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He's going to die. Because of me, because of my weakness, my selfish desire. Because I dared to love him, to dream of a life beyond the shadows.
Dante's men shove me into the car, their hands rough and bruising. I catch one last glimpse of Luca, his eyes wide and desperate as they drag him towards another vehicle.
"Enzo!" His scream echoes in my ears, shreds my heart like razor wire. "Enzo, I love you! I'll always love you, no matter what happens!"
The car door slams shut, cutting off his cries. I slump against the leather, my eyes squeezing shut against the hot sting of tears.
It's over. My last chance, my one shot at redemption...gone, like smoke on the wind. And now...
Now, there's nothing left but pain. Nothing left but blood and screams and the cold, empty embrace of the dark.
Nothing left but the price of my sins, paid in the precious coin of Luca's life.
May God have mercy on my soul.
Because Dante sure as hell won't.
CHAPTER 8
LUCA
The world is a blur of pain and fear, a kaleidoscope of shadow and neon that spins madly around me as they drag me from the car. My hands are bound, the rough bite of rope cutting into my wrists, but it's nothing compared to the agony in my heart, the searing ache of knowing that Enzo is suffering because of me.
Because he dared to love me. Because he chose me, a simple baker from the wrong side of the tracks, over the dark empire of blood and power that he was born to rule.
I should have known better. Should have stayed away, should have run screaming in the opposite direction the moment I realized what he was, the darkness that stained his soul.
But I didn't. I couldn't. Because beneath the killer, beneath the cold and ruthless mask...I saw a glimmer of something else. Something warm and bright and achingly human, a spark of light in the endless night of his existence.
I saw a man worth saving. A heart worth fighting for, worth bleeding for. And now...
Now, I'm going to watch him die. Watch as Dante, the monster who calls himself Enzo's uncle, the man who twisted him into a weapon of blood and vengeance...tears him apart, piece by agonizing piece.
And it's all my fault. My weakness, my naivete, my foolish belief that love could conquer all, even the dark and merciless world of the mafia.
They shove me to my knees, the cold concrete biting into my skin through the thin fabric of my jeans. I hear Enzo snarl, a sound of pure, primal rage, and then the sickening thud of flesh on flesh, the crack of bone and the splatter of blood.
I lift my head, my heart in my throat, and see him. See the man I love, the man I would die for...on his knees, his face a mask of blood and bruises. Dante stands over him, his fists clenched, his knuckles torn and raw.
"You disappoint me, nephew." Dante's voice is a low, mocking purr, his eyes glittering with a cold, reptilian malice. "I gave you everything. Power, respect, a place at my side. And this is how you repay me? By spreading your legs for a piece of street trash, by betraying your family for a warm mouth and a tight ass?"
Enzo spits blood, his eyes blazing with a fierce, defiant light. "Fuck you," he snarls, his voice rough and ragged. "Luca is worth a thousand of you, you sadistic bastard. He's pure and good and innocent, everything you're not. Everything you could never be."
Dante's face twists, a mask of rage and disgust. He lashes out, his foot slamming into Enzo's ribs with a sickening crack. Enzo doubles over, a choked gasp tearing from his throat, but he doesn't scream. Doesn't beg, doesn't plead for mercy.
He endures. He survives. Because that's who he is, who he's always been. The man who feels no pain, who fears no death.
The man I love, with every shattered piece of my heart. The man I would die for, bleed for, burn for.
Dante turns to me, his eyes cold and pitiless. "And you," he sneers, his lips curling in a mocking smile. "The little mouse who thought he could play with the big cats. Did you really think you could save him, could redeem him with the power of your love?"
He chuckles, the sound cold and mirthless. "Foolish boy. There is no redemption for men like us, no salvation for the damned. We are what we are, what we've always been. Killers, monsters, soulless beasts in human skin."
He reaches out, his hand tangling in my hair, wrenching my head back. I fight down a scream, biting my lip until I taste blood. I won't give him the satisfaction, won't let him see my fear, my pain.
"But you..." Dante's voice is a low, sinister whisper, his breath hot and fetid against my ear. "You're different, aren't you? Pure and innocent, untouched by the filth of the world. A shining light in the darkness, a beacon of hope for the lost and the damned."
His grip tightens, a sharp, searing pain that makes stars explode behind my eyes. "Too bad it's all a lie. Too bad you're just as tainted as the rest of us, just as corrupted and vile. You spread your legs for a killer, let him fuck you like the whore you are. And now...now you're going to pay the price."
