Page 134 of Broken Mafia Bride

As far as I’m concerned, such a person doesn’t deserve to be called family.

The woman’s eyes widen. “I-I have been looking after Noemi. You raised a good child. She’s so well-behaved and adjusted, but she’s been so miserable without you.”

I don’t know if she’d have turned out half as well without the help from the Amatos and Marco. If—no,when—I get out of this alive, I’m going to do babysitting duty for Sienna for a whole month. She warned me about this place, and I refused to listen, too busy blindly trusting a man who’s carefully been away from my life since the day I was born.

“Do you expect me to say thank you? Because if you’re waiting for it, you’ll be waiting a long time,” I bite out.

Her gaze moves from Noemi to me and back to my kid. My arms tighten around her, and I brace myself for a fight. After a strained moment of silence, the maid steps back and shuts the heavy metal door again. What follows is the unmistakable sound of the bolt turning.

“I didn’t know I had a pops,” Noemi says. “All my friends had one. I did have Mr. Amato, but he’s not my real pops.”

At this point, he’s been far more family to me than Lucio. I don’t want to think about him right now, though; I need to get out of here with my daughter. I have no idea what his next move is, but I know I’m not sticking around to find out.

Noemi speaks up again before I can say anything. “Pops said we’ll be atruefamily again soon.”

My breath stutters in my chest. How the hell am I going to explain to my kid that her so-called pops is evil personified, and he’s never going to be a part of this family—of the real, amazing family that I wasn’t even aware I’d formed up until this very moment?

“Sweetie, there’s something you need to know,” I tell her softly. “But first, you have to promise me that you’ll do whatever I say from now on.”

She blinks her big, blue eyes that are so like Raffaele’s, I almost start crying all over again. He warned me to get out of the house, but I couldn’t just give up halfway. I hope he’s safe and has realized that something’s very wrong by now.

I have no doubt that Lucio will do far worse to him if he manages to catch him. I swallow around the tight ball lodged in my throat as my mind conjures scenes of my grandfather’s men running Raffaele’s car off the road.

No, no, no. I shake my head quickly to dispel the thoughts.

He’s safe.He has to be.I can’t let myself spiral into the dark corners of my mind.

Noemi needs me. It’s up to me to get us out of here.

But how?

I turn my head, stare hard at the wall—and slowly, a plan begins to take shape.

42

RAFFAELE

“Mr. Gagliardi, you startled me.” The maid I run into lets out nervous laughter.

Another flash of lightning sparks outside, illuminating the house for one quick second. The maid is staring at me in confusion as I just stand there.

“Where is she? Where’s Giulia?” I ask.

“You mean Miss Sanna?” she asks.

I freeze. “I mean Giulia Montanari!” I grit out, voice harder than I intend. The bad feeling in the pit of my stomach persists, and the storm gathering in the distance isn’t helping to ease my mind. An evil is brewing in Sardegna, and the skies are screaming down their warning.

Another booming thunder crashes through the house, rattling my bones.

“I haven’t seen her,” she replies. “Have you tried her room?”

I push past the maid, pulling out my phone to call Giulia again, but theNo Signalwarning halts that plan. Without a second thought, I race down the hallway and up the staircase leading to her bedroom. I barge into the room and find it in perfect order.

Spinning around, I fly down the stairs to Lucio’s study on the first floor. I find it empty and in perfect order too. There’s no sign of a struggle or violence.

Where the hell is she?

Something bad has happened. I just know it. That bastard has her. I only hope he’s still sane enough not to murder his granddaughter in cold blood.