Page 26 of Violent Delights

Lelia

Italy.

A country I’ve always wanted to visit but not for the reasons I am right now. The moment the plane touches down, I’m ushered into a car driven by a stranger who doesn’t greet me, and he doesn’t meet my gaze in the rearview mirror.

The sun is shining as we weave through narrow streets. Along the coast, we make our way to what looks like an enormous house with white walls and large windows overlooking the ocean.

There are high walls and an ornate metal gate that stop us before we can enter the property, and I take note of the cameras pointed at the street, as well as the driveway where the driver presses a button allowing us access to the property.

I’m not sure where Domenico is. I haven’t seen him since we got to the airstrip, and the tension that’s twisting my gut is at an all-time high. I want to escape this, to live a life of freedom away from the man who has taken me from my family. But I also don’t want to return home where I know my father will be waiting with a scowl that I couldn’t do what he wanted.

There are men all around me. It’s as if I’m the crown jewel and they’re trying to keep me safe. The problem is, I don’t feelat ease here. I’m in the home of my father’s enemy. A pawn in a game that I doubt will end in happiness. There will be blood, I just need to decide if it will be mine or the man I’m betrothed to.

“This is your wing of the house,” one of the guards tells me as he leads me down the hallway to an impressive suite that looks like it could be someone’s home. “The Boss doesn’t like anyone going to his side of this place, so I hope you’ll obey him and stick to your suite until he calls on you.” There’s no joke in his tone, and I have no doubt that even though I’m meant to be marrying the older man, he will kill me if I disobey. “Do you understand?”

I look up at the guard, who’s watching me intently, and nod. “Yes,” I mutter, and he heads for the door. Soon enough, I’ll be alone in here and I can finally break down. I can’t allow them to see me cry. I don’t want them to know I’m weak. Even though I’m the princess of a mafia Boss, I’m still just a girl. One who lost her freedom and one who lost the man she loves.

Nico told me not to worry, but there’s nothing in this world that can calm the anxiety twisting in my gut. He may have come here to work for the monster who will be my husband, but he’s undercover, and if anyone were to find out who he truly is, they will torture him before ending his life.

Once the door clicks, I stop, listen, and try to make out if I can hear any voices, but there’s just silence. Fear kicks in and I race for the door to this opulent prison, only to find it locked. I know there’s no point in shouting and banging on it because I’ll only anger the guards or be ignored.

Instead, I head for the balcony and unlatch the glass doors that, to my surprise, open. Stepping out onto the small balcony, I notice the gardens are impressive. They’re manicured to perfection and overlook the ocean and what I can only assume are cliffs since we’re so far up the hill. The blue is vast, and I wonder what lies beyond the horizon.

My freedom.

Something I may never see.

Shaking my head, I make my way back into the room and unzip the suitcases. I’ll be here a while, so I may as well unpack. I don’t want to be stuck wearing the same items of clothing, so instead of falling apart like I truly want to, I pull out the things my mother chose for me.

I have never had a choice in life. Instead of my parents asking me what I wanted, who I wanted, I was told what to do. As a young child, that wasn’t a problem. I would obey and do as I was ordered. But as I grew up, matured, and found my own ideas of who I wanted to be, it started encroaching on my world. The little bubble I grew up in burst, and I realized there were no longer happy days ahead.

By the time I’ve packed away the clothes, I’m still thinking about where my life has led. But then I hear noise outside the balcony, which has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.

Turning slowly, I lean into the walk-in closet, hoping that whatever is out there won’t see me, but then I see a head of dark hair that looks all too familiar. It’s him.

Domenico.

“What are you doing?” I gasp as his face comes into view, and he climbs over the railing as if he’s done this hundreds of times before. The idea of him climbing through another girl’s window makes my stomach twist.

“I needed to see if you were okay,” he tells me as he rushes toward me. “They’ve locked all the doors to this wing of the house. I can’t get in. And the bastard you’re meant to be marrying isn’t here.”

Nico pulls me into his arms, and I can’t help but fall against his chest, his heartbeat thudding in my ear, and the rhythm of it calms me down.

“I wanted to be here sooner, but working with the rest of the security detail, I can’t just disappear when I want to.” His words soothe me, but also, there’s a tension that seems to radiate through me as I step back and look up at him. His brown eyes bore into me. They dig deep and see all the fear and worry that’s twisting in my stomach.

“I don’t know how to do this,” I whisper finally, breaking the silence that hangs heavily over us. As much as I want to run away with him, I know we can’t. We have to be wary of what we do, where we go, and how much time we spend together.

“You can do this,” Domenico assures me as he cups my face in his hands.

“I’m not sure I can. How am I meant to fake happiness when I know it’s nothing more than a joke?”

He looks down at me, his eyes boring into mine as he watches my expression. He’s always been able to see into me.

“You can,” he tells me. “Think of me. I’m right here. I may not be able to be with you every second of the day, but I’ll never leave you, Lia.” His words soothe my aching heart. There’s nothing more I want than for him to kiss me. It’s dangerous, but I don’t care right now. I push up onto my tiptoes and press my lips to his.

There’s gentleness to his movements as he grips my hips and pulls me closer. His fingers dig into the flesh of my curves, and I can’t help the whimper that tumbles from my lips.

“Lelia,” Nico growls against my lips. His mouth is hot, hungry as his tongue delves deeper, dancing along mine. “We can’t.”

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