Page 48 of Ruined By Blood (Feretti Syndicate #2)

"No." I meet her eyes. "Not personally. But the Baldinis and her father's organization don't exist anymore. We made sure of that."

"And Caterina?"

"Disappeared. Left the country." My mouth twists. "Smart move on her part."

Sienna's quiet for a long moment, processing. "So you decided never to let anyone close again."

It's not a question, but I answer anyway. "Trust is a luxury in my world, piccola. I trust my family. I trust a handful of men who've proven themselves." I brush my thumb across her cheek. "And now, against every instinct I have, I trust you."

"Why me?" The vulnerability in her voice cuts through me. "After being betrayed like that, why risk it with someone else?"

I pull her closer, needing her warmth against me.

"Because you're nothing like her. Nothing you've done has been calculated or false.

" My hand slides down to trace the scars on her back, a map of her survival.

"You're the most honest person I've ever met, Sienna.

Even when you were hiding things, you never lied about who you are. "

She lays her head back on my chest, her fingers finding mine and intertwining them.

"I won't betray you," she whispers, the words a solemn vow.

I trace my fingers along Sienna's spine, feeling each vertebra, each scar that marks her survival. Her body relaxes against mine, trusting me completely. It's a gift I never expected to receive from anyone again.

"I'm not afraid you'll hurt me like she did," I admit, my voice rougher than intended. "I'm just afraid of not being enough for you."

Sienna lifts her head, surprise flickering across her features. "What do you mean?"

I exhale slowly, struggling to put words to the fear that's been growing alongside my feelings for her. "You deserve someone better. Someone who hasn't done the things I've done. Someone whose hands aren't..." I flex my fingers against her skin. "Someone whose hands aren't covered in blood."

She reaches up, taking one of my hands in hers. Slowly, deliberately, she brings it to her lips and kisses my knuckles. The same knuckles that have broken bones, drawn blood, ended lives.

"These hands saved me," she whispers against my skin.

My chest tightens as I watch her, this woman who's seen the darkest parts of me and isn't running.

"Well, now I have an even bigger problem," I say, my tone lighter.

She tilts her head, curious. "What problem?"

"I think I'm in love with this girl," I say, watching her eyes widen slightly. "It's fucking inconvenient, really."

Her breath catches, and for a moment she just stares at me, eyes searching mine for any sign I'm not serious. I hold her gaze, letting her see the truth.

"Inconvenient?" she finally asks, her voice barely audible.

"Extremely." I brush a strand of hair from her face.

"I had a perfectly good life planned out.

Run the business, protect my family, avoid entanglements.

Then this woman shows up in my casino wearing a red dress that doesn't suit her, and suddenly I'm jumping off balconies, getting into shootouts, and kidnapping people from medical facilities. "

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Sounds terribly disruptive."

"You have no idea." I pull her closer, my hand cradling the back of her head. "And the worst part? I don't want any of it back. The control, the simplicity, the certainty. I'd trade it all again just to keep her looking at me the way she's looking at me right now."

I watch her face carefully, searching for any sign of hesitation or doubt. Instead, Sienna's eyes shine with something I've never seen directed at me before—something warm and certain.

"Your problem is solved," she whispers, her fingers tracing the outline of my jaw. "Because the girl is in love with you too."

Oh. Fuck.

For a man who's spent his life calculating odds and predicting outcomes, I find myself completely blindsided. I've killed men without blinking, negotiated million-dollar deals without breaking a sweat, but this confession from her lips leaves me speechless.

"Say that again," I finally manage, my voice rougher than intended.

A smile tugs at her lips. "I'm in love with you, Enzo Feretti." She says it slowly, deliberately, like she's testing how the words feel. "Despite everything—or maybe because of everything—I love you."

I pull her against me, burying my face in her hair, breathing her in. The tightness in my chest expands until I can barely breathe. How the fuck did I get here? How did I earn this?

"I love you too, baby girl. Big time."

She smiles blinking at me with the most beautiful eyes they have ever existed.

"What are we going to do now?" she asks against my skin, her voice small but steady. "From here, I mean. What happens next?"

I pull back enough to see her face.

"We figure it out," I tell her. "Step by step." My thumb traces her cheekbone, still faintly bruised from her father's hand. "There's no rulebook for this, piccola. But we take it one day at a time."

She nods, processing my words. "I don't even know what normal looks like anymore," she admits. "I've spent so long just trying to survive that I never thought about what I'd do if I actually made it out. "

"Tell me what you want," I say. "Anything you need, anything you dream about. We'll make it happen."

Sienna's quiet for a moment, her fingers tracing the tattoo on my chest. "I want to find my way back to photography," she finally says. "Not just as an escape, but really pursue it. And..." she hesitates, "maybe college? I had tutors, but never a real education."

"Done," I say immediately. "We'll get you whatever equipment you need, set up a darkroom if you want. And college—anywhere you want to go."

She smiles, a genuine smile that reaches her eyes. "I think I'd like to stay close, at least at first." Her hand finds mine, squeezing. "I'm not ready to be too far from you yet."

"Good, because I'm not ready to let you out of my sight." I bring her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles. "Anything else? The world's yours for the taking, Sienna."

She thinks for a moment. "I want to help my mother heal," she says. "And maybe... maybe help other girls like me. Not right away, but someday."

Pride swells in my chest. After everything she's been through, her first thoughts are for others. "We'll make it happen," I promise. "Whatever resources you need."

"And you?" she asks, studying my face. "What do you want?"

The question catches me off guard. What do I want? For so long, my wants have been simple—protect my family, grow our business, eliminate threats. But now?

"I want to wake up with you," I tell her honestly. "I want to see you heal, see you become everything you were meant to be before that bastard tried to break you. I want to show you every beautiful thing you've been denied."

Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. "We'll figure it out," she echoes my words back to me. "Step by step."