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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I ended the call with Matt and stared out of the window, my heartbeat a dull echo in my chest.

I’d failed in my duty to keep everyone safe, and Fee and Alex had paid the price. At least she was still alive even though Matt didn’t have any details—or good news.

I turned to face Hawk, Craig Donnelly, Dante, and Hero who were spread out in my office, all with equally grim expressions, all staring at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath. “Fee’s in critical condition,” I said, my voice tight. “There was cyanide in the orange juice. If she’d had the whole glass…” I trailed off, not needing to finish the grim thought. I hadn’t expected my father to stoop this low.

I should’ve known better.

Dante cursed under his breath, and Donnelly’s face paled slightly. Hawk remained stoic while Hero’s jaw was so tense, I could see the muscle jump from across the room.

“What kind of shitty operation are you running?” Donnelly growled, jumped up, and paced the room. “You promised this house was safe. You promised my kids were safe.” He gave me an accusatory glare.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration and anger warring inside me. Donnelly went right for the jugular. And he was right. How the fuck did this happen? Right here under my nose. And even worse: It was Jemma’s juice. Jemma’s glass. This hadn’t been an attack on Fee. It was meant for Jemma. Not that that made any difference for Donnelly. He considered Fee his kid, which was kinda endearing. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him. Even though, right now, that like was not mutual. I sighed. “I’ll figure it out.”

“You’ll figure it out?” Donnelly sneered. “A little late for that.”

I narrowed my brows. As if I needed him to tell me I’d fucked up. The thought of Jemma being the target made my blood run cold. I’d promised to protect her, and not even twenty-four hours after our wedding, she’d nearly been poisoned.

Under my roof.

By one of my people.

I couldn’t shake the image of Jemma holding that glass. The realization of how close I’d come to losing her made my chest tighten. Whoever was behind this would pay dearly.

“We need to lock down the property,” Donnelly said, his tactical mind already at work.

I nodded, and Hawk mimicked my movement.

“Vince already gave the order,” Hawk said. “There’s no one coming in or out until we’ve questioned everyone who had access to the kitchen or dining area.”

I nodded, grateful for Hawk’s presence to keep Donnelly in check. Because Donnelly looked angry enough, I wouldn’t feel comfortable turning my back to him .

And I didn’t have time for shit like that.

“Hero, I want you to coordinate with Marianna. Find out who prepared the drinks, who served them—every detail. I need to know how that poison got into my house, and I want to know yesterday.”

Hero straightened, determination replacing the grim expression on his face. “On it.”

“Dante,” I continued, “I need you to go through the list. Everyone who took a step on the property during the last couple of days”—which was a ridiculously long list—“anyone with connections to our father or other families, look into their finances, backgrounds, everything. We can’t rule anyone out at this point.”

My brother nodded grimly, already pulling out his phone to start working.

I turned back to Hawk. “Nobody is safe until we find whoever did this.”

Hawk nodded.

“I want the women gone.”

Hawk cocked his head, and Donnelly straightened.

“I’m not talking about the women on your team,” I clarified. “But I would appreciate it if they would assist in protecting Mira, Bella, and Jemma.”

“I’ll take them with me to Boston,” Donnelly said.

I shook my head at Donnelly’s suggestion. “Boston’s too obvious. It’d be the first place they’d look for them.”

Donnelly’s face reddened, but before he could argue, Hawk spoke up. “What about Three Oaks? We could send them to Raptor headquarters. It’s secure, off the grid, and not connected to either family.”

I mulled it over, seeing the logic in Hawk’s proposal. It was an unexpected move, which gave us an advantage.

Donnelly’s brow furrowed. “I don’t like the idea of sending them off with strangers.”

“Then go with them,” I said, surprising myself with the suggestion. As much as I wanted to keep Jemma close, her safety came first. “You and your men would be an extra layer of protection, and I know you’d rather be with them than spend time with me.”

I locked my gaze on Donnelly and didn’t look away.

“Travelling with a smaller entourage would make it easier to fly under the radar,” Hawk said.

Donnelly considered this, then nodded slowly. “Alright. But I’m bringing two of my own men, as well.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed, turning to Hawk. “Can you arrange transport?”

“Already on it,” Hawk replied, tapping away on his phone. “We’ll use my private jet. It’ll look like a part of my team is flying back home, and we’ll hide our extra passengers.”

I nodded, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. It was the right call, but the thought of Jemma being away from me, especially now, made my chest tighten.

Hawk looked up from his phone. “I’ll take Birdie, Milli, Max, Rey, and Phantom. They’re my best, and we can handle any situation that might come up.”

“Good,” I said, my voice gruff with suppressed emotion. “Make it happen. ”

As Hawk left to make the arrangements, I turned to Donnelly. “It would be best if you told Jemma.”

Donnelly stared at me for a second, laid his hand on my shoulder, and squeezed. “It’s the right move.”

I nodded. The right—yes. Easy—hell no.

But I had to find a solution to this, and fast. The sooner I eliminated the threat, the sooner I could bring my wife home where she belonged.

Donnelly left, and I crossed the room until I reached the window, my jaw clenched so tight it ached. The sprawling grounds of La Dimora stretched out before me, but I barely saw them.

Even thinking about sending her away made my chest feel dull and empty. And that was exactly the reason I had to send her away.

She’d turned my world upside down in the best possible way, had turned me upside down.

Had made me take my eyes off of what was important—and that made me weak.

And yet every fiber inside my body screamed against sending her away. I wanted her here, where I could see her, touch her, know she was safe.

Only, she wasn’t. The memory of her holding that poisoned glass flashed through my mind and made my stomach churn.

It had been so close. Too close.

As hard as it was to admit it, deep down, I knew that I couldn’t guarantee her safety here. Not now. Not with that still unknown threat lurking in the shadows, bold enough to strike in my own home, right under my nose .

The realization cut deep—a failure I couldn’t shake.

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass and closed my eyes. That was the exact reason I had to send her away.

I had to focus. There were lives at stake—Fee fighting for hers in the hospital right now, Alex by her side, my brothers and sisters, and Jemma’s family. I couldn’t end this if I was constantly distracted, worrying about Jemma’s every move.

My phone rang. Gabe.

I answered the call, my jaw clenched. “Gabe.”

“Vince,” my best friend’s voice came through, tinged with concern. We’d talked right before the wedding where he told me—in no uncertain terms—that if I fucked with his little sister—as he called Jemma—he would personally come here and fuck me up, best friend or not. And then he threatened that if I didn’t bring my bride to Calabria for our honeymoon, he would fuck me up, as well.

There had been a lot of threats from my future brother-in-law packed into that one phone call.

“I just got calls from Donnelly and Hawk.”

My grip on the phone tightened. And anger flared in my chest. Of course, they’d call Gabe.

Did they think I was weak?

Unable to handle this situation on my own?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. “And?” I managed, my voice deceptively calm.

“They filled me in on what happened,” Gabe continued. “Vince, I know you’re probably pissed they reached out to me, but?— ”

“But nothing,” I cut him off. “I’ve got this under control.”

Gabe sighed. “I know you do. That’s not why I’m calling.”

I waited, my free hand curling into a fist at my side.

“Sending the woman you love away, even if it’s for her own safety…it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do,” Gabe said softly.

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. All the anger drained out of me, replaced by a hollow ache in my chest. “Did Donnelly or Hawk mention something like that?”

“No, but I know you,” Gabe said.

The thought of sending her away had been the first that crossed my mind. And Gabe knew me well enough to know that.

“When I had to send Sophie away,” Gabe continued. “It felt like I was tearing my own heart out. But it was the right call, Vince. I had no right to keep her. And you’ll do whatever you need to keep her safe until you can eliminate the threat.”

I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against the cool glass of the window. “How did you do it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper while my chest felt like it would cave in at any moment.

“One day at a time,” Gabe replied. “You focus on what needs to be done, on eliminating the threat. On bringing everyone down who forced you into that position. And you hold onto the knowledge that every step you take brings you closer to bringing her home.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I just…I need her safe. But the thought of her not being right next to me…”

He stayed silent. Because there was nothing any of us could say that would change the truth .

It was the right decision to send her away, no matter how much it hurt. I had to trust Hawk’s team, trust Donnelly to keep her safe while I focused on this threat.

But God—it felt like ripping out a piece of my own heart.

“I’m good. She’s nothing but a distraction right now, anyway,” I said, took a deep breath, and steeled myself. There would be time for us later. Time to build the life we’d barely begun.

But first, I had to make sure there was a later for us to have.

It was time to be the leader everyone needed me to be. Time to find out if this was my father’s doing, as well, and make him pay.

I turned from the window, rubbing at the ache in my chest. And locked my gaze on Dante, who stared at me with so much empathy, I really couldn’t take it.

I gave him a sideways nod toward the door. I didn’t have time for stupid feelings. It was time I locked away my emotions and focused on the task at hand. I had work to do.

He got up, crossed the room, and moved to the already open door.

And, as if I’d conjured her up, there she was, my beautiful wife.

My very beautiful, very angry wife.