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Rocco wouldn’t get such a swift end. He’d killed my parents. He’d terrorized Evelyn. She wouldn’t be safe until he was in the ground.
She mattered far more than any conflict with our rivals. I would go to war for her any day.
I launched myself at my oldest enemy, rage and years of hatred driving every vicious strike as I methodically broke his body with my bare hands. His bones crunched beneath my fists, and he screamed. I beat him until his face was such a pulverized, bloody mess that he couldn’t manage more than a gurgling moan of horror. I wrapped my hands around his throat and squeezed. He thrashed, his limbs too broken to fight me off. His ruined face darkened to a deep shade of purple, and red veins burst across the whites of his eyes.
“He’s dead.” Gian’s voice was low and reassuring, and he touched a tentative hand to my shoulder. As though I was a rabid beast that might turn on him if he spooked me. “Evelyn needs you, Massimo.”
Evelyn.
My heart twisted. I’d just gone feral and beaten a man to death right in front of my delicate little butterfly. The last time she’d witnessed such a vicious kill, she’d turned from me in revulsion. She’d been afraid of me.
Fear clutched at my chest again, a budding anxiety that I would see my mother’s final look of horror reflected in Evelyn’s pale green eyes.
“Massimo.” She flung her willowy body against my chest, seeking the comfort of my embrace. Her small hands roved over me, searching for injuries. “They hurt you.”
“I’m all right, dolcezza,” I promised, my knees going weak at the rush of relief that swept through my system.
Her arms around me gave me the strength I needed to remain standing. My head and my ribs ached, but I wasn’t seriously injured.
I pulled back slightly so that I could peer down into her lovely eyes. They were still wide with fear. My stomach turned.
“Don’t be afraid, farfallina.” I practically begged her not to fear me.
She caressed my tight jaw. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid for you. They beat you. We have to get you to a doctor.”
“It’s nothing serious, but I’ll call my physician. We can meet him at our home, and he’ll check me over. I’m sure it’s just some bruising.”
I touched my fingers beneath her chin, turning her face so that I could inspect her. Not even a scratch marred her perfect complexion. I’d managed to wrench Rocco’s knife away before he cut her. The tiny bead of crimson at her throat remained, but the cut was so shallow that the bleeding had already stopped.
My sweet girl had been tormented, but she was concerned for me. I knew her well enough to realize that she wouldn’t be soothed until the doctor confirmed that I was okay.
“Let’s go home.” I picked her up and cradled her to my chest. “Close your eyes. I’ve got you.”
I didn’t want her to have to look at the dead bodies that littered the basement.
“We’ll clean up here,” Enzo promised.
I nodded my thanks, and Evelyn obediently closed her eyes, tucking her face against my shoulder.
The brothers would ensure that no one knew four men had been killed in this basement.
“And I’ll handle the Nardone clan,” Enzo added. “There won’t be a war. I’ll make sure of it.”
I didn’t linger to ask about his plans. If he had a way to avoid a conflict, I trusted him to handle it. Evelyn was my only concern now.
The woman I loved had been terrorized by my worst enemy, but he was finally dead. He would never touch her again. He would never hurt my family.
Chapter 13
Evelyn
“Talk to me, farfallina,” Massimo urged, cuddling me against him in our bed.
“I’m okay,” I promised, crushing my residual fear and horror into a tight ball and shoving it deep into my chest. “The doctor said I’m fine. Barely a scratch on me. You’re the one with bruised ribs.”
He frowned down at me. “Don’t do that with me.”
I blinked at him. “Do what?”
