Page 35 of Broken Mafia Prince (His to Break #1)

GIULIA

T here’s someone in my room. And this time, I know it for sure, because I’m not in the safehouse, and it’s definitely not a half-naked Raffaele cooking at the stove.

After Isabella and I leave, planning to head out of the city to Raffaele’s safehouse, Luca texts me.

Something about “an important announcement” he wants to make this morning.

Being the jerk he is, he keeps it vague, only hinting that it has to do with our engagement.

I’m not exactly eager to hear whatever crap he has to say, but Isa points out the obvious—if my father finds out I’m not at her place, I won’t have a good enough excuse.

I’m sure Isa’s presence is also required for Luca's grand announcement. So, we make a U-turn and go to the house I’ve spent most of my life dreading.

Isa waits out in the foyer for me after I decide to run upstairs and grab a sweatshirt. I’ve barely stepped in my room when I sense it.

A faint shift in the air. A footstep against the hardwood. The kind of silence that isn’t natural. My body goes rigid. I’m not alone.

Tensing, I reach under my pillow for the gun I always keep there, only to find it missing.

Only then do I remember tossing it on the dresser as soon as I’d gotten home earlier this morning. Damn it. I hold my breath, waiting for the infiltrator to step close enough for me to grab and disarm him.

The footsteps get closer and closer and closer.

When I determine that the intruder is close enough, I jerk upright, grab the man’s arm, and try to twist it behind his back. I realize my mistake a moment too late, though, when I spot the gun in his other hand.

I try to leap for it, but the man raises it and brings the butt of his gun down on the side of my temple, stunning me.

My head spins as pain blooms in my skull.

I stagger back, disoriented. The man takes advantage of my sorry state, pulling my arms behind my back and pressing his gun to the underside of my jaw.

“You’re coming with me, princess,” the man says coldly. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

I do a quick calculation in my head. The penthouse is locked down tighter than a vault. The only way anyone could have gotten in is if one of Father’s men betrayed us. My stomach twists at the thought. I’d always believed moles were a Gagliardi problem, not ours.

The man gripping my arm drags me out of the room, his hand like a vise around my wrist. I imagine a thousand ways I can separate his head from the rest of him. Slowly. Painfully. By the time we reach the stairs, I’m already working out the details.

When I step into the living room, my breath catches. Father is on his knees, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His face is bruised, but his eyes are sharp as ever. He doesn’t look scared. He looks ready to kill.

Then I see him. Luca.

“You bastard!” I snarl.

Luca turns, smirking like the smug piece of trash he is. “Well, look who decided to join us. The princess herself.”

“You’re insane if you think you’ll walk out of here alive,” I snap. My eyes flick to the fresh bruises on his face. Someone got to him before this. Shame they didn’t finish the job.

He chuckles, low and cruel. “Still full of fire, even now. But that big mouth of yours won’t save you. Look around. You’re just as helpless as dear old daddy over there.”

I take a step forward, rage boiling under my skin. “Untie me, and we’ll see who’s helpless. Nice bruises, by the way. Who did you sleep with this time? Someone’s wife? A shame her husband didn’t put you out of your misery.”

His grin falters for a second, and I know I’ve hit a nerve. He steps closer, shoving his gun under my chin and forcing my face up. His breath smells like cigarettes and spite.

“Listen to me, princess,” he hisses. “You’re at my mercy. Your men are dead. Your fortress is a tomb. And no one is coming to save you. So maybe think twice before opening that pretty little mouth again.”

I meet his eyes, refusing to flinch. “If you think I’ll ever bow to you, Luca, you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.”

Hatred coils in my chest like a snake. Luca has always been scum, but this? This is a new low. Every word he spits at me makes me want to rip him apart. But he’s right. For now, we’re at his mercy. Not that I’d ever let him know I believe that.

I can be accused of many things, but being a quitter isn’t one of them. Satisfaction rolls through me when his face pinches into a nervous frown.

Movement catches my eye. Isa. She’s peeking out from the balcony, wide-eyed and pale. They must not have found her. My pulse races as I hold her gaze.

“You think the Syndicate will reward you for this?” I sneer, loud enough for her to hear. “If I were you, I’d run. Fast.”

I make sure to catch Isa’s eyes when I say it, hoping she’ll get the message and run as fast as her legs can carry her.

I’m relieved when I see her nod jerkily before turning around and sneaking off.

Even though she’s older than me and is always trying to baby me, when it comes to dangerous situations like this, she knows to follow my lead.

I glance over at Father and see that he’s already looking over at me. He shoots me a small nod that means many things at once, and I nod back.

“The Syndicate will more than reward me for this. They’ve been trying to get rid of the Montanaris and Gagliardis for years, and I’m going to give them what they want,” Luca grins. “We both know that the only leg the Gagliardis have to stand on right now is that bastard Raffaele.”

I blink at him, confused, and he rolls his eyes.

“Edoardo has been running their division down to the ground for years. Everybody knows that if not for the son, the entire family would have crashed and burned a long time ago.” He pauses.

“Which is why I plan on decapitating them by getting rid of Raffaele.”

This time around, I laugh. “How cute that you think getting rid of him will just be a piece of cake. As soon as he hears what happened here, he’ll double his defense.”

His mouth pulls up at one corner. “Let me worry about the logistics.”

Before I can say anything else, he raises his gun and points it at my father.

“Look at you, the great Enrico Montanari, brought to his knees by insignificant me. Did you think I’d let you get away with treating me like a child that you were doing a favor?

” he seethes, waving his gun around wildly.

“You think I was just a middleman?” Luca sneers, blood dripping down his chin.

“The Syndicate is bigger than you think. This war? You already lost.”

“You’ll forever be insignificant,” Papa laughs. “Marrying my daughter would’ve been the only way you’d ever matter. And even then, you’d still be a nobody.”

“Father, stop!” I whisper, panic creeping into my voice. Luca’s face darkens, his hand trembling around the gun.

“Listen to your daughter, old man,” Luca spits. “You’ve been fighting shadows your whole life, and you don’t even see it. You’re blind. Weak. And now, you’re finished.”

Confusion flickers across my father’s face. “What are you saying?”

Luca shrugs, a smug grin curling his lips. “I guess you’ll never know.” Then, without hesitation, he raises his gun and aims it straight at my father. Even if he’s a terrible shot, there’s no way he can miss from this close.

“No!” I scream, lunging forward just as the gun goes off. My hand catches his arm at the last second, jerking the shot off course—from my father’s head to his chest.

Before I can do more, a man behind me grabs my arm and yanks me back, nearly ripping my shoulder from its socket. Pain flares hot and sharp, but I barely notice.

My entire focus is on my father. Blood has seeped through his light blue pajama shirt and is rapidly spreading over his chest. Even though my father and I weren’t on the best of times while growing up and we’ve just recently learned how to co-exist without bothering each other, he’s still my family, and I love him.

Tears prick the back of my eyes as I stare at his still body, but I refuse to let them fall. I’m not letting Luca of all people see me cry.

I fix my gaze on him, showing him all the hatred burning inside me. “I’m going to kill you, and I’m going to make it as slow and as excruciating as possible.”

“Sure thing, sweetie,” he mocks, pulling out his phone.

I freeze at the sharp click of a camera shutter. A moment later, I find my voice. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Setting another little piece of bait for your boyfriend,” he says, his gaze dragging slowly over my body. Everywhere his eyes linger, my skin crawls like insects are skittering over it. I shudder in disgust at the sudden lascivious glint in his expression.

“I had him distracted, you see. Right now, he’s probably halfway out of the city, thinking you’re hurt and running to play hero.” He grins, pleased with himself. “I do love making things more interesting, don’t you? Killing you just like that would be such a waste.”

I gasp mockingly, meeting his eyes with a smirk. “I have an idea. Why don’t you let me kill you instead?”

His mouth presses into a thin line, all trace of lust gone.

Instead of responding, he signals to the man holding me.

Together, we leave the penthouse, and I try not to stare at my father’s prone body.

I need to figure out how to get out of this in one piece, and make sure Luca never sees the light of day again.

I can’t believe he thinks sending a picture of me to Raffaele will make him come running into what is an obvious trap.

How stupid is he? There’s no way in hell Raffaele will agree to whatever crazy demands he has or come running to the rescue while knowing he’s at an obvious disadvantage.

Most likely, the Gagliardis will tighten security measures, and then Edoardo will throw a party to celebrate the end of our family.