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“Then marry me.” I rest my forehead on hers and feel her breath on my skin. “Let’s get married, but not because of Bruno or the Volkovs or any of that. I want you to be with me. I want a family with you.”
“But a kid in your world… It’d be difficult. Very difficult.”
“I know.” I pull back to meet her eyes. “I know what I am, what I do, and the things I’ve done that I can’t undo. And I’m not promising it’ll be easy or safe or normal. But I do promise to spend every day trying to be worthy of you…and of us.”
She holds my gaze, then releases a slow breath. “Yes.” Her tone is steadier, laced with determination. “Yes, Marco. I’ll marry you.”
I kiss her, slowly and deeply, letting my lips tell her everything I can’t say. Gratitude and hope and terror and love, all bundled into one heart-swelling gesture. When we break apart, her smile lights up her whole face.
“Let’s do it soon.” She frames my cheeks with her hands. “No waiting or planning…just do it.”
“Tomorrow too soon?” I’m only half-joking.
“Give me a week.” Her laughter rings out bright and clear. “I need at least a week to find a dress.”
“A week.” I kiss her forehead, her nose, and her lips again. “I’ll make it happen.”
The days disappear into a blur of preparation. Sophia takes over wedding planning with terrifying efficiency, her lists and timelines and color schemes fanning across the dining room table like she’s managing a campaign. Izzy handles logistics with her usual lethal competence. Jenna, recovering but stronger every day, appoints herself as Lucia’s personal attendant and chief morale officer, keeping her chuckling when the stress threatens to overwhelm.
Rather than engage in some of the wedding planning like a normal bridegroom, I’m told to instead focus on what Bruno is planning and on uncovering who inside this compound helped Tomas Greco walk out of that basement. We have a leak, and after Jenna and the Tomas extraction, I can’t afford to ignore the threat.
Two days before the wedding, Nico drops the bomb.
“We found the connection.” He slides his tablet across my desk, the screen glowing with files. “Bruno’s been working with someone inside the police precinct who had access to Matteo Romano’s investigation. That person knew what Matteo was digging into and ensured that Lucia’s brother would be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
When my eyes scan the info, ice shoots through my veins.
Detective Mason Dellinger. Lucia’s ex. Always hovering at the edges of her life, always playing the part of a concerned friend.
“He’s been dirty for years.” Nico’s voice is grim. “He’s taken payments from Bruno, protected the trafficking operation, and eliminated anyone who got too close. Including Matteo.”
I stare at the evidence, at the bank records, call logs, witness statements, and photos, all laid out in damning detail. A mosaic of betrayal.
Nico looks up at me. “You need to decide how and when to tell her.”
I nod, my mind racing through options, consequences, and futures. If I reveal the truth now, days before the wedding, that knowledge could destroy her trust and newfound peace. If I wait—if I hide it—that’s a different kind of betrayal because I promised to be upfront with her.
Only one choice lets me sleep at night.
“Keep this between us for now.” I hold Nico’s gaze. “After the wedding, when she’s officially my wife and protected by Benedetti law, we tell her. Then we deal with Mason.”
Nico hesitates, visibly conflicted, before nodding. “You’re the boss.”
That night, I watch Lucia sleep, her hand tucked under her cheek, her lips parted, her breath coming slow and even. I think about what she’s survived and what she’s overcome. I consider the family she wants, the future we’re shaping, and the life I’m determined to give her.
I swear to myself—to whatever gods might be listening and to the ghost of Matteo Romano—that I’ll protect her from this. She’ll be safe from Mason, from Bruno, and from the knowledge of what her ex-boyfriend did to her brother.
I press my lips to her hair, pull her closer, and stare at the ceiling until dawn paints the room gray.
As morning light filters through the curtains, Lucia stirs, stretches, and smiles up at me with sleep-soft eyes. In this moment, with her warm against my side and the wedding days away, I almost believe we can have peace, love, and a future. But Mason’s file burns at the back of my mind, and Bruno’s shadow looms.
The worst is yet to come. And when it does, I’ll need to be ready to lose everything to keep her.
Chapter 27
Lucia
The morning light spills through the windows of the breakfast nook, painting the room in shades of golden warmth.
