Page 25

I parked my car a hundred meters down the road from the Ajello compound, but didn’t get out immediately. I watched the house with a pounding heart as I considered my options. The last time I spoke to Larissa, she said things I refused to believe.

Two weeks had passed, yet her words still left me sleepless and distracted. I couldn’t get her out of my mind, nor could I believe that we meant nothing to her. Somewhere in my heart, I had this inkling of doubt about whether she truly believed that, or if someone else had put those words in her mouth.

If I had to place a winning bed, I’d bet on the latter having happened.

The house was so close. She was so close. I could feel her calling to me, a moth to a flame, and when that call became louder, I could no longer sit here and wonder if I was making a mistake.

I stepped out of the car and inched along the wall to the compound. If she told me to my face that she wanted to leave me in the past, then I wouldn’t fight her. But even as I considered that option, I knew that wouldn’t be the outcome.

To truly know what happened, I’d have to get her alone.

The security around the Ajello estate was tight, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I placed my hand on the small of my back and checked to see if the gun was there. It was.

At last, I saw a small gate on the boundary wall, unmanned at this hour. Without thinking, I scaled it and dropped to the ground. Before me lay a vast expanse of green, and right at the center was the mansion.

Larissa.

I was almost there.

I bent low and ran through the garden toward the house, knowing this was a game of speed. Before the patrol came this way, I had to be pressed against the house walls and then I’d have to check for open doors, open windows.

I was almost at the wall at the back of the house when I sensed loud movement to my left, coming from behind a shed that happened to be my blind spot.

I pulled out my gun and whirled around just as four men were ready to jump me, then froze when I noticed who they were. Gastone, Carlo, and Dino—Larissa’s brothers. Behind them, Dom stood watch.

They all had their guns pointed right at me, my back cornered against the wall. There was no escape, and seeing how I was outnumbered, I lowered my gun to buy myself time.

“Gentlemen,” I said coolly, even though my heart hammered in my ribs. If they wanted, they could kill me right here and now, and I knew it.

For a brief moment, I allowed myself to regret my decision to come.

“You have exactly three seconds to explain why I shouldn't put a bullet between your eyes, Lebedev,” Gastone spat on the floor beside him.

I raised my hands slowly, calculating my chances against four armed men. “I came to see Larissa.”

“You fucking bastard,” Carlo lunged forward, only held back by Dino's grip on his shoulder. “You know exactly where she is!”

My stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”

Dom stepped closer. “Stop playing games. Where is she?”

The confusion must have shown on my face because Gastone studied me with narrowed eyes. “You didn't take her?”

“Take her? What the hell happened to Larissa?” My voice came out rough and cracked as fear clawed at my throat. “I was trying to sneak in, to get a chance to talk to her.”

The brothers exchanged glances, and then Dom received a message on his walkie-talkie. “Boss,” he said to Gastone, “the guards checked. Lebedev came alone, and the car is empty.”

“Of course it’s empty!” I bellowed as the panic surged through me. “If I had her, I’d be out of here within seconds. If I had her, I wouldn’t be lingering here like a fool. Now, tell me. Where is Larissa?”

My voice had an edge to it, like an animal gone mad at the thought of losing its mate.

Dino was the first to put down his gun. “She's been missing for two hours. Her bedroom window was open, but no sign of trouble.”

My blood turned to ice. I shook my head slowly. “I had nothing to do with this. I came here tonight because...” I paused, unwilling to let them see just how much she meant to me. To see the depths of my love. I didn’t owe them the truth, not before I knew she felt the same for me.

Instead, I looked at them and met each gaze. “We have to get her back.”

“Let's go inside,” Gastone said after a moment of tense silence. “We need to figure this out.”

***

In Gastone's study, security footage played across multiple screens.

“This is from the street cameras,” Dino explained, pointing to a timestamp from earlier that night. A convoy of black SUVs passed slowly in front of the compound. The front vehicle bore a familiar insignia on its door.

“Casellis,” I murmured, recognizing the rival family's mark.

“What would the Casellis want with my sister?” Carlo demanded.

Gastone shifted uncomfortably, exchanging a glance with Dino that didn't escape my notice.

“What did you do?” I asked, my voice dangerously low.

“I might have...” Gastone cleared his throat. “When I found out about you and Larissa, I was furious. I made some calls, put out some feelers about potential retaliation against the Lebedevs.”

My vision blurred with rage. I acted before I could think, pinning Gastone against the wall with my forearm pressed to his throat. “You put a target on your own sister's back because you couldn't stand the thought of her being with me?”

Dom and the other brothers moved to intervene, but Gastone waved them off, his face reddening under the pressure of my arm.

“I never thought they'd go after her,” he choked out. “I was aiming for you or your brothers.”

I released him with a disgusted shove. “And now the Casellis have her to get to both our families. You know what they're capable of.”

The room fell silent as the implications sank in. The Casellis were notorious for their brutality, especially toward women.

“We need to move now,” I said, already pulling out my phone. “I'm calling my brothers.”

“We don't need Bratva help—” Carlo began, but Dino cut him off.

“Yes, we do. This is Larissa's life we're talking about.”

Without wasting a second, I was on a call with Caspian.

“Larissa’s missing,” I said, giving him the background of all that happened. “The Casellis have her. I need-”

“I’m gathering our brothers and our men,” Caspian said, without wasting a second. I felt instant relief, his support so unconditional in that moment, that I felt as though my brother was carrying me in my pain. He knew how much she meant to me. Not once did he reprimand me for getting involved, for trying to meet her.

“Keep us informed,” Caspian said with urgency as he ended the call.

“The Casellis have a warehouse by the harbor,” Gastone said when I hung up. “It's their most likely holding spot.”

“My brothers will meet us there,” I told them as I sent Caspian the location.

“We leave in five minutes,” said Dom. “The convoy’s coming up front.”

In that moment, a strange sense of calm washed over me. It wasn’t because I thought all was well. It was because Larissa had us all rallying for her, and I knew that her brothers and my family would do whatever it took to get her back.

***

The sun hadn’t risen yet, and it was still quite dark when we arrived at the warehouse. Our convoy had only pulled up outside when another arrived. We piled out of the Ajello cars as my brothers followed from theirs. Caspian, Federico, Dante, and Achille—they had all shown up with their own little army in place.

“We sent some men on surveillance up ahead. East and west entrances covered,” Caspian informed us when he walked up to us, his voice barely above a whisper. “At least eight guards visible from our vantage points.”

“Any sign of Larissa?” I asked, filling up the chamber on my second gun.

Federico shook his head. “Not from the outside. But there's light coming from a room on the second floor.”

We divided quickly, Dante and Achille taking point with Carlo and Dom, while Caspian paired with Dino. I found myself with Gastone, a partnership neither of us was comfortable with.

“If anything happens to her because of your stupidity,” I told him as we moved toward our entry point, “I will make sure you live long enough to regret it.”

His jaw tightened, but he said nothing, acknowledging the truth of my words. I could sense the guilt spreading through him. He had riled up the other families and, for revenge against me, had unwittingly sacrificed his own sister.

Yet, at the same time, I knew I had crossed a line. I knew Gastone loved her, in his own way. Just before we took our positions, I felt the need to give him a nod. “She’ll be okay.”

“By god,” he nodded back.

And just like that, a small understanding formed. Despite our differences, we shared a common interest: Larissa’s well-being.

The first shots rang out near the east entrance, which meant Caspian had engaged. Gastone and I moved fast, taking advantage of the distraction. We kicked open the door and entered. Two guards came rushing toward us, and we each took one down with a single bullet.

Crew members entered through other entrances. Gunfire erupted everywhere. Crates tumbled in confusion, and containers were used as weapons.

But Gastone and I left the fighting to the others. We needed to get to Larissa first.

“Larissa?” I screamed as we made our way through the maze of crates and containers. “Are you here? Can you hear me?”

We navigated and screamed up the stairway, down the halls to the left first and then right, over and over again, trying to hear her through the gunfire.

Then I heard her. “Gio?” Her voice, filled with panic, echoed nearby. “Gio?”

My blood boiled as we raced down the hall toward the source of the sound. A Caselli guard appeared in our path, and Gastone shot him right in the head, not even giving him a moment to pull out his own weapon.

The office door splintered as we both kicked it open at the same time. Four men turned in surprise: three guards and Antonio Caselli himself. Larissa sat tied to a chair, a bruise forming on her left cheek, but her eyes blazed with fury instead of fear. When she saw me, I swear I felt her shoulders relax and saw her lips turn upward.

“Told you you’d face hell,” she sniggered, turning to Antonio.

Antonio glowered at her, before turning to us.

“Lebedev and Ajello working together,” Antonio drawled, reaching for his gun. “How touching.”

“You took my sister!” Gastone roared, lunging for him, but the guards surrounding us raised their weapons at him, forcing him to stop.

Antonio grinned. “It was your idea.”

“You bastard,” Gastone growled. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“You’re going to pay, Antonio,” I hissed. Slowly, ever so slowly, while everyone was focused on the guns in our hands, I slid my other behind my back and pulled out the second one. Gastone caught my gaze, and that’s when I nodded.

Just as he ran and used the momentum to slide on the floor and kick out Antonio from his feet, I turned both guns on two guards and killed them at the same time. Beside me, Gastone and Antonio struggled for Antonio’s fallen gun while I shot down the third. The fourth, to my surprise, paled and ran out.

Before he could bring back-up, I turned to help Gastone. Gastone took a bullet to the shoulder but kept fighting. I couldn’t risk shooting without losing Gastone. I lunged toward them and grabbed Antonio by his hair, wrapped a hand across his face, pulling him back. I watched as Gastone slit his throat, before falling back to the ground to catch his breath.

I left him there and only had one singular intention: Larissa. I reached and kneeled in front of her, and when I saw those gorgeous aquamarine eyes, my world suddenly found its axis. “Larissa,” I whispered, clutching her cheeks for just a moment, before turning to Gastone. Despite his injury, he noticed and threw me his knife. I cut through Larissa's restraints with trembling hands.

“You came for me,” she whispered once free, grabbing my hands. The way she stared at me, as if I were the light of her existence, filled my heart with warmth.

“Always,” I replied, kissing her forehead as I helped her to her feet. Her body swayed against mine, and I pulled her close, breathing in the scent of her hair, reassuring myself that she was real and alive.

The warehouse echoed with the sounds of the fight winding down. Caspian's voice called the all-clear from below. Gastone pressed a hand to his bleeding shoulder, watching us with unreadable eyes.

“We need to get out of here,” he said finally. “Police will be coming soon.”

We made our way down to find most of the Caselli men dead or incapacitated. My brothers stood victorious but wary, eyes darting between me and Larissa, assessing the way she clung to my arm.

Outside, as we regrouped by the vehicles, the temporary alliance began to fray.

“Larissa,” said Gastone to her trembling form beside me. “Come.”

Beside him, Dom opened the door to his car.

“But—” I protested just as Larissa’s eyes blasted wide and she stepped behind me.

“This changes nothing between our families,” Gastone said coldly. “And you”—he looked directly at me—”you stay away from my sister.”

“Gastone,” beside me, Caspian stepped up. “You know my brothers won’t hurt her.”

“I don’t know shit,” Gastone snarled, taking a step toward Caspian. “They’ve known each other for three months. From what I recall, the Lebedevs change colors like seasons.”

“You know that’s not true,” Federico snarled just as Dino and Carlo flanked Gastone for back-up.

Things would get dangerous, I knew that, if I didn’t stop it now.

“Look, Gastone,” I said as I felt Larissa huddle behind me. “I’ll do anything to prove you wrong. Anything.”

“Anything?” Gastone smiled.

“Yes. Anything,” I said, with such intent, such meaning, that I knew I’d give an arm if needed.

“Give her freedom. Ensure her safety. She’s better off with us. The Lebedevs have enemies everywhere.”

There was something in the way he said it, with such care for his sister, that for a moment, I froze. Was I being selfish bringing in a woman I loved to death into this dark world? Was she safer with Gastone? I was lost, afraid to say something wrong, afraid to know what was right.

In that moment of hesitation, I felt Larissa move. I turned, thinking she had chosen to walk away, feeling a strange, hard lump in my throat that restricted my breath as she walked past me and stopped halfway between her brothers and me.

“Enough,” she said, her voice stronger than I expected as she moved her eyes to each one of us. “No more of this.”

“Larissa, get in the car,” Dino ordered gently. “We're taking you home.”

She shook her head and when she turned to Dino, I swear I saw teeth . “I'm not going anywhere without Gio.”

“This isn't the time for your rebellion,” Gastone snapped. “That man is seventeen years older than you and our enemy.”

“That man,” she replied, her chin lifting defiantly, “is the father of my child.”

The words hung in the air like suspended glass, fragile and sharp. I felt as though I'd been struck by lightning, electricity replacing the blood in my veins.

Larissa was pregnant. With my child.

“What did you just say?” Carlo's voice was dangerously quiet.

Larissa turned to face me, her eyes searching mine. “I'm pregnant, Gio. That's why I told you to stay away. I was scared—of my brothers, of the future, of how they’d hurt you and how you’d react. But when I saw you tonight, I knew I couldn't keep lying.”

My throat tightened with emotion. “How long have you known?”

“Ten weeks now,” she admitted. “I found out just before our fight from the day we got back from the mall.”

The pieces fell into place—her sudden distance, the harsh words meant to push me away. She'd been protecting our child, uncertain of her brother’s reaction. And on one level, mine.

I stepped forward, ignoring the warning looks from her brothers and mine. Taking her hands in mine, I searched for the right words, ones that could tell her how I felt, though it seemed impossible. How could I? When there were no words to describe the volcano of love I couldn’t contain.

“I've spent two weeks thinking I couldn’t live without you,” I told her softly. “I was wrong.”

Her aquamarine eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying I was wrong because if you aren’t in my life, Larissa, I’d choose death. It’s beyond living, the way I feel about you. Beyond death, beyond time, beyond history, beyond anything. What I feel for you is everything, all-consuming. I love you, Larissa Ajello. I have from the first moment, though I was too stubborn to admit it. And I already love this child—our child.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. “I love you, too. So much it terrifies me. I thought I could let you believe I wanted nothing to do with you, but I couldn’t. Tonight, I snuck out to seek you out.”

“You did what?” Gastone bellowed from where he stood, took away this wonderful moment, but something in Larissa’s eyes told me that moments like these were plenty to come. She’d decided that I was the one for her, and I knew she was the one for me. She carried my child—our child—and she was now my family.

I would never allow anyone to take her from me again. I would protect her because she was mine. I turned to Gastone, ready to tell him so, to warn him not to mess with the future Mrs. Lebedev when, to my surprise, I heard Larissa speak first.

“No one will love this baby fiercer than Gio,” she said, turning to face her brothers, her hand still clutched in mine. “No one will protect us better. This isn't just about our families anymore. I carry a baby in my womb. A child who deserves his or her father.”

Gastone stared at us, the conflict evident on his face. Behind him, Caspian and my brothers stood silently. I knew they would back my decision, whatever it might be.

Gastone stepped forward, and I watched as his hand reached behind him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I growled. Beside me, Larissa shook her head and bellowed—“Gastone!No!”

He paused and his eyes travelled between us, before they finally rested and remained on Larissa. “There are other ways to handle this, you know? This situation you’re in with this…baby.”

What he insinuated has me clenching my fists and I feel Larissa tremble beside me.

Behind me, Caspian hissed. “How dare you?”

“Gastone,” Dino was the first to speak. “What you suggest, it’s…it’s Larissa. We can’t.”

“We can and we will,” Gastone turned and glowered at his brothers before turning back to face Larissa. “Come with me. You want to keep the child? Fine. Keep it. We’ll raise it. But you can’t stay with him.”

Larissa’s grip on my hand tightened. “I've never been more certain of anything in my life when I say I love Gio. My child deserves his father’s love, and I deserve to build the family I want. Please, Gastone. It’s him or… no one.”

“You’re young,” he shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know enough to say I’ll die if I can’t be with Gio. You hear me, Gastone?” Larissa now screamed as tears started pouring down her face. I turned to her, to see her heart laid out so raw for this world, and couldn’t bear to see her in pain. I reached out and gently wiped her tears away.

“No, sweetheart, no. Don’t say that,” I pleaded, as a lump formed in my throat. I caressed her cheek and she leaned into it, closing her eyes.

“Gastone,” I heard Dino. “We should leave.”

Larissa and I both looked over at Dino in surprise and noticed how Dino and Carlo were no standing on either side of Gastone.

“But—” Gastone tried speaking, but Carlo shook his head.

“We always follow you, brother. But this time, you ask too much of your sister. Dino and I both feel,” and then, Carlo looked at us and smiled, “that we have no other choice but to accept this.”

Gastone sighed deeply and a frown formed across his forehead. “I will never accept this, you all hear me? But clearly, I’m outnumbered today. But you will come to regret this choice. All of you,” he hissed at Larissa, at my brothers, at me and his.

And then he turned and walked to his car, slamming the door shut behind him. Dino and Carlo stepped forward, as though they wanted to pull their little sister into a hug, but with Gastone so furious, now obviously wasn’t the time.

“We wish you well, sister,” Dino said at last and Carlo nodded. Then, the two men were gone just as fast.

I felt a weight lift from my chest, replaced by a new one—the responsibility of a future I'd never imagined for myself. A woman I loved. A child on the way. A bridge between two warring families.

“Don’t worry,” I said, pulling Larissa close to my side. “You and I are a family now, and we’ll figure this all out.”