Page 79 of Unrelenting
As I turn to leave, I run straight into a brick wall of a man,
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I gasp in surprise as I look up at the man in the impeccably tailored suit. “Damiano?”
“Daniele said you were on the move. I thought you might be here.”
“Daniele?” I blink twice. “Is he watching me?”
I don’t recall seeing him when I left the apartment but, of course I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings.
“Lorenzo insisted on it. He wants you safe.” Damiano smiles sadly. “He loves you.”
“Then why did he stop coming to the apartment?”
“He worried his attention was causing you distress. He heard you vomiting.”
Heat rises to my cheeks and I think I might just drop dead of embarrassment. Lorenzo heard me getting sick? Are the walls in my apartment incredibly thin or am I loud?
“That’s not what made you sick, is it?” Damiano’s gaze drifts to my belly and I realize I’ve unconsciously laid my hand over it.
“No. I just found out.”
Damiano nods. “Lorenzo will be thrilled.” He chuckles. “I’m excited about the prospect of a niece or nephew myself.”
His enthusiasm makes me smile. If he’s this happy about the news, hopefully it means Lorenzo will be ecstatic. He sobers and fixes me with his intense gaze.
“Adriano Rossini is dead.”
I swallow hard. “Lorenzo?”
Damiano shakes his head. “No, he didn’t want you to hate him for it so I did the honors. I tortured him until he begged for death and then I tortured him some more. When I finally put him out of his misery, there was little left of him.”
I shudder. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you need to understand this is how things are. If I hadn’t made an example of him, others would be emboldened to attack us. My brothers would have been at risk and I cannot allow that.” Damiano takes a deep breath. “If you want to be with my brother, you have to accept one simple fact. He will do whatever it takes to protect his family. You may not like it, but you cannot make him feel bad for it.”
“I get that.” Closing my eyes, I take a moment to strengthen my resolve. “I want to be with him.”
“You don’t just want a rich father for your baby?”
My mouth drops open in shock. Is that what Lorenzo will think when I tell him I’m pregnant?
“No, I…..”
Damiano puts his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Lucia. I was just being an asshole. Your reaction tells me all I need to know.”
I nod, though I’m pissed at him for testing me like that.
“Do you know where Lorenzo is?”
“At the vineyard.” Damiano adjusts the sleeves of his jacket. “Daniele can take you to him.”
Though I’m nervous about facing Lorenzo, I agree immediately. “Yes, thank you.”
Damiano puts an arm around my shoulder and leads me to where Daniele is parked at the end of the street in a blue Mercedes.
“A word of warning, Lucia, when I say I will not allow my brothers to be put at risk, I mean from anyone.”
I don’t respond but I’ve received his message loud and clear. He helps me into the back of the car and shuts the door.
