CHAPTER NINE

My entire body ached with a relentless, throbbing intensity.

I opened my eyes slowly and immediately regretted the decision. "Ahhh..." I groaned softly into the quiet room.

Every single muscle in my arms felt violently sore, especially my shoulders and upper back. I rolled onto my side, burying my face deep into the soft pillow.

"Never again."

Yesterday’s brutal self-defense session with Marco had officially destroyed every physical function I possessed.

I had barely slept five hours because every single time I shifted on the mattress, a new muscle screamed in protest.

After forcing myself out of bed and throwing on a fresh shirt, I limped down the grand staircase to the dining room for breakfast.

Tina, the estate's head housekeeper, was already arranging fresh fruit near the table. The moment her warm eyes landed on me, she smiled.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Good morning, Tina," I mumbled, slowly pulling out a heavy dining chair and lowering myself onto it like an old man.

Tina paused, examining my stiff movements carefully. "Why are you walking like someone who just survived a train crash?"

I frowned, wincing as I reached for a glass of water. "Because Marco tried to break me in half yesterday."

Tina burst out laughing, shaking her head.

"I explicitly told that man to take it easy on you during your first session!"

"That was him taking it easy?!" I stared at her in utter disbelief.

"Tina, I almost met my ancestors on that boxing mat yesterday."

"From punching a leather bag?"

"Yes!"

She chuckled again, but before I could complain any further, Marco strolled into the dining room, looking entirely too energetic for eight in the morning.

"Good morning, princess."

I glared at him with pure venom. "Don’t call me that."

He pulled out the chair across from me, sitting down with a wide smirk.

"How are those muscles treating you, Jules?"

"Terrible. I can barely lift my arm to drink water."

"Good," Marco grinned.

"Good?"

"It means the training is working. Muscles only grow when you tear them down."

I rolled my eyes, leaning my aching back against the chair. "You are genuinely the worst trainer on the planet."

"I went easy on you, kid."

I stared at him, my jaw dropping.

"Easy?"

"Very."

"Then I never want to experience what hard feels like."

Marco laughed heartily, reaching for a pastry.

A quiet, deep voice suddenly cut through the room from behind my shoulder. "You’ll find out soon enough."

I froze instantly. My pulse did a familiar, sharp spike. I didn't need to turn around to know who had just walked into the room.

Lorenzo.

He brushed past my chair, taking his usual place at the head of the long table.

I looked up at him briefly. He was wearing a dark button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, looking effortlessly calm and intimidatingly immaculate.

"Good morning," I muttered, dropping my eyes to my plate.

His piercing gray eyes met mine for a brief second. "Good morning, Julian."

I looked away quickly, my fingers tightening around my napkin. Why did his presence instantly make the air in the room feel ten degrees hotter?

After breakfast, I decided to step outside to get some fresh air.

The estate grounds were massive, and I had been cooped up inside the east wing for days.

The garden was stunning cobblestone paths winding through towering stone arches, surrounded by vibrant roses and manicured hedges.

For a few peaceful minutes, the cool breeze helped me forget the terrifying reality of my life.

The kidnapping. The mafia war. The constant fear.

I walked farther away from the main house, following a secluded path toward the outer stone wall.

Then, a sudden, sharp rustling sound broke the quiet.

I stopped in my tracks, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Hello?"

Silence. I looked around the empty garden. Probably just a stray breeze, I told myself, taking another step.

Suddenly a heavy hand clamped tightly over my mouth from behind.

I gasped against his palm as a strong arm wrapped around my chest, violently yanking me backward.

A masked man dressed in black tactical gear held me in an iron grip.

Panic surged through my veins, but Marco's words flashed through my mind: Don’t freeze.

Use your weight.

I drove my elbow backward into his ribs with everything I had left.

The man grunted in pain, his grip loosening just enough for me to twist around and kick hard against his knee.

He stumbled backward with a curse.

I broke free and bolted down the stone path

BANG!

A bullet ripped through the dirt inches from my feet, throwing up stone chips.

I screamed, dropping to my knees.

"GET DOWN!" a commanding voice thundered across the courtyard.

BANG! BANG!

Lorenzo came sprinting down the stone steps, gun drawn, backed by four heavily armed guards.

The masked intruder scrambled over the high outer garden wall, vanishing into the treeline beyond.

Lorenzo reached me in seconds, dropping his gun to grab my shoulders, pulling me up to my feet.

His face was a mask of cold, lethal fury... but his gray eyes were wide, filled with an emotion I had never seen in him before.

Terror.

"Are you hit?!" he demanded, his hands trembling slightly as he checked my arms and chest.

"Julian, answer me!"

"I... I don't think so," I stammered, my knees shaking uncontrollably.

He scanned me from head to toe before his jaw clenched tightly.

"What were you doing out here near the perimeter alone?!"

"I was just taking a walk!" I snapped back, fear turning into adrenaline.

"I gave explicit orders that you do not step foot outside without a full security detail!"

"I didn't know I needed a military escort just to get some fresh air!"

"Someone just tried to take you again!" Lorenzo shouted, his voice echoing off the garden walls as he stepped closer, towering over me.

"I handled him!" I protested defensively. "I used Marco's moves!"

"You almost took a bullet to the chest!"

"But I didn't!"

"That is not the point!" Lorenzo barked, his face inches from mine.

"Then what is the point?!"

Lorenzo stared down at me, his breathing heavy, his hands clamping tight around my biceps.

"The point is that I cannot keep you safe if you keep putting yourself in harm's way!"

I swallowed hard, looking straight into his intense gray eyes. "I'm not your prisoner, Lorenzo."

His expression softened slightly, a rare flicker of vulnerability breaking through his harsh composure.

"No," he whispered softly, his voice dropping into a low, possessive tone.

"You are my responsibility."

Something about the weight in his voice made my defiance evaporate.

Neither of us spoke for a long, heavy moment.

Finally, Lorenzo turned away, stepping toward his guards.

"Escort him back inside to the east suite."

The guards immediately surrounded me.

I looked back over my shoulder as they led me away. Lorenzo was standing by the stone wall, staring coldly at the spot where the shooter had escaped.

Something told me this attack wasn't a coincidence.

_________

That evening, Lorenzo called Marco into the primary security monitoring room deep in the estate basement. Screens displayed live feeds of every corridor, gate, and courtyard.

"I ran the diagnostics on the perimeter cameras," Marco said, pointing a finger at a dark monitor.

"And?" Lorenzo asked coldly.

"The eastern garden feed went completely dark five minutes before Julian walked out there."

Lorenzo’s jaw set into stone. "Five minutes?"

"Exactly," Marco confirmed, leaning over the console.

"Someone manually disabled the hard drive loop from inside our network.

The attacker couldn't have known about that specific blind spot unless an insider gave him the security codes."

Lorenzo’s hands tightened into lethal fists at his sides.

"A mole."

Marco looked up at his Don.

"He’s still inside this house, Boss."

Lorenzo turned toward the heavy metal door, his eyes dark with lethal intent.

"Find him."