Page 61 of Ruined By Blood
Alessio nods, already pulling out his phone. "What about him?" He gestures toward Jackson, who lies moaning on the floor, face unrecognizable from Enzo's beating.
Damiano looks to Enzo, a silent question passing between them.
"He touched her." Enzo's voice drops to that deadly register again. "He dies. Take him to the warehouse."
The casual way they discuss murder should horrify me. Instead, I feel a twisted satisfaction at the thought of Jackson's permanent removal from this world.
And I don't know what that says for me.
"I'll handle it," Alessio says, tucking his phone away.
Enzo lifts me into his arms. Exhaustion has seeped into my bones, and his steady strength feels like the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.
Outside, the cool night air hits my face. The forest surrounds us, dark and watchful. Damiano walks ahead, gun drawn, scanning for threats as we approach a black car parked behind the cabin.
Enzo slides into the backseat with me still in his arms. He arranges me carefully on his lap, one arm supporting my back while the other rests protectively across my thighs.
Damiano climbs into the driver's seat, pulling the door shut with a heavy thud.
The engine roars to life, and we pull away from the cabin. Through the rear window, I catch one last glimpse of Alessio standing in the doorway, his silhouette dark against the golden light spilling from inside.
I turn back and find myself meeting Enzo's gaze. The intensity in his eyes makes my breath catch.
"I won't let him touch you again," he promises, his voice so low only I can hear it. "Never again."
I want to believe him. God help me, I do.
Icradle Sienna against my chest as we speed through the forest roads, her body so light it's barely there. The silence in the car is thick but necessary. Damiano keeps his eyes forward, hands steady on the wheel, mouth set in a grim line. My brother knows when to speak and when words would only make things worse. Right now, his silence is exactly what we need.
Blood seeps through my shirt where one of those bastards caught me with a blade, but it's nothing compared to the rage still pumping through my veins. That bastard's face keeps flashing in my mind. I should have made him suffer longer.
"You okay?" I whisper against Sienna's hair, too low for Damiano to hear.
She doesn't answer, but I feel her slight nod against my chest. Her eyes are open, staring at nothing. The physical shock seems to have passed, but something else has taken its place. A hollow emptiness I recognize too well. Her tears fall silently down her cheeks, not a single sound escaping her lips even as they soak through my shirt.
It's the silence of her crying that cuts deepest. She's learned to grieve without making noise. And that's a skill no one should have to perfect.
Damiano's eyes catch mine in the rearview mirror, a brief flicker of understanding before he focuses back on the winding road. He's questioning nothing, even thoughbringing Sienna to our home puts everything at risk. Sterling will come for her again. Cortez too.
We're officially invitingwarby protecting her.
Sienna's fingers curl into my shirt, anchoring herself. Her tears continue their silent path, but her breathing steadies slightly. I brush my thumb across her cheek, wiping away the wetness, and she leans into the touch like it's the only comfort she's known.
"Almost there," Damiano says, the first words spoken since we left the cabin.
The mansion appears through the trees as Damiano takes the final turn.
"We're here," I murmur against her hair.
She doesn't respond, just clutches my shirt tighter, her knuckles white with strain. The silent tears haven't stopped.
Damiano pulls around to the side entrance, away from prying eyes. Security teams patrol the perimeter, doubled since we left. Smart move. One I should've made at the cabin.
"Lucrezia and Zoe are waiting inside," Damiano says as he kills the engine. "Doc Romano's here too."
I nod, shifting Sienna in my arms as I prepare to move. The wound in my side protests, sending hot spikes of pain through my torso, but I ignore it.
"I can walk," Sienna whispers, the first words she's spoken since regaining consciousness.
