Page 51 of His to Destroy

Their entourage had been present at our wedding, but not their Don. And now, I know they’d attended out of curiosity, to confirm if truly I was getting married to a Spadafora.

I can’t tell if they are the same ones who’d attacked Almeria and Luca at her shop the first time. I don’t care at this point.

They dared cross my territory to take what belongs to her, and to me by extension. And that’s enough to make them pay for sins that are not theirs.

So now, I sit in the study of my private estate with Sancia and Enzo—my two most trusted allies—watching footage and flipping through every file we have on the Lombardi syndicate.

Sancia clicks her tongue as she swipes through an aerial shot of the warehouse. “You’re lucky that idiot started begging so fast. If he hadn’t dropped the name, we’d still be guessing.”

Enzo leans back, arms folded, watching me closely. “Lombardi’s not stupid, though. You think he’s coming again?”

I nod. “He didn’t kidnap Luca for money. It was a message.”

“To her?” Sancia asks.

“To me,” I say. “He wants to make sure Almeria never forgets who her family used to be. And that I never forget who she is.”

Enzo exhales slowly. “So we hit back.”

“Not yet,” I say. “We track him. Every asset. Every deal. We don’t move until I know exactly where their Don sleeps.”

“Everything might not be about you, Gaspare,” Sancia starts. “What if they took Luca to hurt her?”

I raise my eyes to her without moving my head.

“If they wanted to hurt her, they’d have taken the boy sooner. Months ago.”

“You had her moved to a safe mansion. They had to plan well. And it seems they did. They might have gotten the boy sooner if she were still living in the lousy apartment above her shop...”

“Are we really going to argue about all these right now? My territory was breached!” I snap at her, my temper rising.

There’s a minute of silence in the room.

“I’ll put my team on it,” Sancia says finally, breaking the silence and already typing into her tablet. “We’ll have a location in twenty-four.”

“Make it twelve.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “Someone’s extra grumpy today.”

Enzo chuckles. “That’s because he’s in love.”

I glare at him.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he says, smirking. “You’re glowing like a man who’s finally getting laid by someone he doesn’t have to pay.”

“Careful,” I growl. “I could still kill you.”

Sancia snorts. “He’s not wrong, though. I’ve known you how long, boss? You’ve never once looked at a woman like you looked at her when you brought Luca back.”

“She’s different,” I say before I can stop myself.

There’s a pause. A beat of silence that says more than I want it to.

Enzo leans forward, face serious now. “Then don’t let it go.”

“What?”

He folds his arms on the table. “What we do, Gaspare… it’s not built for love. We don’t get to grow old with someone in peace. But if you’ve got a shot at that kind of bond, even a glimpse—you don’t waste it.”

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