Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 84756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“It was a fucking lie,” I roar at them, my entire body vibrating with rage. “I’ll never step down.”
When they see the vengeance on my face, they seem to relax.
“Dario, send photos of Stefano and Filippo to everyone. I want them taken alive.” I stalk toward the door. “Let’s end this fucking war.”
When I walk out of the armory and see Emilio, Vito, Tommy, and the rest of my army waiting for their orders, I shout, “You will receive photos of two men. You can wound, but don’t kill. Move out!”
Carlo falls into step beside me as we walk to one of the SUVs at the front of the line, and I climb into the passenger seat.
Breathe, Damiano. You need a clear head for the attack.
Once you have Stefano and Gabriella’s safe, you can lose your fucking mind.
Carlo shoves a bulletproof vest at me. “Put it on right now.”
Letting out a frustrated growl because every second is precious, I get out of the SUV and put on the fucking vest before climbing back in and yanking the door shut.
“Go!” I order.
Dario slides into the back with Angelo, who drops a heavy bag of weapons on the floor between the seats.
“I’ve sent the GPS coordinates to everyone,” Dario informs me.
I watch as Carlo brings up the map on the GPS screen, and after starting the engine, he steers the SUV away from the mansion.
“How do you want to handle this?” Angelo asks.
“We attack and get Gabriella out alive.”
“The property is nestled between trees,” Dario begins to give us a rundown of what to expect. “We’ll head up North Road until it becomes Mill. There aren’t many houses, and it’s a fucking long stretch of road.”
My eyes flick to the map, and I hate that it will take another hour and five minutes to get to Gabriella.
“Faster, Carlo,” I growl. “We need to make it to Gabriella in fifty minutes.” Glancing over my shoulder, I look at Dario and ask, “Can you get plans for the property?”
“I can try,” Dario mutters before he gets to work.
Silence falls between us, and when we’re twenty minutes out, my phone buzzes.
I unlock the screen, and seeing another video from Stefano, the blood chills in my veins.
Did he call my bluff?
My thumb hesitates over the video because I won’t be able to handle watching Gabriella die.
“Damiano,” Carlo says to get my attention. My eyes flick to his. “Let Angelo watch the video.”
I shake my head hard. “No.”
She’s my wife. The love of my fucking life. No one but me will see these videos.
I turn my gaze back to the screen and press play.
I see Stefano come into view as he moves closer to Gabriella.
“Damiano surrendered,” he sneers. “Two months with you, and he turned so fucking soft he’d die for you.”
She starts to shake her head. “No! Damiano will never surrender.”
“I should hear of his death within the hour,” Stefano says. “Or you die.”
She clenches her jaw, her eyes burning with rage on the bastard.
He moves closer, and reaching out a hand, he trails a finger from between her breasts to her navel.
His tone is low as he says, “You’ll be a widow soon.”
Fucking fucker. Get your hands off her!
Gabriella lifts her chin, and she stares ahead of her, the expressionless mask I fucking hate back on her face.
But this time, I’m thankful for it.
Don’t show any emotion, mia regina. Stay strong. I’m coming.
“Faster!” I roar as if I can change what’s about to happen by getting there sooner.
Stefano walks out of sight, and when he comes back into view, he’s holding a knife.
No.
Christ, please. Don’t do this to me. Don’t make me watch my wife die.
“But I don’t want Damiano’s leftovers,” Stefano says as he drags the blade over her stomach.
My breathing speeds up, my eyes locked on the screen.
Every muscle in my body tenses until it feels like I might snap.
Slowly, he pushes the knife into her right side, and I see every single excruciating inch of the blade sinking into her.
“Motherfucker!”I roar as I slam my fist into the dashboard.
No.
Fuck.
Gabriella’s body twitches, and for a moment, her eyebrows draw together as pain flashes over her face. But then she fucking schools her face into a neutral expression again as she lets out a breath.
Jesus, she’s stronger than me.
“Let’s see who dies first. You or Damiano.” Stefano turns around to face the camera, “You’re running out of time, cousin. The sooner you die, the quicker she’ll get medical attention. Miss the hour mark, and I’ll slit her throat.”
My eyes flick to the GPS, and I see we’re ten minutes out.
“What time did we leave?” I ask.
“We have nineteen minutes,” Carlo answers. “We’ll make it in time.”
“We better,” I growl. Glancing over my shoulder, I order, “Give me a submachine gun and knife.”
Angelo opens the bag and begins to hand out weapons as our convoy race down a dirt road that looks like it’s heading into the woods.