Page 114 of The Savage

I wince at the harrowing pain in her voice.

‘You were screaming,’ Maddie whispers. ‘On your knees next to her body and… and you were covered in her blood. The gun⁠—’

‘Enough.’ I step forward, shielding Giada from the impact of the words, even though they’ve already landed.

But Rafa isn’t done.

‘Let her fucking finish. Or let me. The gun was in her hand,’ he growls, stepping forward, murder boiling up his spine. ‘Our mother died with Giada Mancinelli kneeling beside her with the gun that shot her in her hand. The ballistics were a match so there’s no fucking ambiguity about that. And you⁠—’

He moves.

Fast.

Giada gasps.

I step in front of her so sharply the floor creaks beneath my heel.

‘Try it,’ I snarl, voice dropping to something ancient and carved out of bone. ‘I fucking dare you.’

* * *

Rafa moves first – rage and grief braided into something feral – and I don’t even wait for the swing.

My fist flies.

It cracks clean against his jaw, snapping his head to the side.

But he barely reacts.

He turns back to me slowly, jaw jutting, cheek twitching, but his eyes aren’t on me.

They’re on her.

Giada stiffens behind me as Rafa’s stare pins her like he’s nailing a criminal to a cross.

‘You’re going to fucking remember,’ he snarls, voice shredded and shaking. ‘If I have to pry it frame by frame from your mind with a crowbar.’

The room detonates.

Cesare curses as Maddie cries out.

Dante lunges forward.

Sofiya’s hand flies to her thigh, where she keeps her Glock.

I don’t give Rafa a chance to even breathe wrong. I slam another punch into his mouth. Blood spatters from his lip, bright and vivid and furious.

Rafa staggers an inch. Just an inch. But his eyes – Christ – they are pure hellfire.

And Giada is shaking like she’s witnessing the second coming of the devil.

‘I will end you,’ I snarl, stepping into Rafa’s space. ‘You don’t fucking threaten her.’

‘You want me to stop?’ Rafa growls right back. ‘Put her somewhere she can’t run from the truth.’

‘Enough,’ Cesare thunders.

But it’s Sofiya who shatters the next moment. She steps forward, eyes blazing, voice a lethal blade.