Page 7 of Savage Enemy

Stefano gripped my arms hard as a wave of emotions crossed over his handsome face. He seemed to recognize exactly where my thoughts had strayed.

He relented with a low growl.

“Fine. I’ll get rid of him. Can’t guarantee he’ll walk away. But first, you promise not to leave.”

I shook my head, pretending I’d changed my mind. I had to get him downstairs before Marco came up.

“I won’t leave without you,” I lied.

Stefano scoffed. “We both know you’re a liar, Valerie. You would absolutely take my son and leave if it suited your purpose. Before I deal with whatever this shit is you’ve drudged up, you’ll promise to wait here—and our son will remain in his room. You will not run away from me like a coward again.”

I stood there frozen, disarmed by him calling me a coward.

He shook me, his eyes narrowed like dangerous slits.

“You give me your goddamn word,” he said.

“Don’t call me a coward,” I hissed. “You have no idea what awful shit I’ve had to run away from to stay alive. Please—just make him leave.”

Stefano dropped his arms and stepped back, as if my words had slapped him.

I opened the bathroom door for him to go.

“Please,” I begged.

A second male voice filled the foyer. Younger and colder but also unmistakable. Hearing it gripped my chest and squeezed my heart.

“Look, man,” he said, “I don’t know who you are, but I know you’re not Vignali. So go get the motherfucker—now.”

Santo.

The last time I saw my younger brother, he was only nine, the same as my son. Santo used to be all laughter and sunshine.Now he sounded like a stranger from one of my bad dreams. Our father had broken him.

I used to love Marco and Santo so much.

A single tear slid down my cheek.

Tony’s voice cut in from the front door.

“And I don’t know who the fuck you are either, asshole, so you’re not getting in this house or anywhere near my boss.”

Marco spoke up, cutting through the pissing match with his usual calm and confident demeanor.

“We’re only here to take back what’s ours. Like I said, your boss has something that belongs to my family.”

“And what would that be?” Tony asked.

Stefano’s hard gaze never left mine. He waited for me to answer the question, but Marco beat me to it.

“The girl. She’s my sister. She’s unwed, and therefore still belongs to my father. There are family obligations she’s expected to fulfill. I’m sure Don Vignali understands this.”

Stefano stared at me, searching my eyes for an explanation, something to ease the pain in his eyes.

Shame washed over me.

I dropped my gaze to the floor.

He’d probably pieced it together by now, and things would only get worse the more we heard from Marco and Tony.

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