Page 40

LUCA

T he call ends with Marco barking orders at someone in the background. "Luca, it’s bad. The Rossis aren’t holding back this time. Get here now."

My phone slips back into my pocket as I turn to Valentina. She’s already on her feet, her face pale but determined, her hands trembling just enough to betray her fear.

“You’re staying here,” I growl, pointing to the room. “This isn’t your fight.”

Her jaw tightens, fire sparking in her eyes. “I’m your wife. My fight is yours.”

I step toward her, my chest heaving. “Valentina, this isn’t about pride. It’s about survival. Leo needs you alive.”

Her shoulders square, defiance etched into every angle of her face. “Leo needs both his parents alive. And you’re not going without me.”

The conviction in her voice silences the retort forming on my lips. She’s made up her mind, and I know better than to waste time arguing. My eyes rake over her, weighing her resolve, her unflinching gaze. She’s not going to back down.

I grit my teeth. “Fine. But Leo—he comes first.”

She nods, already moving toward the bed where Leo is fast asleep, his tiny fists clutching the blanket. I crouch beside her, brushing a hand through his tousled hair.

“Leo,” I whisper, my voice softer than I thought it could be. “Wake up, little man.”

He stirs, blinking up at me with those bright, innocent eyes that gut me every time. “Daddy?”

I force a smile. “We’re going on a little adventure, all right? But you need to stay with Rosa for a bit.”

His small face scrunches in confusion. “Why?”

“Because Mommy and I have to do something important,” Valentina says, her voice steady as she lifts him into her arms. “Rosa will take care of you. She’ll keep you safe.”

Leo nods sleepily, trusting us without question, and it’s a trust that weighs heavy on my chest. I grab his favorite stuffed bear from the bed and hand it to him.

“Hold onto this for me, champ,” I say. “Keep it safe.”

Valentina grabs a bag while I make a quick call to Rosa. The housekeeper picks up immediately, her voice groggy but alert. “Mr. Salvatore?”

“Rosa, I need you to watch Leo. We’ll drop him off in ten minutes.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be ready.”

We’re out the door in less than three, the hotel staff barely glancing our way as we pass. Valentina holds Leo close, whispering soothing words to him while I stay ahead, my hand already brushing the cold steel of my gun holstered beneath my jacket.

The car is waiting at the curb, and I slide into the driver’s seat, Marco’s words still echoing in my head. Valentina climbs into the back with Leo, strapping him in before meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Drive,” she says, her voice firm.

The roads blur as I press down on the gas, the hum of the engine barely registering over the storm brewing in my mind. Rosa’s quarters are on the outskirts of the estate, far enough from the chaos to keep Leo safe but close enough for me to feel like I can still protect him.

We arrive at Rosa’s modest cottage in record time. The housekeeper meets us at the door, her robe hastily tied over her nightgown.

“Come in, come in,” she says, ushering us inside. She takes Leo from Valentina’s arms, her maternal instincts kicking in immediately.

“You’re safe here, little one,” Rosa coos, carrying him to the couch.

I crouch in front of Leo one last time, my hands resting on his tiny shoulders. “Stay with Rosa, okay? Mommy and I will be back soon.”

He nods, clutching his bear tightly. “Promise?”

I lean in, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I promise.”

Valentina does the same, whispering something in his ear that makes him smile faintly. Then we’re back in the car, the silence between us thick with unspoken fears.

As we near the estate, the night sky lights up with bursts of orange and yellow. Explosions. Gunfire. The Rossis aren’t just attacking—they’re trying to raze the entire place to the ground.

Valentina leans forward, her hand gripping my arm. “Luca…”

“I see it,” I say, my voice cold, controlled.

The closer we get, the more vivid the scene becomes. Flames lick the edges of the property, smoke curling into the sky like a dark omen. Figures dart through the shadows, exchanging fire. My men are holding their ground, but it’s chaos—pure, unrelenting chaos.

I tighten my grip on the wheel. “Stay close to me, Valentina. No matter what.”

Her response is immediate, resolute. “I will.”

As we pull up to the gates, the full scale of the attack comes into view. The estate—the heart of the Salvatore empire—is under siege.

And I’ll be damned if I let it fall.

The gates of the estate are a battlefield.

The Salvatore guards, armed and entrenched, return fire against shadowy figures moving in waves.

I take it all in as I step out of the car, the acrid scent of gunpowder biting the air.

Valentina is at my side before I can bark a warning, her eyes scanning the chaos with sharp focus.

“Get behind me,” I snap, my tone leaving no room for argument.

“Luca—”

“Behind me, Valentina.” My voice cuts through the cacophony like steel and fire. She hesitates but complies, her eyes burning with defiance. I press the keys into her hand, the grip tightening over her fingers. “Stay in the car if it gets worse.”

It’s a lie. There’s no “worse”. There’s only blood and fire until one side is ash.

The Rossi family hitmen are precision itself—trained killers sent with one mission: destroy everything. Including my family. Someone tipped them off about our survival. Someone inside. My fury simmers beneath the surface, waiting to explode.

Marco meets me at the base of the stairs leading to the mansion. Blood streaks his shirt, but he’s still standing, a testament to why he’s my second.

“They came through the south perimeter first,” he reports over the sound of bullets pinging off metal. “The Rossis aren’t holding back this time. They’re going for a full takeover.”

“Or extinction,” I growl. “What’s the body count?”

“On our side? Five, maybe six. We’ve taken down at least ten of theirs.”

“Not enough.” I load my weapon, the click of the chamber sliding into place like a death knell.

Marco nods, his face grim. “They’re targeting you, Luca. You and the kid.”

My grip on the gun tightens, the weight of his words burning into me. They want my son, my bloodline—dead.

“Not tonight,” I snarl, pushing past him and into the fray.

The battlefield is nothing short of utter chaos, and I am its conductor.

The air around me explodes with the sharp cracks of gunfire and the shouts of my men, every sound honed to a razor's edge.

My focus narrows to each movement, each threat, as I dispatch yet another Rossi soldier with a single shot to the chest.

But something feels off.

The hair on the back of my neck rises as I step forward, instinctively turning to cover Marco's flank. A shadow moves in the smoke—a man, his pistol aimed, his sights trained on me.

And then, like lightning splitting the darkness, Valentina appears.

She moves fast, too fast for me to shout at her to stay back. My heart stutters, rage and terror battling for dominance as I watch her lunge at the Rossi hitman. She grabs his wrist, throws her weight into the motion, and the shot he fires digs harmlessly into the ground.

“Valentina!” My voice is a roar, but she doesn’t falter.

Her hand flashes, a glint of something sharp catching the light before it plunges into the man's throat.

His body jerks violently as she pulls the hairpin free and drives it in again, the fluid motion born of raw survival.

Blood sprays in an arc, staining her face and hands, and I can barely breathe.

The hitman drops, lifeless, and Valentina stumbles back, chest heaving. For a heartbeat, the world stops, every sound fading into nothing as my eyes lock onto hers. She looks up at me, her gaze a mixture of fury and defiance.

“I told you,” she gasps, her voice trembling but steady, “I’m not staying on the sidelines.”

I cross the distance between us in three strides, my hands gripping her arms. Her body shakes, her breath shallow, but her expression is resolute.

“Are you insane?” I snap. “You could have been killed!”

“And so could you!” she fires back, jerking out of my grip. “You didn’t see him, Luca. He would have shot you!”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, I can’t respond. She’s right. I didn’t see him.

“Don’t ever do that again,” I growl, my hand cupping her blood-streaked face. My thumb brushes her cheek, smearing crimson across her skin. “Do you understand me?”

Her lips tremble, but she doesn’t back down. “I’m not going to sit by and watch you die. If I’m your queen, then I’m your partner. In all of it.”

The fire in her voice stirs something deep in my chest. She’s fierce, unstoppable, and it takes everything in me not to drag her out of this hellscape and lock her somewhere safe.

“Please, for the love of God, stay close to me,” I finally say, the words rough and edged with desperation. “If you’re going to fight, you do it at my side. Nowhere else.”

She nods, and for a brief moment, there’s an understanding between us that’s stronger than anything I’ve felt before.

A sharp whistle pierces the air, snapping me back to reality. Marco’s voice cuts through the smoke. “Luca! We’ve got more incoming from the east!”

I turn, pulling Valentina behind me as another wave of Rossi hitmen emerge from the shadows. My grip tightens around my gun, the rage from seeing her in danger fueling my every move.

Flashes of muzzle fire illuminate faces twisted in rage, fear, and cold determination. My men fight like devils, their loyalty etched into every swing of a blade and pull of a trigger. The Rossis are relentless, but they lack the discipline, the iron resolve of the Salvatore family.