Chapter 11

VALERIO

I moved into Chiara’s guest quarters a few hours later with minimal fuss.

She let me in, raising a brow as I swept past with my gear.

‘Doesn’t look like much.’

‘I don’t need a lot—a couple of duffel bags packed with clothes, my laptop, a handful of monitors, and the tools I’ll require to run surveillance.’

With a shrug, she led me to my new space.

The rear cottage was tidy and modern, with touches of elegant styling, like the rest of her house. It was close enough to reach her in case of an emergency but distant enough to keep her cocooned from me with total privacy.

I liked it that way.

A clean separation because Chiara had the potential to be messy for my heart.

I wasn’t ready for untidy.

I wanted this shit done, locked in a box, and tied in a neat fuckin’ bow.

‘All good?’ she asked from the door.

Her home was a lot like her—elegant, warm, but with a kind of wildness that was hard to pin down.

As I stepped through the door of the guest quarters, I appreciated its old-world charm and modern sensibility.

I jerked my chin at her. ‘I’ve slummed down in worse.’

‘Settle in, rilassare .’

My eyes followed her fine ass encased in a white halter dress as she sauntered away, sucking my teeth.

Stay on mission, I told my traitorous cock that twitched in my jeans.

I’d agreed to be her fake fiancé, a decision I still was uncertain about. However, one aspect was clear—my interest wasn’t limited to keeping her safe.

It was about dismantling her father’s empire, piece by piece.

Tutto fa brodo, every little element counted, I thought.

In Chiara’s case, having eyes on any suspicious activity near or in her house was paramount.

I threw my shit on the bed and put off unpacking.

It was evident to any layman how vulnerable her home made her.

It was a massive, beautiful target for anyone with the wrong intentions.

After recent events, I wasn’t about to let her live here without proper security.

My priority was to get it and her safe and protected.

I strode back into her house.

Chiara was in her kitchen rummaging through her fridge. She glanced up when I knocked on her glass and issued a curt explanation.

‘I need to case each room, the external buildings, and the garden perimeter and secure it all.’

‘OK,’ she nodded, giving me her assent.

I jerked my chin at her and prowled off.

My assessment began with every window, each door, and the boundary for blind spots.

I grasped the weak points and where anyone might try to access them.

Dragging hefty supply boxes from my SUV, I set about installing cameras. Front and back, the driveway, the side alley along the house, and even a couple inside the inner living areas.

My new landlord arrived in time and studied me as I worked, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

She appeared less thrilled about the upgrades, but this wasn’t up for debate.

‘Isn’t this a bit much?’ she asked, her tone clipped.

She leaned against the door frame, her usual grace cloaking the impatience simmering beneath the surface.

I grunted, not bothering to turn around as I continued screwing a camera into place above her front door. ‘No.’

‘No?’ she repeated, her voice rising an octave. ‘Rio, you’re turning my house into Fort Knox.’

‘It’s necessary,’ I clipped, not softening my growl.

I was getting grumpier by the second.

But I wasn’t about to let her play this off like her safety was frivolous. ‘You’re vulnerable here. Anyone might break in with a crowbar and two minutes.’

She uttered a sharp laugh. ‘ Un grande momento . So now I’m residing in a vault instead of a home. Grazie for that.’

I turned around, locking eyes with her. She was beautiful when angry—cheeks flushed, eyes sparking like fire.

But this wasn’t about what either of us liked. It was about her safety. ‘It’s safer this way. If you want to argue, go ahead, but I’m not backing down on this.’

Her eyes narrowed further. ‘You’re behaving like a grumpy alpha hole. Do you realize that?’

I barked out a laugh, surprised by her bluntness. ‘Alpha hole? Really?’ I shook my head and crossed the room toward her, my frustration rising. ‘You don’t get it, do you? I don’t care if you think I’m being over the top. This is your life we’re talking about. You’re getting targeted, attacked—’

‘It was Claudio who hit me at the hospital!’ she shot back. ‘Not some random intruder.’

‘It doesn’t matter who it was!’ I growled, stepping closer until I was right in front of her.

Tension arced between us, a mix of anger and something else, something more dangerous. ‘Whether it’s your brother or a stranger, you’re exposed. I’m not letting anything happen to you.’

She stared up at me, her eyes blazing, but something softer was beneath the fire.

Clenching my jaw, I ran a hand through my hair as I turned away, trying to restrain my temper and wrestle it under control. ‘It’s what you fucking hired me for, si ?

The silence between us stretched thick with unsaid things. When I shifted back to her, I saw the fierce fire in her eyes dim, replaced by something softer, more thoughtful.

‘I can’t do my job if you won’t let me protect you,’ I growled, irritated with the conversation.

Her lips curved into a soft smile, although her eyes still held a touch of defiance. ‘I don’t mind protection, Rio. I care about you being all alpha hole about it.’

I chuckled, shaking my head. ‘You’re not gonna allow that to go, are you?’

‘Nope.’ She grinned, and the tension between us ease. Nevertheless, the undercurrent of attraction thrummed. ‘But, fine. You can install your cameras and your alarms. Just don’t treat me like I’m fragile. I’m not. I’ve got some weapons training, and I took martial arts for my safety in high school.’

I raked eyes over her, sucking my teeth at her defiance. ‘I know you’re not vulnerable nor weak. But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna watch over you.’

She gazed up at me, her eyes softening. ‘Don’t forget I can handle myself too.’

‘I won’t,’ I rasped. ‘But that doesn’t imply I won’t be a grumpy alpha hole when necessary.’

She laughed, and the sound was like music to my ears. ‘Fair enough. Only try not to be too crabby. It’s not a cute look on you.’

I twisted my lips, sensing the pull of her, the magnetic force that always seemed to draw us together, no matter how much we argued. ‘Deal. But I need one promise from you. Tell me when you leave the house, and I’ll come with you.’

‘To the office, to dinner with friends, that kind of thing?’ she hedged.

‘ Si . I must know at least an hour or two beforehand to shift my diary and prep the car so I can drive you.’

‘You need an hour or two to get prepared? Doesn’t take me that long.’

‘I take my time. I give everything I touch the effort it deserves.’

‘Do you now?’ she whispered.

The air between us flared as she pursed her lips and angled her head.

I sucked my teeth. ‘Always.’

She nodded and added a charming shrug to her shoulders.

It was more than I could handle.

‘I need to unpack,’ I growled over my shoulder, begging off before she roped me into more banter—or worse, ending with us tangled up in each other.

I managed to escape her—Chiara, with her fiery, sexy self—leaving her in the kitchen where she was likely plotting her next move.

She had this way of getting under my skin, not just because of her sharp tongue or defiance.

It was because I wanted her. Constantly. That made walking away harder than I cared to admit.

The guest quarters featured high ceilings, clean lines, minimalism with the latest tech, and an office nook—spacious and set up to work in.

The moment I stepped in, I was hit with the familiar pull of focus as I opened my suitcase and set my laptop on the desk by the window.

The light poured in, framing a view of the olive trees swaying in the distance, the ocean peeking beyond them. It was tranquil—maybe too peaceful for someone like me.

A man honed by the violence and brutality of the mafia world.

I powered on and configured my computer and additional monitoring screens, patching in the property’s security feeds.

The checked that the were cameras running with precision, giving me a wide-angle perspective of the grounds. I adjusted them until I had no blind spots or weak points.

I got into the rhythm of unpacking, putting my shit away. Neat, ordered, the way I liked it.

On occasion, I checked the feeds, and confirming all was quiet, I sat on the couch, took out my iPad, and began working through my inbox.

It was mid-afternoon, enticing me into pisolino time.

The sun was sublime on my face, and before I knew it, I nodded off.

The following day found me working in the quarters, door open, letting the breeze in.

Just before lunchtime, footsteps sounded outside, and moments later, Chiara appeared at the open door, leaning against the frame like she owned the place—which, technically, she did.

We hadn’t spoken since the day prior.

She’d disappeared into her house, and I, to my new digs, not wanting to speak to her until I cooled off.

Given it was the weekend, she stayed in, and none of the proximity alerts beeped to show movement in or out of her house.

I spent Saturday evening reviewing my monthly reports with a beer and a quick carbonara that I pulled together in all its creamy glory.

I’d only gone to bed when the lights went off in her house.

So far, Sunday had been uneventful, and it seemed she was adhering to my strict rules.

‘You’ve truly set up shop here, haven’t you?’ she teased, her voice carrying that sweet lilt that made me want to pull her close.

‘Need to keep an eye on things,’ I said, nodding toward the screens without looking up. ‘Don’t want any surprises.’

Her eyes flicked to the security feed and then back to me, her expression unreadable. She shifted her weight and folded her arms, biting her lip like she had something on her mind.

‘You OK?’ I asked, turning to face her.

She hesitated for a second, then straightened as if bracing herself. ‘I was thinking maybe we should go to the hospital.’

I arched a brow, my pulse quickening. ‘What for?’

‘My father,’ she said, her voice quieter now. ‘I haven’t seen him since—well, you know.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I need to check on him, Rio. Which means you’ll have to come with me.’

I stopped what I was doing, really looking at her now.

Her eyes hardened at the mention of her father, lips pursed, face brimming with reluctance.

I recognized the energy: a woman bound by duty, not love.

‘You sure you want to?’ I asked, closing the laptop lid and walking over to her.

‘I have no choice,’ she admitted, brushing a hand through her tawny hair. ‘I have to go. I have to check on him, and I’d appreciate it if you were beside me, too. I don’t know; be my buffer. My sanity.’

‘Also, in case Claudio shows up.’

She nodded, mouth pressed, in a sign of strain. ‘That too.’

I studied her for a beat, seeing how much this weighed on her.

I sensed she rarely let anyone in.

The fact that she wanted me in attendance, that she needed me, meant something.

Even if she was paying me for the privilege.

‘Alright,’ I said, keeping my tone even. ‘Let’s go.’

Relief flashed in her eyes, though she tried to cover it up with a nonchalant shrug. ‘ Grazie . I didn’t want to head in alone.’

I stepped arched a brow at her. ‘Like it or not, woman, we’re in this together. You and me.’

She looked up at me, something like gratitude shining in her eyes before she masked it with a smirk. ‘Don’t go all soft on me now, Rio.’

I chuckled, shaking my head. ‘I’m not going soft, trust me.’

Her smile lingered for a second longer before she nodded. ‘ Bene . Because you might need to steel yourself for my father. Shall we say, leave in an hour?’

I narrowed my gaze on her, jerked my chin, and watched as she turned to leave.

Studying her hips swinging away, my mind raced, wondering how this would play.

I was keen to set eyes on the mofo.

So I’d work out how to handle him and how I’d be avenging the past.

‘Ready?’ she called from the doorway of my new abode.

I glanced at the pile of tech spread across my desk, knowing I’d be back to it later.

‘ Si ,’ I rasped, grabbing my jacket.

The drive in my Range Rover to the hospital was quiet.

I tagged Chiara’s tension as she stared out the window, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her coat.

‘Your father, what can I expect?’ I asked her.

She tilted her head to me. ‘He’s not well, Rio. He only has a few weeks, if that.’

‘What’s wrong with him?’

‘Cancer, testicular.’

I huffed. Damn, life had finally gripped Olivio Tirone by the balls.

My intel from some time back had concluded that he was unwell, but the Tirones had shut down every attempt to obtain more details.

I hadn’t sweated them, willing to wait it out to catch my prey.

‘You’ll miss him?’ I rasped.

She pushed her head back and canted her eyes to the sky through the car’s glassed roof. I gathered the topic was heavy.

‘I don’t know, I don’t think so. It’s a love-loathe relationship, and I’m in hate with him at this juncture in life.’

I shot her a glance. ‘You and he aren’t on cordial terms?’

Chiara gave a short, sharp, acerbic laugh. ‘We never were. Given his proclivities, I was the walking paragon of zero virtue, and he had no clue how to handle me. We clashed often, and he used money to placate me. It didn’t end well.’

Her words took me back to the scene when we first met, and I sympathized with a growl, sharing the same sentiment about the bastard.

We parked and walked in, and the sterile antiseptic odor hit me.

The place had that cold, too-clean atmosphere that made my skin crawl.

When we reached Olivio’s room, he was lying at an angle in a caged bed, his once robust frame now frail and hooked to machines.

Curiously enough, he’d no guards in front of the room.

I mulled over the reasons for it.

Either his famiglia was overconfident about his mobster menace, or had chose not to pay for one because they were running low on funds, or they’d zero compassion for their father.

I hedged my bets on the latter two reasons.

Olivio’s eyes opened, clouded with age and the death stare of cancer.

Even though Chiara had warned me, seeing the skeletal, broken man before me was shocking.

‘ Papa ,’ Chiara murmured, heels clicking to his side as she bent and kissed his paper-thin cheek.

Still, a dutiful daughter, no matter how she felt about him.

‘Who’s that?’ he croaked, his eyes fixed on me.

I tagged a flicker in his squinted-up gaze—a brief, almost imperceptible flash of recognition.

I sensed him trying to place me, his mind struggling through the fog of his malaise.

But he couldn’t put it together.

It didn’t count in the grand scheme of things. He was too far gone to be.

‘My fiancé,’ Chiara told him.

Olivio’s mouth struggled to speak. His lips worked, yet nothing but air, hisses, and gurgles sounded.

It was as if his senses were switched on but going haywire.

In the presence of his harbinger and bringer of death.

I stared at him, unmoved by his weakness and frailty.

Chiara sat by his side, talking in soft tones, while I stood in the corner, silent.

Watchful. Waiting.

Seething with emotion.

Memories I buried long ago began bubbling up, and before I knew it, loathing inundated my soul.

It took all my strength to stop from visibly shaking with the restraint required to stop myself from lunging for his throat.