Chapter 24

VALERIO

I was about to fold myself from the chair and stroll after Nicco to ensure he left the Ischia Island marina when a voice called out.

‘Rio!’

I slowed my roll before I hit the Montparte front doors, swiveled on my heel, and raked my eyes over Aldo, Chiara’s brother.

He stood beside an oversized plant pot by reception, surrounded by a group of laughing, half-drunk men.

He lurched toward me, eyes lit up.

‘Rio, fotto ! What the hell are you doing out on Ischia?’

I braced, hating how several eyes canted my way at his gregarious, loud greeting.

‘Meeting a friend,’ I clipped, keeping my voice low. ‘You?’

He came to a weaving stop before me. ‘I’m out with friends celebrating Tizzi’s buck’s night.’

‘I see,’ I rasped.

One of his crew, a blonde-haired youth, stumbled over.

I sighed, recognizing him as his eyes narrowed, his drunken haze lifting enough for suspicion to creep in. ‘Wait, your face is very familiar. You’re Valerio Cali-.’

‘Stanos, I interrupted, even as my limbs locked. ‘ Come sei stato ?’

The kid was a Calibrese famiglia acquaintance, and from the gleam in his eye, the little shit, who’d always been one, was about to out me.

‘Hey, join us, man—’ Aldo called out, slurring his words.

I lifted a hand, waving them off. ‘Too rowdy for me.’

‘No, Valerio, you need to come with us!’ Stanos insisted.

‘You know this guy?’ Aldo asked his mate.’

‘ Si, Valerio. An old family friend.’

Aldo’s brow rose, eyes cunning. ‘Isn’t your name Visario, though?’

His companion shook his head. ‘No way. This mofo is Valerio. One hundred percent. Right, amica ?’

I gritted my teeth at Stanos’ insistence.

Chiara’s brother caught my hesitation. ‘Seems you’ve much to share about Valerio, Stanos,’ he murmured, the expression on his face conniving.

I was done with this conversation. ‘Got places to be, bambini . Ciao .’

Eager to be out of proximity from the pair of them, Stano’s awkward man hug and alcohol-laden breath in particular, I strode off, also escaping their drunken inebriation.

Their raucous calls echoed after me, and I ignored them, powering hard toward the marina, knowing I’d be up for a challenging dialogue with my lover very soon.

As I picked up my pace, I reached for my phone to give Mauri a heads-up.

Bracing for what was to come.

Cazzo!

CHIARA

I was kneading dough, letting the rhythm of the work ease my nerves.

The smell of rising bread had always calmed me, the steady pulse of massaging giving me something to focus on when my mind was spinning.

The kitchen was warm, the evening light slanting through the window as I brushed a little flour off my fingers.

My eyes sliced to Mauri, who sat outside by my pool on his iPad, going through some documents while speaking to someone in low tones on the phone.

That’s when my device rang.

I glanced at the screen, expecting it to be Rio, my pulse quickening with anticipation.

But it wasn’t him. It was Aldo.

Frowning, I wiped my palms on a towel and picked up. ‘Aldo? What’s up?’

There was a strange pause on the other end of the line.

‘Chiara, come stai ?’

His voice was tight, with an edge unheard of in a long time.

‘ Questo è il problema ? What’s wrong?’ I asked, a tendril of worry snaking through me.

For all his sins, Aldo was the better of my two brothers. Over the years, he guarded me when it suited him or when he needed something from me.

Under his weak-ass bluster and sly manner, he had a conscience. One he turned on and off at will, so I was partial to whatever he had to share.

‘Chiara, where are you?’ he asked, cutting straight to the point.

His usual teasing tone was missing in action.

‘I’m home. Baking,’ I replied, confusion seeping into my voice. ‘What’s going on?’

Aldo let out a rough breath. ‘Listen, I don’t know how to say this. But here goes. I’m on Ischia Island at a bucks night, and one of my friends, Stanos, recognized him.’

The words hung in the air like a bomb, and for an instant, I couldn’t respond. My heart skipped a beat, and my hands froze on the dough.

‘Him, who?’

‘Your guy, Rio. Your fiancé.’

‘OK. What do you mean, recognized him?’ I managed to ask, though the apprehension was already crawling up my spine.

‘Chiara, he’s not who you think he is,’ Aldo said, his voice low and serious. ‘His full name is not Visario Ciprioni. Its Valerio Calibrese.’

The appellation hung in the atmosphere for a moment as my mind lurched. It was familiar, at least the surname was.

As I stared out the window, mulling, I noticed Mauri get up from his seat, turn his eyes to me, and walk toward me, his face closed off.

Dread went through me even as Aldo stammered on, rattled. ‘Stanos knows people, Chiara, and says Rio is not some random cafone . My amico is convinced Rio’s famiglia is major, Chiara. Fucking high mafia and lethal—’

‘I’m fine with who he is, Aldo,’ I interrupted, striving to control the sudden tremor in my intonation, but it was impossible. The fear, uncertainty, and suspicion I’d been trying to ignore about Rio came rushing forward like a tidal wave. ‘He’s the man who’s been protecting me, my fiance.’

Aldo didn’t answer for a moment.

When he did, his voice was softer but no less urgent. ‘I don’t think you realize, Chiara. He’s dangerous. What if he’s part of the reason you’re in this mess? Stanos said—’

‘Stanos doesn’t have a clue about anything about my life,’ I snapped, panic rising in my throat, making my tone sharper than I intended. ‘Rio’s been looking out for me, Aldo. He’s not the bad guy here.’

By this time, Mauri was in the kitchen, leaning a hip on the countertop, arms interlocked over his chest.

Listening to my half of this wild conversation.

His Moorish features were hard, his eyes narrowed on me, and at that moment, I got a trace of his menace. Forget Nicco; this man was never to be crossed.

‘You don’t get it, do you?’ Aldo shot back, his frustration breaking through. ‘You don’t even comprehend who he is. What he’s capable of. He’s not just some guy trying to help you out of kindness.’

‘It’s not kindness. I am engaged to him, but he’s also my security, and I’m paying him,’ I muttered through gritted teeth, turning from Mauri to preserve some privacy.

‘From what I understand, you would never be able to afford him, so whatever the fuck he’s doing with you is compassion or none at all. The problem is to what end? He could be using you.’

My heart raced, every pulse in my body picking up speed as my mind spun with a hundred unanswered questions. ‘Aldo, kill it. Stop telling me what you think you believe. He’s not a threat to me.’

But even as I said the words, doubt crawled under my skin, an icy whisper that wouldn’t leave me alone.

It didn’t help that Mauri’s brow was now arched, a smirk playing on his lips.

I wanted to trust that Rio was here for me, that everything he’d done was for my protection.

Now, Aldo’s fears were latching onto mine, feeding the dark corner of my mind that I had always wondered.

‘He’s dangerous, Chiara,’ Aldo repeated. ‘I’m telling you this because I care. Please be careful. Don’t let your guard down.’

I swallowed hard, the tension in my chest so tight it hurt. ‘I’ll handle it, Aldo. I’ll manage him.’

‘Fine. Just stay safe, OK? Resist any effort to drag you down into something you can’t escape.’

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see it, too shaken to say much else. ‘I will.’

The call ended, and I stood shaking, a shard of ice working its way down my spine.

My bread making lay abandoned, the kitchen now unexpectedly cold. I couldn’t shake the unease twisting through me, the doubts clawing at the back of my consciousness.

I shook hard, trembling on the inside, sensing I was unprepared for what was to come.

My limbs trembled as I stared at the door in the kitchen.

My pulse raced in my ears, drowning out everything except my breathing. Aldo’s words replayed in my mind, each a hammer blow to the fragile wall of safety I’d built around myself. I’d trusted Rio.

I’d needed to trust him.

Now, I wasn’t sure about who he was or his intentions.

He’s dangerous, Chiara. You don’t even grasp who he really is.

Aldo’s warnings whispered relentlessly in my thoughts, feeding the gnawing fear spreading like wildfire through my chest.

My knees weakened, and all of a sudden, the walls of the house—the house I felt safe in—seemed to close in on me.

I couldn’t stay here.

Perhaps I was best off with Aldo or Lucia until I discovered the truth.

Without thinking, I wiped my flour-covered hands on my apron.

I washed and rotated to Mauri, who had been watching me all along. His gaze amused, and his arms crossed his broad torso.

‘I need a wash.’

‘Not finishing off your bread?’ He drawled.

‘It needs to rise,’ I stammered, throwing the dough into a tray and sliding it into the proofing oven at the bottom of my cooker.

His eyes never left me as I rushed through the kitchen and ran upstairs.

Once in my room, I went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Then, I returned to the primary chamber, pacing, thinking, and wringing my hands.

Fuck, what was I supposed to do?

Lucia, I told myself, pouncing on the idea. I’ll bunk with Lucia.

At least until I had a better concept of what the hell was going on.

I wore jeans, a tee, and a jacket and slid my feet into mid-tier heels. I also packed enough clothes for an overnight stay, took some money from my cash safe, and shoved it into my purse.

With it in one hand and my overnight pack in the other, I crept below toward my front door, my heart hammering in my chest.

I had to get out, clear my head, and figure out what was real and what was just paranoia.

I had only slipped past the downstairs bathroom when I caught the whisper of someone easing from the den before me.

I stopped short to see a shadow looming before me.

Mauri.

I froze, my breath catching as he stepped forward, his massive frame blocking the exit.

‘Move, per favore ,’ I said, my voice tight, my pulse pounding. ‘I need to go. I’ve decided to spend the night with a friend.’

He didn’t say anything.

He just stood still, his expression unreadable, his dark eyes fixed on me.

I clenched my jaw, fear rising like bile in my throat. ‘I said, please step aside.’

Still nothing. No response. He was like a statue, cold, mute, impenetrable.

Panic clawed at my chest. ‘I’m not some prisoner, Mauri. Let me out.’

He didn’t budge.

I took a step forward, the air between us charged with tension. ‘What the hell is going on? What aren’t you telling me? Is it true? Is Rio- is he-?’

My words stumbled over themselves, my mind too cluttered to form a coherent sentence. But Mauri remained silent, his face impassive as ever. It was as if he’d been told not to speak or answer.

Terror swirled inside me like I was a mouse caught in a trap.

Fotto !

My chest tightened, the walls closing in again.

‘You’re not leaving,’ Mauri rasped, calm but firm, his eyes hard. ‘Not until the padrone says so.’

It was like a punch to the gut.

My worst fear was confirmed with that one phrase.

I’d let the snake into the hen house. I’d opened the door wide and welcomed him in, and now I was trapped in this web of lies and danger with no way out.

I staggered back, lightheaded, my legs unsteady as I tried to process it.

‘What does that mean? What the hell does that signify, Mauri?’ I demanded, my voice breaking. ‘Who is he? Who have I been trusting this whole time?’

But he remained a wall, offering no answers, no comfort.

I backed up to the kitchen until I hit the counter, gripping the edge to steady myself. The silence between us was deafening.

My thoughts spiraled, a hundred questions fighting for territory in my mind, each more terrifying than the last.

The minutes ticked by, each one an agonizing eternity.

Then I tagged it—the front door opening—heavy footsteps.

A presence that filled the space like a dark cloud rolling in.

Rio.

He walked in like a storm personified, his eyes sharp and dangerous, his entire demeanor having shifted.

This wasn’t the man I was acquainted with. Nor the man who held me close at night kissed my forehead, bumped me to sleep, and grunted into my ear as he fucked me.

This was someone else.

His gaze landed on me, intense and calculating, and a chill crawled down my spine.

I didn’t move, couldn’t budge. My breath caught in my throat as he walked toward me, slow and deliberate.

He didn’t say anything at first; he stared at me, his eyes dark and unreadable, like he was sizing me up.

Like he was deciding what to do with me.

‘Rio,’ I whispered, my utterance shaking. ‘What’s going on?’

He stood in front of me, towering, imposing.

His face was stern, all the softness I once saw in him gone.

‘You shouldn’t try to leave, Chiara,’ he said, his rumble deep, controlled, but with an edge that sent a shiver down my spine. ‘It’s not safe out there.’

‘I’m not safe in here either,’ I shot back, forcing myself to hold his gaze. ‘You’ve been lying to me. Aldo told me—he revealed to me who you are. But not what you are and why you’re in my life.’

His jaw tightened, a flicker of something crossing his face, but he buried it. He didn’t deny it. He didn’t try to reassure me like I wanted him to.

Instead, he stepped closer, invading my space, his eyes locked on mine. ‘You don’t have the full picture,’ he rasped, his voice a cold warning. ‘But you will. Soon.’

I took a step back, but the counter stopped me. My heart pounded, a rising tide of fear I couldn’t control. ‘Why are you doing this? Who are you really?’

He didn’t answer right away.

He eyed me, his expression cutting and icy.

Then, at last, he spoke, his growl full of menace. ‘I’m the only one standing between you and people who want to hurt you. You need to trust me, Chiara.’

Trust. The word was a slap to the face. How could I have faith in him when everything I thought I understood was unraveling?

I was spiraling. Losing touch with the one anchor I’d come to rely on over these past few weeks.

I sensed the storm brewing in my core.

The cold sensation coming over me was familiar in the worst way possible.

All I could think of was that it couldn’t happen again.

It’d be too humiliating.

I flicked a glance at him again.

This wasn’t the Rio I thought I knew.

The man I’d fallen for had a quiet strength, an intense loyalty, and an unwavering tenderness hidden under his rugged exterior.

This was different. He was different. This man could do things that no one could come back from—a man who held no mercy in his heart, no boundaries, only brutal resolve.

A shiver ran down my spine. The certainty I’d once felt with him, the strange, intoxicating allure—it all felt so thin now like glass threatening to crack beneath my weight.

I saw him as he was for the first time, not the version I’d built up in my head.

Standing in the aftermath of his unrestrained menace, I realized that I didn’t honestly know him. It’s what I had no clue about when it came to him that terrified me.

My heart sank, the threads of trust and safety I’d woven around us unraveling with every heartbeat. I needed to leave, to get far from this stranger I’d been so willing to follow before I became another casualty in his wake.

Without a second thought, I lunged past Rio, dodging his outstretched grab as I sprinted toward the door.

The sharp clack of my heels filled the narrow hallway, echoing like gunshots in the silence. Adrenaline pumped through me, giving strength to each step.

The cool night air wrapped around me, the street a few feet away, freedom within reach.

But then I felt his hand grasping my arm, pulling me back as my foot touched the pavement. I twisted, panic flaring in my chest as I turned to face him, my breath coming fast.

‘ Lasciami andare ! Let me go,’ I demanded, with fierce fury, though it wavered for a slight moment.

His grip tightened, his face calm but unyielding, a stubbornness in his eyes that sent a chill through me.

‘Not until you hear me out,’ he rasped in a challenge. ‘After that, you can leave.’

I tried again, my tone sharper this time. ‘Let. Me. Go.’

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t release me. Instead, he leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper, eyes cold as fuck, glittering with icy emotion. ‘Don’t you want the truth, Chiara?’

The question hung heavy between us, and I faltered, the streetlights casting shadows around us. I realized that part of me had been hiding from certainty for an extended time, ignoring signs and looking away when I should have scanned closer.

My stomach churned, a sickening mix of fear and dread coiling inside me.

After a long, tense moment, I cast down my gaze, the fight draining from me as I nodded. I let him guide me back up the steps, back into the house’s silence, my mind reeling, bracing for whatever truth he was about to shatter me with.

Once through the doors, I dropped my bag and moved to the living area, his presence a heated column behind me.

I whipped around at the lounge seat.

‘I trusted you,’ I whispered. ‘Now, I don’t even recognize who you are.’.

Rio’s face hardened, his eyes narrowing. ‘I’m the man who’s going to keep you alive. Whether you like it or not.’

He turned to Mauri, giving him a curt nod. ‘Make sure she stays. No one gets in or out. I need a shower. When I’m done, we can talk.’

I gazed at his closed-off face, the sheer cold rage in his eyes, and the shroud of loathing emanating from him.

It was like my first lover, my protector and guardian, Rio, had been sheared away. In his place was a spectral, lethal monster.

Without another word, he walked out, leaving me standing there, shaking, with more questions than I had answers, on the verge of losing my damn mind.