Page 173 of Broken Mafia Prince
“If you get killed, how thebloodyhell do you plan on saving her?” He pushes me off him. “Did you also think about the fact that you may alert whoever has her to take drastic action while you’re stomping around?”
A part of me knows what he’s saying is logical, and if I were in my right senses, I’d have been making these points, too. Unfortunately, that part of me is buried under layers of fury, rage, and violence. The blood in my veins is bubbling like lava, and the only thing I can think of right now is destruction.
Have I failed Giulia? I flinch away from the recurring thought.
The ‘ifs’ have played in my head like a broken record since the moment I realized that something was wrong. If I’d never made her leave the safety of her house to get married. If I’d never asked her to marry me in the first place. If I hadn’t been such a possessive bastard and left her with Alessandro. If I had let her walk away and made any effort to forget about her. If I’d never come into her life.
In that silent moment, I catch a glimpse of the man I used to be—haunted by doubts and regrets that now burn as fiercely as my rage. For a fleeting moment, I recall Giulia’s laughter on a warm summer day—the sound that once made me believe I could conquer the world. Now, that memory is a ghost, whispering what might have been.
Thinking such things isn’t going to help. I know that, but still…
“You know that we?—”
The sound of a gunshot cuts off his words. My heart stops beating for a second, then kickstarts with a painful thud. My legs move even before the rest of me is aware I’m moving. I fly forward in the direction of the sound.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Matteo running after me.
We hurtle down the rugged cliff, landing on a narrow, fading strip where the dying light casts our long, distorted shadows—a treacherous stage where every step echoes impending danger, and there, at the edge, I see two figures standing.
Giulia is struggling against the grip of a man I’ve never seen before—big, mean-looking, and built like a wall. Her face is bruised and swollen, with a thin trail of blood running from her lip down to her jaw.
The once-pristine white dress she’s wearing is now dirty and torn, clinging to her like a reminder of how much she’s beenthrough. She looks exhausted, like every part of her is screaming for rest, but she doesn’t stop fighting.
Not for a second.
My chest tightens with something fierce… love, anger, desperation. I take a step forward, every nerve in my body screaming at me to tear her away from him.
She sees me first.
“Raffaele!” Her eyes widen with panic.
That’s when the man holding her finally notices me. His dark, beady eyes widen for a split second before narrowing with cruel delight. In a blink, his thick arm wraps around her neck, yanking her close to him like she’s nothing more than a rag doll.
“Take another step, and your pretty brunette’s brains will paint the side of this mountain.”
My stomach drops.
It’s only then I see it—the gun, its dark barrel pressed against the side of Giulia’s head. A cold, sick feeling crawls over me, wrapping around my chest like a vice.
A red haze clouds my vision. I swear if I blink, I’ll lose control. I shift forward, ready to do something—anything—to get her away from him.
But Matteo’s hand clamps down on my arm, fingers digging in hard.
“You’re going to get her killed, you dumb fuck!” Matteo’s voice slices through the chaos.
I feel his fear mingling with my anger—a reminder that this fury might blind me to the very danger I’m desperate to escape.
“Listen to your pal, Raffaele,” the captor jeers, his grin a venomous promise.
Giulia’s eyes lock onto mine, wide and pleading. I can’t let her down.
“I’m okay, baby,” Giulia speaks up for the first time, voice clear and strong. She even goes as far as offering me a small,reassuring smile. “It looks worse than it is, but I’m fine, I promise.”
The bastard laughs again. “You heard her, she’s fine. So why don’t you run along since you’re not needed?” he taunts. “Or do you plan to watch while I put a bullet in her pretty head?”
“I’ll rip your head from your fucking spine first!” I growl, taking another step forward.
“Uh-uh.” His eyes narrow, face hardening. “Not another step, Gagliardi. You don’t want to test me.”
