Page 249 of Untamed

Dante’s voice lowers. “And what about Luciano?”

“What about him?”

“You keep making moves like this…” He pauses. “He won’t be able to hide behind diplomacy much longer.”

I glance sideways at him. “Good.”

Another moment passes and Dante speaks again, softer this time.

“She’s changed you.”

I don’t answer. I don’t need to. Because he’s right. And that’s exactly why they’re all going to bleed.

Dante doesn’t argue. Just shifts his weight and mutters under his breath, “He won’t survive the night.”

“He’s not meant to.”

The sound of chains rattling echoes in the warehouse as Luca starts to stir.

It starts with a groan, groggy and thin, and then a sharp jerk as the pain registers. He blinks, squints against the light, limbs twitching like a puppet on broken strings.

Panic finds him slowly, crawling over his expression in stages. Confusion. Awareness and my favourite...fear.

And then, finally, me.

Our eyes lock and he freezes. Recognition widens his gaze, and he recoils instinctively, making the chains bite into his wrists with a metallic rattle.

“What the f—” he chokes out, voice raw. “Cazzo.” He breathes. “Ares? What the fuck is this? Why, why am I—?” His voice cracks, desperation cutting through the bravado he’s trying to summon.

“You look surprised,” I say calmly, stepping forward until I’m close enough to see the tremble in his jaw. “Did you really think I wouldn’t come for you?”

“I—” he shakes his head, frantic. “I haven’t done anything!”

“No?” I ask. “Because I seem to recall you walking intomyclub and passing around laced drugs...to one girl in particular.”

Luca’s eyes veer across the room in a panic, before the come back to me. “I didn’t. I swear to God, I didn’t know she was aRusso. I thought she was just some girl, man. Just, just some girl at a party. I didn’t know she was under your protection.”

I crouch in front of him, slow, deliberate.

“Luca,” I say softly, almost like we’re old friends. “You know what really pisses me off?” He doesn’t answer. He just stares, chest heaving, blood trailing from the cut on his temple.

“Being lied to,” I whisper. “That twitchy little voice you tried to use earlier? The stammer? Cute. But you’re not stupid, are you?”

I reach into my coat. “And that pill you gave her…” I pull out the bottle, white label, half full, and hold it between two fingers like it’s nothing. Like it’s everything.

“You didn’t pick her by accident.” My voice drops lower. “That wasn’t just some party favour, was it?”

Luca shakes his head. Whispers, “I swear, I didn’t know?—”

I smirk, slow and cold.

“Sure you didn’t. Just a random girl, right?” I lean in, real close. “Wrong place, wrong time. Wrong fucking man watching over her.”

I let the grin drop.

“You think I don’t know she was targeted that night? That someone made sure she was alone?” I tilt my head. “You knew exactly what you were doing.”

I rise to my feet, stare down at him like the floor isn’t the only thing about to break.

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