Page 47 of Savage Enemy

I’d never seen Benedetta in any state other than polished and poised. But now her messy hair hung loose over her shoulders, and her wrinkled clothing contrasted with her usual meticulously selected and tailored wardrobe.

That combined with the lack of jewelry indicated she had indeed been dragged straight out of bed.

She stumbled into the room, then stomped like a child.

“What’s this about, Stefano? Your man shows up at my house and demands I come here in his car. He wouldn’t even allow me to get dressed.”

“You should have been here last night,” I warned. “I ordered you here in the text message you chose not to answer.”

She stared at me, her eyes a little wild, hands on her hips.

“I didn’t get the message until just this morning. Some of us actually sleep occasionally, you know.”

I narrowed my eyes, lowered my voice.

“Is that what you were doing last night, sleeping peacefully while my fiancée was taken from my house—after you told them where to find her? Of course, why should her abduction at gunpoint while they used my son for target practice disrupt your beauty sleep.”

I watched her face carefully to judge her reaction.

Benedetta frowned as she looked me up and down.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Is Enzo okay?”

I threw the lighter across the room, where it shattered a vase sitting on one of the shelves.

She jumped, but only concern filled her eyes.

I stalked toward her, my voice low and deadly.

“I want to know why. You said you had no problem with breaking off our engagement, and I believed you. You should have come to me. I would have made whatever you needed right. You didn’t have to tell them where to find her.”

I pounded my fist on my chest.

“You talk to me, goddamn it, and I’ll fix it.”

Benedetta spread her arms while shaking her head.

“Tell who where to find who? I have no idea what the fuck you’re even talking about.”

I didn’t think I’d ever heard her swear before. My gut told me she wasn’t lying, but both women had lied to me, and I wasn’t sure I could trust my gut anymore.

“You contacted her family, without so much as a warning sent my way. They came here armed, broke into my fucking house, killed my men, tookher, and almost killed my son.”

“Who?” she screamed.

“Like you don’t fucking know, Benedetta.”

“No, I don’t know. Either tell me what you’re talking about or let me go home.”

I reached into my pocket for the photo and slapped it on the desk before turning away. I couldn’t look at her anymore, so I stalked across the room to stare outside.

Dead silence filled the air.

“How did you get this picture?” Benedetta finally asked.

Still peering out the glass, I managed an even tone again.

“Val kept it as a memento from her old life.”

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