Page 33 of Obsidian Devotion

Carlos laughs bitterly. "Innocent? Like her brother was innocent? Did you know, Sofia?" He turns to her. "I was the one who ordered Luciano's death and framed Lorenzo. I needed you motivated, focused on revenge."

Sofia's face crumples in shock and betrayal. "You... you killed my brother? Your own nephew?"

"I needed a weapon against the Bellanti," Carlos says dismissively. "You were perfect. Beautiful. Deadly. And now... compromised."

While Sofia's reaction distracts Carlos, I continue working at my restraints. "The Russians killed Michael and Lucia," I say firmly. "After their deaths, I tracked down the killer. The order came from Viktor Petrov."

Carlos’ head snaps toward me. "The Bratva? Impossible."

"Michael was skimming from shipments meant for the Bratva. Small amounts, but enough to notice. He needed money for the baby, for a new life with Lucia." I can see doubt creeping into Carlos's expression. "Petrov found out and used my methods to throw suspicion on me. To create chaos."

"Why would they kill Lucia?" Carlos demands, but his grip on the scalpel has loosened.

"She wasn't supposed to die. She was collateral damage." I lean forward. "I confronted Petrov myself. He admitted everything.Said he wanted to mess with the Bellanti, create friction between our families. And it worked perfectly."

Carlos stands frozen, processing this information.

In that moment of distraction, I break free from my loosened restraints and lunge for the nearest guard. His gun fires, but I'm already moving, driving my shoulder into his stomach.

Air explodes from his lungs as we crash to the floor in a tangle of limbs.

The second guard swings his weapon toward us, eyes wide. With no hesitation—I roll, hauling the first guard's body up as a shield. The second guard's weapon chatters, each impact jolting through the human barrier between us.

Hot blood sprays across my face as the bullets find their mark.

Three seconds. That's all it takes to slip my hand to his waistband, fingers closing around the cool metal. I extend my arm past the dying man, sight down the barrel, and squeeze.

Clean. Precise. The standing guard drops without a sound.

Across the room, Sofia makes her move. She slams her head backward into Carlos's face with a sickening crunch and frees herself from the restraints.

He staggers, the scalpel slipping from suddenly nerveless fingers. Sofia stands, her hand closing around a surgical hammer from the nearby cart.

The hammer comes down on Carlos’ forearm with a crack that echoes off the walls. His scream cuts through the room as bones shatter. Before he can recover, Sofia pivots, swinging again. The hammer connects with his temple, the impact dropping him to the floor like a puppet with cut strings.

Carlos struggles to rise, blood streaming down his face, but his legs won't cooperate. Sofia moves toward him, stooping to retrieve his fallen weapon. Her hands are rock-steady as she levels it at his chest.

"This is for my brother," she says, voice barely above a whisper. At the last moment, she adjusts her aim and fires. The bullet carves a furrow along Carlos's side, spinning him back to the floor.

He clutches at the wound, blood seeping between his fingers. His eyes find mine—hatred burning in them even as the light fades.

I pull my phone out, surprised to find my hands trembling with adrenaline. Matteo answers on the first ring.

"I need a cleanup crew," I say flatly. "Now. ”

He responds immediately. “On it.”

I tuck the phone away and make my way to Sofia, where she stands motionless, staring at Carlos's body. When I reach for her, she collapses against my chest, sobs wracking her body.

"I'm sorry," she whispers against my shirt. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know... I thought..."

I stroke her hair, holding her close. "It's over now."

She pulls back, eyes searching mine. "How can you even look at me after what I've done? I betrayed you. I was sent to destroy you."

"And instead?" I cup her face gently.

"Instead, I fell in love with you," she admits . "God help me, I love you, Lorenzo."

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