Page 23

I woke up to pain.

It bloomed in my chest and spread, I sat up, instinctively reaching for my gun—but it was gone. I blinked through the haze clouding my vision, struggling to orient myself. My ribs screamed with every breath I took.

My vision adjusted.

Standing in front of me, holding a baseball bat like it was an extension of his arm, was Lilith’s father. The short fat fucker was looking at me with murder in his eyes. He was surrounded by his guards. Five of them.

For a second, I couldn’t believe he was there. No one was supposed to know about this place. This safe house was untraceable. No phones, no records. And yet here he was.

Panic crept in slow and steady. Where was Miyori ?

He didn’t wait for me to speak.

“You killed my son,” he said flatly. “And from the looks of it—for no damn reason. Looks like that bitch you saved clocked you in the head and ran.” Flashes of Miyori bringing the gun down on my head played in the back of my mind.

He turned slightly, gesturing to one of the men behind him. “Get him on his knees.”

Two of the men grabbed me. I didn’t bother fighting. I was still dizzy, and my ribs were on fire. The next blow from the bat landed hard on my back, knocking the breath from my lungs.

Gabriele Aiello stepped in closer, crouching just enough to meet my eyes.

“If my son wasn’t such a useless little shit, you would have woken up dead,” he muttered. “I’m not going to kill you for getting rid of him, but I’m going to make you wish you were dead.”

He stood again and struck me across the back again, and again in the side. Each hit sent shockwavesof pain through me. I clenched my jaw, refused to cry out.

“And after I’m done,” he continued, “you’ll go back to my daughter like none of this happened. You’ll forget that other bitch ever existed.”

My knees buckled, but I stayed upright— barely.

He raised the bat again, but before it came down, a scream pierced the air.

“Stop!”

I lifted my head enough to see Lillith run in, her hair wild, face pale. She threw herself between me and her father, wrapping her arms around me protectively.

“Please,” she whispered, looking up at her father with wide, frantic eyes. “He’s mine. I’ll take care of him. Even if he chose her. I don’t want him dead. He’s mine.”

Gabriele stared at her for a long, silent moment. Then he muttered something under his breath I couldn’t catch, dropped the bat with a thud, and walked away without another word. His men following behind him.

Lilith stayed where she was, clinging to me like I hadn’t killed her brother

“I won’t let you go, I won’t let you die,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “Even if you don’t want me. Even if you love her.”

Her fingers trembled against my skin, but I couldn’t feel them.

All I could think about was Miyori —and whether she was safe and how to use Lillith obsession with me to get free.