Not while he’s out there.”“You don’t owe him anything,” my father rasped, his voice raw.
Aria couldn’t breathe. The room was too small, too full of smoke and blood and choices no daughter should ever have to make.Her father’s hand was limp in hers, his pulse fading under her fingertips. The medic’s voice hammered at her ears, clinical and cold. “If we don’t act now, he won’t last five minutes.”Luciano stood across from her, a storm in human form. His shirt was open at the collar, his dark hair disheveled, his chest heaving as if he carried not only his own rage but hers too. His eyes, black as midnight, locked onto her with a fierceness that pinned her to the spot.“I’ll give him my blood,” Luciano said again, calm this time. Too calm, like a man already certain of the outcome.“No…” her father groaned, struggling weakly. “Aria… don’t let him… poison me.”The words stabbed her deeper than any knife.“Poison?” Luciano’s jaw tightened, his voice cutting like glass. “Your pride has blinded you, old man. This isn’t about power. It’s about life.”Aria shook her head, her tea