MasukThe sudden impact left Julian stunned. For a second he could not understand what had happened.One moment his mouth had been on Aria’s. The next he was lying on the ground. The force that had ripped him away was unmistakable.Someone had pulled him off her and thrown him aside as though he weighed nothing.He clenched his teeth and looked up. The same stranger he had seen inside Aria’s apartment earlier stood over him.Shock vanished. Rage took its place.“You again?” His face twisted as he scrambled to his feet. “I am speaking with my girlfriend. Get out of here.”“Speaking?” Dante’s voice rolled like thunder. “You were forcing yourself on her.”“Who the hell do you think you are to interfere?” Julian advanced on him. “You are nobody. Leave.”“You are the one who needs to leave,” Dante answered, cold and absolute. “Do not make a scene. Or I will give you a reason to regret it.”That final warning snapped the last of Julian’s control. He swung a fist, certain the blow would land the w
Dante’s fist remained suspended in the air, still shaking. Only then did the lifeless body register fully. The man’s face was unrecognizable.He stepped back and dropped into the chair, lungs working hard.Rafael signaled the others to remove the body.Once the floor was clear, Rafael offered him a glass of water. “Enzo has grown stronger,” he said with careful restraint. “We should rethink the timing of the attack.”“No.” Dante stared straight ahead, eyes burning. “I am done hiding. We move according to the original plan.”Rafael held his gaze a moment longer, then gave a single nod.Later that same day Dante returned to the apartment under cover of dusk. Aria had not yet come home.He went straight to his room, turned on the tap, and let cold water run over his bloodied knuckles. He scrubbed until the stains disappeared, changed into clean clothes, and stepped onto the balcony. A cigarette flared to life between his fingers.Everything he had learned earlier replayed without mercy.
After Aria left, Dante’s phone vibrated against the table. Rafael’s name lit the screen.“We cannot keep him any longer,” Rafael said the moment the call connected. “Enzo is turning the city upside down looking for him. If he learns the man was taken from that bar, he will start asking the wrong questions. We cannot risk that.”Dante’s jaw worked hard.“We are running out of time,” Rafael added, tension clear in his voice. “We need to end him.”“I still want answers from him first.”“But—”“I am on my way,” Dante cut in, ending any further protest.“Understood. Be careful.”The line went dead.Dante pulled on a hooded jacket, fixed a mask over the lower half of his face, and left the apartment.Several minutes later the warehouse stood cold and silent around him.The captive sat bound to a metal chair at the center of the room. Sweat soaked through his shirt. The poison Dante had forced into him earlier was already moving through his system. It would not kill him quickly, but it weake
A new lover?The phrase echoed inside Aria’s mind. She shook her head at once. “No. He is not my lover.”Dante kept his expression carefully curious. “Then who is he?”“I…” She hesitated only a second. “I thought it was you.”He had already guessed as much, yet he continued the game, unwilling to release the moment. “You thought it was me,” he repeated, eyes widening in deliberate surprise. “Why?”She pressed her lips together, suddenly aware of how exposed the answer made her feel. “Because of his eyes. They were grey. Exactly like yours.”Even as the words left her mouth she heard how thin they sounded.Her honesty caught him off guard. He had expected either a refusal or some careless excuse. Instead she gave him the truth.“Grey eyes are not rare,” he pointed out. “How could that alone make you mistake a stranger for me?”“I…”Before she could form an answer he leaned closer. Aria drew in a sharp breath and went rigid.“Were you hoping it was me?” His voice dropped to a low murmur
Rafael went quiet on the other end of the line. The order itself did not surprise him. He had carried out far harsher commands without hesitation. What unsettled him was the clear sign that Dante had grown attached to Aria, and that attachment was already sliding toward something deeper.It was a warning he could not ignore.“Is it really necessary?” he asked with care. “Those men have already been dealt with. They were thrown out of the bar and banned.”In his view that should have been enough. Dante wanted more.“It is not enough,” Dante answered, voice low and hard. “They put their hands on women. If they walk away with only a ban they will do the same thing somewhere else.”Rafael recognized the tone. Once Dante decided on a course of action, no argument would shift it.He released a slow breath. “You are becoming emotionally involved with her.”Dante said nothing. The silence told Rafael everything he needed to know.Rafael’s voice grew firmer. “That woman can become a distractio
Heat surged through Dante’s veins. His fists tightened until the knuckles whitened.“Come on, beauties,” one of the men slurred, blocking the path. “Why leave so early?”Another stepped in close to Aria, grin wide and loose. “You are a real beauty.” His fingers reached for her cheek.Aria’s palm cracked against his hand.“Feisty,” he smirked. “I like that.”Lara tried to push past. “Move.”The third man laughed. “Don’t be like that. Come with us. We’ll keep you company.”The second man suddenly closed his fingers around Aria’s wrist. “Let’s go somewhere more private. We’ll make sure you have fun.”Aria swayed on her feet but yanked her arm free. “Don’t touch me.”Dante took one hard step forward. A firm hand clamped around his arm and dragged him back.He turned sharply. Rafael stood beside him, expression tight.“What are you doing here?” Dante’s voice was low and dangerous. “I told you to handle that man.”“He is handled. Someone else already took him,” Rafael said. “I was not leavi







