All Chapters of Salvatore's Ruin: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The police actually did show up twenty minutes later. Elena had called them once Viktor was secured, and they arrived with enough firepower to handle a small war. Viktor was taken into custody along with his surviving men. Ricci bled out before the ambulances arrived. Nobody seemed particularly upset about that.Dante gave a statement that was mostly lies. Self-defense, protecting an innocent civilian, stumbled upon a human trafficking operation. The detective in charge didn't believe a word of it, but Viktor Kozlov was a bigger fish than Dante Salvatore, so he let it slide.Luca refused to be questioned. He sat in the back of Dante's car, wrapped in a blanket someone had given him, staring at nothing. Dr. Patel arrived an hour into the police circus and declared him too traumatized to give a statement. Also mostly lies, but effective ones.By the time they got back to the villa, it was nearly dawn. Marco had escaped the wine cellar and was waiting in the foyer, furious and relieved i

Luca decided to testify. It took him another week to make the decision, and when he told Dante, he looked like he might throw up."I need to do this," Luca said. "Not for Viktor. For me. To prove I'm not scared of him anymore.""You're allowed to be scared of him.""I know. But I'm tired of letting that fear control my life." Luca sat on the edge of Dante's desk. "Dr. Patel thinks it might help. Facing him in a controlled environment where he can't hurt me.""It's going to be brutal. His lawyers will try to discredit you.""Let them try." Luca's voice was harder than Dante had heard it in weeks. "I've survived worse than some asshole in a suit asking invasive questions."The next two months were consumed by trial preparation. The prosecutor, a severe woman named Giulia Rossi, met with Luca three times a week. She was thorough and relentless, preparing him for every question Viktor's defense might ask.Marco sat in on most of the sessions. Dante wasn't allowed—conflict of interest, sin

Elena found a restaurant in the countryside, small and quiet with a view of the vineyards. Dante made reservations for Friday at seven. He told Luca about it Thursday night."You're really doing this," Luca said, looking surprised."You asked me to take you on a date. I'm taking you on a date.""I didn't think you'd actually—" Luca stopped. "Okay. Friday. What should I wear?""Whatever you want. It's casual.""Casual for you means a thousand-euro suit.""I'll wear jeans. Happy?"Luca smiled, a real one. "I'll believe it when I see it."Friday came and Dante actually did wear jeans, paired with a simple black shirt. When he knocked on Luca's door, Luca opened it wearing dark pants and a sweater that made him look younger, closer to the nineteen-year-old Dante had fallen for."You actually wore jeans," Luca said."I said I would.""You look weird. Less terrifying." Luca grabbed a jacket. "Ready?"They drove to the restaurant with the windows down, autumn air filling the car. Luca fiddle

Dr. Patel showed up at the villa an hour after Luca's call. She didn't look happy."This is a terrible idea," she said, standing in Dante's study with her arms crossed. "You're enabling his need for control by putting him in actual danger.""I'm respecting his autonomy," Dante said."You're letting trauma make decisions for him.""Maybe. But it's still his choice."Dr. Patel sighed and sat down. "I can't stop either of you from doing this. But I want it on record that I advised against it. Strongly.""Noted.""That said—" She pulled out a folder from her briefcase. "If you're going through with this, Luca needs preparation. Mental preparation. He's going to be facing people who want to hurt him. That could trigger severe PTSD responses.""What do you suggest?""Exposure therapy. Controlled scenarios where he practices staying grounded when threatened. It's aggressive treatment, but we don't have time for gentle approaches." Dr. Patel opened the folder. "I've worked with soldiers befor

Luca drove his palm into the man's wrist, knocking the gun aside like Elena had shown him. The gun discharged, bullet ricocheting off brick. Before the man could recover, Luca kicked him in the knee. Something crunched. The man went down screaming.Luca grabbed the fallen gun. His hands were shaking but he kept it pointed at the man's head."Luca," Marco gasped from behind him. "Don't.""He shot you.""I know. Still don't." Marco was trying to apply pressure to his leg wound with one hand while pulling out his phone with the other. "We need backup. Call Dante."Luca kept the gun trained on the man while fishing out his phone with his free hand. It rang twice before Dante answered."Where are you?" Dante's voice was rough, background noise of fighting still audible."Alley behind the kitchen. Marco's shot. I've got one of their men down." Luca's voice was surprisingly steady. "Are you okay?""I'm fine. Stay where you are. I'm coming to you."The line went dead. The man on the ground st