Page 17 of His Mafia Captor

I grab my keys, my wallet, my gun. I don't know where he's gone, don't know where to start looking. But I'll turn this city upside down if I have to, search every street and alley and seedy back room.

I'll find him. I have to. Because he's my heart, my soul, my reason for living. And I won't let him go, not without a fight.

Not without laying myself bare, offering up every jagged, broken piece of myself in the desperate hope that he can put me back together, make me whole again.

I'm reaching for the door when it bursts open, the frame splintering under the force of the blow. I'm moving before I can think, my gun leaping into my hand like an old lover.

But I'm too slow, too distracted by the chaos raging in my head and my heart. A fist slams into my temple, stars exploding behind my eyes as I stumble back.

I blink away the spots, my vision clearing just in time to see the barrel of a gun, cold and implacable as it presses against my forehead.

"Hello, nephew." Dante's voice is a low, mocking purr, his eyes glittering with malice. "Going somewhere?"

I stare at him, my heart leaden in my chest. I should have known, should have seen this coming. Dante has eyes everywhere, spies in every shadow.

Of course he knows about Luca. About the shame I've brought on the family, the weakness I've allowed to fester in my heart.

"Dante." I keep my voice level, my face blank. I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear, my dread. "This is a surprise."

He chuckles, the sound cold and mirthless. "Is it? Did you really think you could keep your little pet a secret, Enzo? Did you think I wouldn't find out about your disgusting perversion, your shameful betrayal?"

I clench my jaw, my grip tightening on my gun. "Luca is none of your concern, Dante. He's an innocent, a civilian. He has nothing to do with our business."

Dante's eyes narrow, his lips curling into a sneer. "He became my concern the moment you let him into your bed, into your heart. The moment you chose him over your family, your duty."

He leans closer, his breath hot and fetid against my face. "You know the rules, Enzo. You know the price of disloyalty, of weakness. And now...you're going to pay it."

He steps back, his gun never wavering. "Take him," he snaps, his gaze flicking to the shadows behind him.

Hands grab me, rough and bruising. My gun is wrenched from my grip, my arms twisted behind my back until my shoulders scream in protest.

I struggle, snarling like a wild animal. But it's no use. There are too many of them, too strong and too well-armed.

They drag me from the apartment, down the stairs and out into the waiting car. I catch a glimpse of Luca's face, pale and stricken in the neon-washed night.

He's on his knees, his hands bound behind his back. His lip is split, blood dripping down his chin. But his eyes...they blaze with a fierce, defiant light, a fire that even Dante's cruelty can't extinguish.

"Enzo!" He strains against his bonds, his voice ragged with desperation. "Enzo, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen, never wanted to put you in danger."

I meet his gaze, my heart clenching in my chest. "It's not your fault, Luca. It's mine. I should have been stronger, should have stayed away."

Dante chuckles, the sound cold and cruel. "How touching. The killer and his whore, professing their love in the face of death."

He steps forward, his hand tangling in Luca's hair, wrenching his head back. "Too bad it's all for nothing. Too bad you'll both die screaming, begging for a mercy that will never come."

Luca spits in his face, his eyes blazing with hatred. "Fuck you," he snarls, his voice dripping with venom. "You're the one who'll die screaming, you sadistic bastard."

Dante's face darkens, his eyes glinting with malice. He backhands Luca, the blow snapping his head to the side. "Brave words from a cupcake baker. Let's see how long that courage lasts, when I start peeling the skin from your bones."

He turns to me, his smile sharp and vicious. "As for you, nephew...you're going to watch. You're going to see every moment of his agony, hear every scream and sob and pitiful plea."

He leans closer, his breath hot against my ear. "And then, when he's broken and bleeding, when he's begging for death...I'm going to give it to him. Slowly, intimately, in every way I know you fear."

He straightens, his eyes glittering with a mad, sadistic glee. "And then, Enzo...then it will be your turn. And believe me when I say, your death will make his look like a mercy."

I stare at him, my eyes burning with unshed tears. I want to scream, to rage, to tear him apart with my bare hands. But I can't.

I'm helpless, powerless, a puppet dangling on the end of his strings. And Luca...my beautiful, brave Luca...

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