I see the blood.
Red spreading, staining the driveway beneath her.
I can’t breathe.
Everything spins, and the ground feels as if it’s giving way beneath my feet. I’m numb to the warning shouts of Gawain. Bors’s paw of a hand trying to drag me inside. The voices emanating from behind me. I'm losing my grip on reality. It's spiralling out of control.
Collapsing onto my hands and knees, all I can do is stare at the woman whose life I should never have invaded.
Kay
“How did it feel seeing your whore with a bullet in her?” Mauro’s taunting voice sneers in my ear in Italian. “Everyone you care about, Kay, is going to pay for what you did to my mama.”
Unseeing, I stare out at the lengthening shadows that stretch across the manicured lawns of the villa garden. My mind is on the woman unconscious upstairs in bed. A bullet wound to the shoulder, Evelyn had been lucky it hadn’t been worse. A spontaneous choice had saved my petal’s life. At the last moment, she'd left Gawain’s side to run into the house. She’d been coming back to me. The bullet had missed its fatal mark, because of that one fateful decision.
“Nothing on Earth is going to stop me from killing you.” I don’t even try to keep my temper in check. I’ll serve him up pain the second I find him.
I’m going to kill the bastard.
With every skill at my disposal. Every contact. I will bring his world crashing down. He thinks he has powerful friends abroad who will save him. If anyone stands in my way, I’ll destroy them, too.
Mauro’s laugh oozes self-confidence. “You have to find me first. Maybe I’ll visit your pretty, English puttana when you’re away. I never got a chance to slice up that delicate, pale skin. Do you think she would enjoy the kiss of my knives?” The line goes dead.
I force myself not to go check on Evelyn. It’s better this way. I entered her life as a shadow, and I’ll leave as one. My heart tightens at a future without her.
Laura was right. When the men of my family find the woman we’re supposed to be with, we’ll die to keep them safe. Evelyn is the other half of my soul.
I can’t throw her into any more danger. Risk her life. For her to survive, the best thing I can do is walk away. I’ve been fooling myself thinking I could have more. Men like me don’t get happily ever afters. It’s time to set her free.
“Mauro, I take it?” Paulo questions from his relaxed position in his leather chair behind the expanse of his wooden desk.
Slipping my phone away, I keep my hands buried deep in the pockets of my trousers. “Yes. My sources say he’s left Italy and heading overseas. I don’t plan on letting him disappear before I can kill him.”
I expect him to show concern. A hint of alarm for the man, who up until this point, has been his son before his wife’s betrayal. Blood or not, he raised him. His aloofness reminds me who he is. Paulo Jilani. Don of the Jilani empire. Ruthless, clever, family means everything unless it betrays him.
“Mauro was poisoned against me from birth. To my shame, I could never truly fix the relationship between us. Chiara ensured that. When you came to live with us, I finally had a son I wanted. One who looked up to me. Who I could nurture and mold. It just drove the wedge that was already in my family deeper.” Paulo sighs sadly pouring himself whisky into a glass from the crystal decanter before him. “You’re leaving?”
I give him a tight nod. “The private jet is fuelled and ready to go. Gawain and Bors are up for the hunt.”
Prowling the room like the lion Evelyn once likened me to, a growl vibrates in my throat. She was right. I am a predator. Once I find my prey, I’m going to shred him apart.
“You love Evelyn.” Not a question but a bold statement.
Eyes glittering dangerously, I laugh. “You’re getting soft old man. Men like me don’t fall in love.”
“Your father did. Were all cut from the same cloth. Exhilarating, terrifying, we only experience it once so deeply and truly.”
My stomach tightens at the mention of my parents. They’d loved and lost. Tension snakes through me. I will not turn out like them. An image of Evelyn deathly still, crimson staining her t-shirt, is branded into my memory. I love her too much to lose her.
“And look where that got him. Buried in a grave next to his wife.”
Paulo watches my face, unsmiling. “Wind, time, women, and luck — first they turn away, and then they come back, like the moon," Paulo murmurs softly.
“Send her home, Paulo. It’s time she returns to her life. She’s not part of the world we live in, and it’s safer for all of us that way.” Stalking to the door, I feel his gaze burning a hole between my shoulder blades as I leave.
Evelyn
Heavy eyelashes fluttering open, soft lamp light greets my sleep fogged vision. I’m aware of the muscular form I’ve grown used to absent beside mine. The mattress beneath my body is soft, the blankets over me warm and enveloping. It reminds me of when my mother used to tuck me in when I was small.
“Kay?” Pain throbs through my shoulder making me wince. Groggy, brain sluggish, I try to gather threads of anything that makes sense.
“He’s gone,” Paulo’s voice is soft and light as if he’s talking to a child. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he watches me, struggling to wake fully.
“Where is he?” I ask focusing on his fatigued expression. Shoulders slumped, whatever force has been driving him seems to have deflated leaving him strangely vulnerable.
“He’s left to find Mauro.” When I try to sit up, he carefully urges me down. “You were shot, cara. The drug you were given to help you rest was potent. Go back to sleep.”
A nurse in a prim white uniform appears. Fussing over me with words in Italian I don’t understand, she checks the IV-bag hanging from a metal pole beside the bed. Snaking down, the long clear tube is feeding liquid into my arm through a needle, which has been tapped to hold it in place.
“Left?” I repeat dumbly.
Sympathy shines for a moment in Paulo’s knowing gaze. “When you’re fit enough to travel, I’ll accompany you to England in my private jet. For your safety, I’ll have bodyguards watch over you until Mauro is caught.” He gestures toward the bedside table. “My card is in that envelope if you want to talk at any time. It’s a direct number to me.”
The white envelope is resting against a jug of water, my name written on the front in an inky, black scrawl. Laying before it is the red horn charm Kay had given me still on its black piece of cord.
“Thank you.” The words come out in a whisper. I’d felt a connection with the stormy brooding male, and he’d been determined to send me away. I’m an idiot. The last few nights I’d bared my soul and fears to him. Trusted him. Yet, not once, did he open up to me. His life is shrouded in secrets he’s refused to reveal. Why did I think what I thought was between us could be real? A fault line streaks along my heart, tears misting my eyes. Kay’s probably already moved on to his next female conquest. Why should I be any different to the other women he’s bedded?
“Did you tell Kay what I disclosed to you in the car the day I rescued you from Mauro?” Paulo questions.
“No.”
He nods. “Maybe that’s for the best.”
“I’m still not sure what to make of it,” I admit, voice hoarse with emotion. Is any of it true? My connection to this dangerous man. I need to speak to my parents. Learn the truth.
“You need time,” he acknowledges with a heavy sigh. “I understand that. I’m sorry things never went as planned. Maybe next time. I believe in fate, Evelyn. Sometimes we are destined to meet people. For better or worse, they shape our lives.”
I barely register Paulo’s words. Tiredness flows in, and I’m towed under the weight of the drug and exhaustion. My last conscious thought is of intense brown eyes and a man who I’ll never see again.
Kay
Descending the airplane steps, the tinted glasses perched on my nose protect my eyes from the glare of the Rome sun. Four months on a
nd I didn’t expect to be back here so soon. Across the stretch of private tarmac, a familiar hulking figure stands waiting for me beside a car.
“How is he?” I ask reaching the Mercedes.
Stefano cocks his head in greeting. “Not good.”
“What happened?”
“Heart attack while he was entertaining one of his...lady friends.”
I’m not surprised. Paulo acts like he’s still thirty instead of in his seventies. Dying in the arms of one of his mistresses is something I can picture. The death of his wife and son in an unfortunate car accident has been well publicized. He’s been playing the grieving widower for the papers. A cover up for the truth to keep his spotless image intact.
Slipping into the rear of the car when Stefano holds the door open, I stow my backpack at my feet. He joins me. Moments later, the chauffer has the vehicle in motion. I’ve been avoiding Paulo’s messages since I left. Buried myself in pursuing Mauro. Exhausted myself in the most extreme ways. The blood…grit…pain. That’s how I’ve liked it in the past. Mauro, the little bastard, has been more slippery than I gave him credit for. Finally, after months of tracking him and torturing his whereabouts out of his contacts, I cornered him in Bangkok. The meeting wasn’t a pleasant one. For him. I’ve always prided myself on my ability as a sniper. Isolated. Patient. Biding my time. In his face, watching the terror grow and fester in his eyes while I’d sliced him up with his own knife had been a pleasure. I’d revelled in taking my revenge. Indulged in the darkness ever present inside me without holding back. It had been a slow death. I’d savored his anguish and pain, drawing it out over and over. His death had been pitiful and without honor.
I’ve tried to put everything behind me. Just being back in Italy stirs up memories.
Evelyn.
My petal has been with me every second we’ve been apart, in my heart. My Mind. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her.
She’s my kryptonite.
The one that haunts my dreams and leaves me sleepless at 3 am. I’ve questioned my decision to walk away from her over and over. It’s excruciating. A form of self-destruction I’ve never encountered before. I’d finally caved and booked a flight to England to find her when Stefano’s message had reached me.
We drive in silence while I’m lost in thought. When a pair of wrought-iron gates and a high wall come into view, I frown. “He’s not at the hospital?”
“You know Don Jilani doesn’t like hospitals,” Stefano reminds me, his voice gravelly.
We pass through them smoothly, immaculate gardens on either side. The long driveway winds around to a grand house, with terraces and shuttered windows. When the car rolls to a halt, I climb out of the vehicle with my bag. Stefano moves around to join me from his side. Gesturing toward the front door, he escorts me up and inside.
A maid in a smart black uniform and white apron opens the door. Lifting my backpack from my hands, she hurries away along the corridor.
The sound of music floats into the hallways from the door to the livingroom.
Movement distracts me.
Paulo strolls into my field of vision wearing a linen suit, a dark brown jacket, and an open neck shirt. “Ciao, Kay. You’ve lost weight.”
Confusion at seeing him glowing with health has me rooted to the spot. “This was a ploy to get me here?”
Stefano quirks an eyebrow at me standing passively by the front door blocking my escape.
“You refused to answer my calls,” Paulo points out gesturing me to join him in the livingroom. “I had to go to measures that were a little more…extreme.”
I stalk after him. “I’m not interested in taking over the organization. I’m honored, but it’s not for me.”
“That’s not the reason I had you brought here.”
“What is then?”
“Paulo?” The familiar voice freezes me in my tracks.
His gaze holds mine. “In here, bella.”
Evelyn steps through the door, a hesitant smile on her radiant face, the sunlight streaming in through the window highlighting her blonde hair. The simple cotton dress she’s wearing is a similar color to her stormy blue eyes. Around her slender neck is the good luck charm I gifted her.
She doesn’t see me straight away. Sweeping across the room, she reaches Paulo’s side.
Smiling, he wraps his arm around her, love shining in his eyes. “You remember Kay.”
Whirling to face me, Evelyn’s expression transforms into shock.
It mirrors my own.
Brain kicking back in, I study the way the old man embraces her intimately. The familiarity.
“Son of a bitch.” Turning on my heels, I march in the direction of the front door.
Stefano bars my exit.
Hands clenching at my side, I give him a deadly look. If he doesn’t move, I’ll have no problem going through him with my fists. Betrayal sears through my veins, growing with my anger. Of all the things that could happen, I never expected this.
“Wait! This isn’t what it looks like.”
The female voice calling out to me in Italian has me swivelling to its owner. Laura stands observing me further down the hall. Sharp grey eyes, the old woman’s expression is set in a scowl.
“What the fuck is it supposed to look like?” I snap, unable to leash my anger not sure what the hell she’s doing with Don Jilani but too worked up to care.
Paulo joins us his hands out in a calming gesture. “She’s my daughter.”
“Your what?”
“I met Evelyn’s mother while on Business in England. One thing led to another. It was just some fun, and I never saw her again. I didn’t know she existed until her mother contacted me months ago. I had to be careful. Chiara was forever jealous of my mistresses. The few children I’d had out of wedlock had met with accidents, and I was already suspicious she was behind their deaths. The competition Evelyn won was a ruse to get her to Rome. I’d planned to meet her after she’d settled in, but she disappeared when…”
“I kidnapped her.” My attention shifts to the woman standing in the doorway. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me Paulo was your father?”
“I didn’t know!” Her hand rests protectively on her stomach.
It’s then that I notice it. I can’t take my eyes off the bump. “What the fuck is that?”
“What does it look like, you idiot?” she snaps, voice angry.
“You’re pregnant.”
Titling her head, Evelyn’s eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “You think?”
Grinding my teeth, my jaw threatens to shatter with the tension at her sarcastic tone. “Who’s is it?”
“If I had known Paulo inviting me here was a trick to get us together, I wouldn’t have come.” She ignores my question. Her glaring blue eyes sparkling with overflowing emotions. Witch’s eyes that had enchanted me from the beginning.
Our gazes connect and hold. Raw naked desire sizzles between us. God, how I’ve missed her.
“This was the only way to get you in the same place. You’re both too stubborn for your own good,” Paulo cuts in, his frustration at us obvious. “And no one is leaving until you’ve had a chance to talk.” Guiding us along, we have no choice but to comply.
An intimate dinner for two lays waiting. The dining room table is set with a battery of silver cutlery and bone-china plates, decorated with gold swirls. Covered domes keep whatever’s been cooked hot and waiting. A single red rose sits in a crystal vase.
“I’m not locking you in, but the door will remain closed. Laura has gone to a lot of trouble to prepare this meal, so I hope you both enjoy it.” Without waiting for us reply, Paulo closes the door, leaving us sealed inside.
I’m completely aware of his reputation of getting what he wants. His motives might be perceived as virtuous, but they’re far from saintly.
Evelyn looks just as beautiful as I remember. Delicate as a petal. Her creamy cheeks flushed with pink. Pouty lips pressed together and the light of battle shining in her g
aze. She looks about ready to kill me.
Hesitantly, I take a step toward her. Reaching for one of the chairs, I pull it away from the table. “You shouldn’t be standing – not in your condition.” Gently I lower her into it. “Who’s the father?”
The thought of her with another man is unthinkable. She’s mine. Has always been mine. The child growing ripe inside her womb should belong to me.
Looking across the room, she avoids looking at me. “You don’t have to pretend to be interested.”
“Petal.” My voice is low in warning. God, I love her sassy mouth, but right now, it will just lead her to a spanking. The pull between us is undeniable.
“I was on the pill when we had sex, and you didn’t bother with a condom. Everything happened so quickly. I’m guessing it wasn’t foolproof. The kidnapping, being held hostage, being kidnapped a second time, being shot, and then you just left. By the time the craziness of life calmed down, I’d missed my first period.”
My mind reels with the fact I’m going to be a father. That my child is thriving inside the body of the woman I love. A woman who thinks I abandoned her.
“I left to protect you.”
“Without even saying goodbye? You vanished. Right after you tried to send me home. Trust me, I got the message loud and clear. You weren’t interested in me. Paulo’s men have been watching over me since then. He’s been visiting me as often as he can to get to know me better. When he found out about the baby, he was over the moon he was going to be a grandfather.” Bitterness laces her tone. The hurt I’ve caused her cutting me as deeply as I’m sure it’s cut her. It also gives me hope. If Evelyn didn’t feel anything for me, she wouldn’t be affected by the sight of me so much.
Flinging my arms wide in exasperation, I growl. “Mauro was still on the loose. Bringing him to your door was not something I was going to do a second time. The thought of him hurting you again drove me mad. I had to be sure the danger had passed. That he would never be able to touch you. It’s taken me all these months to track and kill him.”
His Salvation: Cavalieri Della Morte Page 14
