Page 103 of Of Lies and Shadows

Alessio flinches, and my heart stalls.

Stunned silence crashes over us. Nobody would ever dare speak like that to the capo’s wife, much less to his heir.

“What…?” I breathe, barely able to find my voice. “Fulvio, what are you doing?”

“You’re such a fucking waste of space,” he mutters, louder now, his teeth clenched like he’s talking to a ghostonly he can see. “Spoiled little brat. I should’ve done this months ago.”

The words slam into me like a blow. Alessio tenses beside me, shrinking into the seat. I see the fear in his eyes now. He knows something’s wrong. He knows this isn’t just a detour anymore.

I unbuckle my seatbelt with trembling fingers and shift my body slowly, carefully, placing myself between Alessio and the front seat, angling just enough to block Fulvio’s line of sight while my hand creeps toward the steering wheel.

But Fulvio sees; of course he does.

“Don’t,” he snarls, sounding feral and unhinged. “Don’t you fucking move, you whore.”

I freeze.

“I did everything,” he spits out. “Everything. Took orders, cleaned up messes, even let that worthless bastard put his dick in my ass just to climb, just to earn my place beside Dante. And for what? To babysit you?” He barks a bitter laugh, his eyes wild in the mirror. “A glorified nanny, that’s what I became. But not anymore.”

I swallow the rising bile. My pulse pounds in my ears. I should stay quiet, but I can’t. I need to keep him focused on me, not Alessio.

“Clearly, you weren’t worthy of the position,” I say, my voice cold, even. “Otherwise, you’d be sitting at his right hand, not driving his wife and child in circles like a coward.”

His eyes snap to the mirror, blazing. “We’ll see what you say when you’re tied to a chair and the boy’s screaming in front of you. You think you’re brave? Let’s see how long that lasts.”

That’s it! That’s the last straw. I glance once at Alessio, pale, frozen in fear, and I lunge.

I throw my body forward, my hand reaching blindly for the wheel. Fulvio shouts, swerving just as I grab it.

The car veers sharply to the left, metal screaming as we plow off the road and into the trees.

The impact comes fast and violent. My head slams into something hard, stars bursting behind my eyes.

My ears ring. The world goes white. Alessio screams. I hear the glass shatter before I feel the burn and my skin being opened.

The moment we stop, I don’t think. I only move.

I shove the door open with every ounce of strength I have and scramble out, dragging Alessio with me. My legs are trembling, and my knees are burning from the shards of gravel, but I don’t stop until I’ve wrapped myself around him.

He’s sobbing. “Cece! Cece, I’m scared.”

I kiss the top of his head. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you.”

Fulvio’s door slams. Heavy footsteps. The unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.

I turn, partially shielding Alessio with my body as I look straight into the barrel of the gun.

“Is that what you are? A man who kills women and children in the middle of the road.”

He sneers as Alessio sobs harder. “You don’t count. You’re just his bitch. He’ll find another in a month, but him?” He points the gun toward Alessio’s face, just visible over my side. “Losing him will make Dante suffer.”

I throw myself over Alessio, body curling around himjust as the shot rings out. Pain explodes in my side, white-hot, screaming, tearing through skin and bone and breath.

I can’t scream. I can’t breathe. All I know is Alessio’s little hands are clutching at me, and he’s sobbing, his voice high and panicked.

“Cece? Cece?! Mama!” He wails.

A car screeches. Someone shouts. Fulvio’s footsteps thunder and fade.

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