Page 137 of His Juliet

Bile rose in the back of my throat.The Butcher.

“Now that my father was out of the way, I ascended as Krye and could enact my visionary plan to take over New York. One night I was looking through archives and found information about the long-abandoned New York City tunnels—old subway lines that lay forgotten under the ground. Of course, you sold me the book that revealed the full map of the city’s underground—tunnels and catacombs that would allow me to navigate the city undetected. So, you see, you’ve already been tremendously useful to me. And in the coming days, you will do even more.”

I glanced up just in time to see the Butcher’s menacing smile and the flash of a gun before it struck the side of my head, knocking me out.

65

ROMEO

I directedAidan to turn into our underground parking garage. My leg shook with impatience. The closer I got to Juliet, the stronger and more agonizing the pull was to have her in my arms. The four-hour drive back to the city had been agony, but Leona hadn’t had a jet ready on standby, so driving was our fastest option.

The second we pulled into the garage, I knew something was wrong. The feeling only intensified when Matteo’s name flashed on my phone.

“We’ve been compromised.”

My hand clenched the phone so hard I thought it might shatter. My muscles went rigid with tension.

“We just pulled into the garage. The lights are out,” I said.

“The power to the entire building’s been cut.”

“Where’s Juliet?” I threw the car door open and ran to the stairwell. Leona followed, hot on my heels.

“I just secured Sofiya and Clementine. I’m going down to check on Sienna and Juliet.”

My heart pounded, and it had nothing to do with the speed I was taking the stairs. I needed to get to her.

“Albanians?” I asked.

Matteo’s footsteps echoed in the stairwell a dozen flights above me.

“We think so. Franco alerted Sienna that someone had breached our security system.”

Before I could question how Franco still had access to our system after Matteo had put him under house arrest, he cursed. “Dante is down. Proceed with caution.”

I’d never flown up the stairs faster.

Juliet.

Please be okay.

I burst out of the stairwell onto my floor, gun raised. If anyone had touched my girl, had evenlookedat her, nothing would stop me from ensuring the gates of hell looked welcoming by the time I finished with them.

My apartment door was cracked open.

“I’ve got your back,” Leona murmured. She didn’t even sound winded.

I pushed the door open and tensed at the figure coming towards me before I realized it was Matteo.

“Fuck. Almost shot you.” I lowered my gun.

“She’s gone.”

A bomb went off in my brain, flipping my world upside down.

There were some memories that would haunt me forever:

The night Matteo and Sienna showed up at my parents’ house after their uncle murdered their parents. I could still feel Sienna’s small body shaking against mine as she cried, her brother standing expressionless beside her.

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