Page 73 of His to Destroy

“A little sad,” I say honestly. “But better now. Because you’re here. And because Gaspare’s here too.”

Luca grins and climbs into my lap, curling against me like he used to when he was a baby.

Gaspare kneels again, one hand resting on my knee.

He leans in close enough that only I can hear his next words:

“No more loneliness, Almeria. No more fighting alone. I swear it.”

I close my eyes, breathing him in, believing him.

It feels like something more than a pretty promise.

It feels like the start of a real future.

A future where I can stop looking over my shoulder.

One where Luca can grow up laughing more than crying.

And where love can grow without fear strangling it at the root.

I don’t have to be strong all the time anymore.

I don’t have to outrun the dark alone.

I have them now.

I have him.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s enough.

Chapter 17 – Gaspare

The storm we’ve been waiting for finally breaks.

Enzo and Sancia barge into my office without knocking—something they only ever do when it’s serious.

Sancia tosses a burner phone onto my desk. "He took the bait."

I rise from my chair slowly, feeling the adrenaline start to coil in my veins.

Enzo leans against the wall, arms crossed, his mouth set in a grim line.

"One of our contacts posed as a desperate small-time boss looking for hired muscle. Offered Stark good money to run protection on a weapons deal."

"And he bought it," Sancia adds, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

I pick up the phone Enzo tossed onto my desk and hit play.

The conversation crackles to life.

Contact: "Hey. It’s me. Am I on with Fernando?"

There’s a pause—a brief crackle of static.

Stark: "I prefer to go by Stark. Fernando is a dead man."

A chill rolls down my spine at the casual coldness in his voice.

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