Page 29 of Alessio DeLuca

“She’s not a traitor,” I grind out, my face mere inches from his. “It’s not her fucking fault you and your little friends were of no use to me. And she sure as shit isn’t yours.”

I lean in closer, dropping my voice to a lethal whisper. “She. Is. Mine.”

Three words, an implacable oath. A promise that will outlast kingdoms and empires, that will linger long after Ghost is rotting in an unmarked grave and forgotten.

He blinks up at me, the gleam in his eyes dimming as the inexorable tide of death rises to claim him. His lips work soundlessly, a thousand hateful words compressed in a single, futile exhale.

“See you in hell, DeLuca,” he finally croaks, with a ghastly rattle that might have once been a laugh. “Maybe…I’ll get another shot…when you join me there…”

I bare my teeth in an evil grin, tightening my fingers until I can feel the delicate bones of his windpipe collapse under the pressure.

“Not fucking likely,” I growl. “Not fucking planning on dying any time soon, motherfucker.”

A final brutal squeeze, the snap of bones. And with that, I twist my wrist in a single savage jerk, feeling the satisfying pop as his neck breaks like a dry twig in my fist.

His body goes slack, his head lolling at an obscene angle as the last spark of awareness gutters out in his glazing eyes. I stare down at him for a long moment, letting the reality of his death sink in.

It’s over. He’s fucking gone. Nothing more than cooling meat, far less than he deserves.

But I can’t focus on that now. Can’t let myself get lost in the vortex of fury and hatred that still claws at my insides, demanding more blood to quench its thirst.

Because there’s only one thing that matters. Only one person who can pull me back from the abyss, this swirling darkness.

Maty. My heart, my home. The very best part of my battered soul.

I drop Ghost’s corpse without a second glance, already turning on my heel. My men have secured the rest of the building by now, the sporadic gunfire tapering into eerie silence as I stride back to the center of the room.

Maty hangs limply in her bonds, her head drooping to her chest. For a single, heart-stopping moment, I fear the worst. But then I see the tremulous rise and fall of her shoulders, hear the thin wheeze of air through her cracked lips.

Alive. Beaten down and pushed to the brink, but alive.

I fall to my knees before her, heedless of the blood and filth smeared across the floor. With shaking fingers, I reach out to cup her bruised cheek, my heart clenching as she flinches instinctively from my touch.

“Maty,” I croon gently. “Baby, it’s me. It’s Lessio. I’m here now. I’ve got you.”

Her breath hitches, her lashes fluttering as she struggles to lift her head. When her gaze finally meets mine, it’s glazed with pain and confusion, disbelief warring with hope.

“Alessio?” she croaks out, her voice raw. “Is it…are you really…?”

“It’s me, sweetheart,” I assure her, blinking back the hot prickle of tears. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

A tremulous smile touches the corners of her mouth, a glimpse of that feisty spirit shining through. “What…what took you so long?”

A wet, broken laugh punches out of me, my very soul aching with relief. Even now, even after everything, she’s still my Maty. My fearless, unbreakable girl.

I lean forward, pressing my forehead to hers as I breathe in the scent of her, the very essence that means home.

“Traffic was a bitch,” I manage. “But I promised I’d always come for you, right?”

She makes a small, broken sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “Damn straight,”

* * *

Maty

“Maybe try to be a little faster, yeah?” I finish, my words barely audible over the chattering of my teeth.

Alessio makes a sound that’s half-laugh, half-sob, his fingers gentle as they skim over my face, my hair. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmurs, pressing a fervent kiss to my brow. “But for now, let’s focus on getting you out of here and checked by a doctor.”

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