MasukDANTE'S POVThe moment Lorenzo's text arrived with proof that Gianna was in his custody, ice flooded my veins.The attached photo showed her unconscious, head lolled to the side, blood matting her hair.Rage and terror warred for dominance as I gathered what remained of my forces.I knew my numbers weren't enough. Lorenzo would expect me to come undermanned, desperate, and reckless.He'd use that to his advantage, surround me with his hired guns, and end this war with both Gianna and me dead.So I did what he wouldn't anticipate.I called in every favor owed, activated every alliance I'd spent years cultivating.The other clans owed me blood debts, and I collected them all at once.Within half an hour, I had three times the forces I'd started with, men from families who understood that Lorenzo Giovanni's vendetta threatened the entire power structure we'd built.Lorenzo thought he knew the playing field. He had no idea how thoroughly the landscape had shifted against him.We moved in
GIANNA'S POV"And would you have done the same for me?" The question hung in the air between us, filed with years of neglect and disappointment. "I'm not sure you would. I'm not sure you ever would.""Don't be ridiculous." Lorenzo's dismissal came quickly. "That was a strategic decision. And this fake display of love from Dante, this performance he's putting on, you actually believe it? I'm the only one who loves you, Gianna. I'm your father. I gave you life. Without me, you wouldn't even exist."His hand shot out, gripping my jaw and forcing my head up. "You betrayed me. You chose his blood over your own. How could you do that to me? How could you turn your back on your family?""I didn't betray you." Anger burned through the fear, hot and righteous. "You're the one who betrayed me. Do I need to remind you that the last time we were together, you used me as bait to save yourself? I could have died. Dante took a bullet for me. A bullet meant to kill me, fired by you. That's not someth
GIANNA'S POVI raised my head, still struggling to see clearly, and saw my father step out of the shadows. Two men stood behind him. At his signal, they moved toward Selene.She stumbled back, the shock on her face replacing her earlier confidence."Dad?" The word emerged as a croak. My eyes found his face, taking in the cold satisfaction written there. "What are you doing here?"I turned to Selene, new horror replacing the old. "You've been working with my father? All this time?""Not all this time." Selene struggled against the men holding her. "Just recently. He reached out to me. Our relationship is mutually beneficial. I wanted Dante all to myself, and he wanted his daughter."She looked at Lorenzo, her expression pleading now instead of triumphant. "You have your precious daughter. Take her far away from here. That was the deal.""Oh no, not so fast, Selene." Lorenzo's smile carried the warmth of a snake. "What were you thinking? That I was going to betray my daughter for you?"
GIANNA'S POV"Dante has always been mine." Selene released me with a shove that made me rock back on my bound hands. "You think you can just waltz in here and become the mafia queen? Where were you when my sister died and I was the one taking care of Arielle? Picking up the slack when he was so sunk in his grief he didn't have time for his own daughter? I was there for him. I was there through everything."She began pacing again, her movements agitated."And suddenly he claims to have fallen in love with the daughter of the man who killed my sister? The daughter of his mortal enemy? Tell me how that makes any sense, Gianna. Tell me how that's fair.""I'm sorry if you think I stole anything from you." Fear made my voice shake, but I pushed through it. "But it was never my intention. What happened between Dante and me wasn't planned. It just happened. We didn't set out to fall in love. We hated each other at first. But somewhere along the line, that hatred transformed into love.""Don't
GIANNA'S POVPain announced itself before consciousness fully returned, a dull throbbing that radiated from my temple through my entire skull. I tried to lift my hand to touch the source of the ache, but my arm wouldn't move. Confusion filtered through the fog in my mind. Why couldn't I move?I tried to open my eyes, but they felt too heavy. The moment I forced them apart, pain shot through my head, and nausea rolled through my stomach.My wrists hurt, something rough dug into my skin. I tried to pull my hands apart, but they were tied tightly behind me, straining my shoulders.Panic stirred in my chest like a trapped bird.I forced my eyes open, blinking through the blur. Slowly, the room came into focus.The warehouse.We had come here to save Arielle.The memory came back all at once. The ambush that wasn't an ambush. Alfonso going down. The guards being shot. Selene's hand in my hair, her voice as she called me a stupid bitch.My breathing quickened. I pulled against the rest
GIANNA'S POV"Lady Gianna..." Alfonso started, clearly preparing to argue."That's the plan." I opened my door before I could second-guess myself further, before rational thought could override desperate action. "Let's move."The evening air carried a chill that had nothing to do with temperature, raising goosebumps along my arms despite the lingering warmth of the day. Alfonso positioned his men with hand signals, silent communication born of years working together. Two guards peeled off to circle the building while the rest formed up near the entrance.Selene appeared at my elbow, her presence somehow oppressive despite her smaller frame. "The side door should be unlocked. That's where I saw them go in.""How do you know it's unlocked?" The question escaped before I could stop it."I... I just assumed. They were in a hurry, probably didn't think about securing every entrance."Reasonable, but why did it sound like a lie?Alfonso tested the door, and it swung open with a rusty groan
Gia’s POV Bruno walked into the dining room mid-bite, and honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he looked like a big, scary man suddenly made harmless. He wore an almost dorky smile, eyes bouncing between Dante and me as though he had stepped into forbidden territory. He leaned down and w
Gianna’s POV I walked the length of the room for what felt like the hundredth time, fury rolling through me. Dante DeLuca, with all his arrogance, had actually ordered me to my room at breakfast, like he was the principal and I was the disobedient student. What angered me most was that I had to ag
Gia's POVI ran into the bedroom, tiny sparks coursing through every nerve in my body as I dropped onto the edge of the bed, my breath still shallow.My eyes darted to the closet door, expecting him to come bursting out at any second. Part of me wanted him to. God help me, I wanted him to.My heart
Gianna’s POV A cocky grin spread across Dante’s face as he withdrew his hand from my dress, fingers dragging against my skin like he wanted me to feel every inch of his retreat. When his grip loosened on my wrists the sudden absence of pressure made me sway, dizzy from the force he’d held me with







