Chapter 5

THE ACCUSATION

~GISELLE POV~

The sound of the world ending vanished the moment the heavy door slammed shut.

One moment, I was surrounded by loud fire, cries for help, and the sound of sirens. The next moment, it was completely silent.

The armored SUV felt like a strong safe space. The glass was very thick and dark, making the fire outside look like a faraway sunset. But I knew what it really was. I knew who was trapped in that twisted metal.

‘Papa. Isabella.’

The shock that had momentarily paralyzed me shattered. In its place, a red-hot wave of fury exploded, violent and uncontrollable.

I pounced.

I didn't think about his size. I didn't think about his reputation or the fact that he was built like a tank and I was wearing twenty pounds of lace. I just wanted to hurt him. I wanted to tear that mask of boredom off his face.

"You bastard!" I shrieked, swinging my hand toward his face.

I wanted to claw his eyes out. I wanted to make him bleed the way my family was bleeding.

He caught my wrist before I even made contact.

He didn't flinch. He didn't blink. He just snapped his hand up with terrifying speed, clamping his fingers around my forearm like steel handcuffs.

"Control yourself, Giselle," he said. His voice was calm. Too calm. It was the voice of a man who had seen death a thousand times and was bored by it.

"Let me go!" I fought against his grip, twisting my body, kicking out with my legs. My heel connected with his shin, but he didn't even grunt. "You killed them! I saw you! I saw you check your watch!"

He shoved me back against the leather seat, pinning both of my wrists against the door with one hand. His weight pressed me into the corner, suffocating and overwhelming.

"Rocco," Alessandro barked toward the front seat, not looking away from me. "Drive. Route B. We’re in a situation."

"Yes, Boss," the driver grunted. The engine roared to life..a deep, powerful growl that vibrated through the chassis. The tires screeched as we peel away from the curb, leaving the burning remains of the church plaza behind.

"No! Stop the car!" I screamed, thrashing against Alessandro’s hold. "You can't just leave them! They might be alive!"

"They are ash, Giselle," Alessandro said brutally. "Physics doesn't allow for miracles in a blast that size. Accept it."

"Accept it?" I stared at him, my vision blurring with hot tears. "You blew them up! You waited until I was safe in your hands, and then you killed them!"

"I didn't plant the bomb," he said. His face was a stone wall. No guilt. No denial. Just facts.

"But you knew," I choked out, the accusation tearing my throat. "You pulled me away. You made us take separate cars. You checked your watch right before it happened. You knew exactly when they were going to die."

He went silent.

The SUV swerved violently, taking a sharp corner. I was thrown against his chest, inhaling the scent of him…gunpowder, starch, and that expensive sandalwood cologne.

It sickened me. It smelled like betrayal.

He didn't push me away. He held me there, his hand shifting from my wrists to the back of my neck, forcing me to look at him. His blue eyes were glacial, stripping me bare.

"Did you know?" I whispered, shaking.

"I knew there was a threat," he said carefully. "I knew the Castellano reign was ending today. One way or another."

"That’s a confession," I spat. "You murdered my parents on my wedding day."

His grip on my neck tightened. Not enough to choke, but enough to warn. His eyes narrowed, the blue darkening into something dangerous.

"If I wanted them dead, I would have put a bullet in their heads myself," he said, his voice low and raspy. "I don't hide behind car bombs. That’s a coward’s weapon."

"Then who?" I cried. "Who else benefits? You have the territory now! You have the money! You have me!"

"Everyone benefits," he countered coldly. "Your father had enemies in every borough. He owed money to the Russians, the Triads, and half the unions in the city. Any one of them could have lit that match."

"But you checked your watch," I insisted, the image burned into my eyes. The casual way he had lifted his wrist while my family burned.

"I check my time because I run on a schedule, Giselle. And my schedule today involved getting you out of the kill zone."

"You’re lying," I sobbed, my fight draining away as the adrenaline crashed. I slumped against the seat, my wedding dress billowing around me like a cloud of smoke. "You’re a monster."

Alessandro released me. He sat back, straightening his jacket, brushing an invisible speck of dust from his lapel. He looked immaculate. Untouchable. While my world had just been burned up, he looked like he was coming home from a board meeting.

"I am what I need to be," he said.

He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a silver flask. He unscrewed the cap and took a long swallow, his throat working. He offered it to me.

I slapped it out of his hand.

The flask hit the floor of the car with a metallic clang, spilling amber liquid onto the expensive carpet.

Alessandro looked at the spilled scotch. Then he looked at me. He didn't look angry. He looked... tired.

"That was a twenty-year-old single malt," he noted dryly.

"I hate you," I whispered. "I swear to God, Alessandro, I will make you pay for this."

He leaned in close again, invading my personal space. The air in the car felt suddenly thin. His presence was so large, so dominating, it sucked the oxygen out of the cabin.

He caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing my head up. His skin was rough, calloused from years of violence.

"You can hate me," he said softly. "Hate is good. Hate keeps you warm. Hate keeps you alive. Grief makes you weak, but hate? Hate is a weapon."

"I will use it," I promised, my voice trembling. "I will use it against you."

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. It wasn't a nice smile. It was the smile of a man who enjoyed pain.

"Good," he murmured. "But remember one thing, moglie."

"What?"

"I am the only reason you are breathing right now. If you had been in that Rolls Royce, you would be nothing but teeth and dental records."

He leaned back, releasing me. He turned his head to look out the darkened window as the city blurred past us.

"You killed them," I said again, though the belief was starting to crack under the effect of his frightening reason.

He didn't look at me. He just watched the reflection of his own cold eyes in the glass.

"I saved you," he said finality. "Now shut up."

I curled into the corner of the seat, pulling my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around the ruin of my wedding dress. I watched the city fly by…buildings, people, life…all unaware of the fact that my universe had just collapsed.

We weren't going to a hotel. We weren't going to the police.

We were heading toward the bridge. Toward Long Island. toward the Romano estate.

I was going to the fortress of the man who had just made me an orphan.

And the terrifying part wasn't that I was trapped with a monster.

The terrifying part was that he was right.

He had saved me. And now, I belong to him.