22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lorenzo

The docks are chaos. Bullets fly through the air and the acrid smell of gunpowder fills my nostrils.

The sound of gunfire is deafening, interspersed with the occasional explosion as barrels and crates are hit.

My men and I are locked in a fierce battle with Massimo’s forces and the stakes couldn’t be higher. This is more than just a fight over territory—it’s personal.

“Hold the line!” I shout, my voice barely audible over the din. Vincent and Victor are beside me, their faces set with grim determination. Dino and the others are spread out, taking cover behind whatever they can find.

Massimo Raineri stands across from me, his face twisted in a sneer. He’s flanked by his men and the hatred in his eyes is palpable.

This is the man who dared to challenge my family, who orchestrated this attack. The rage I feel is almost blinding.

“Lorenzo Duretti!” Massimo shouts, his voice carrying over the chaos. “Is this the best you can do? Pathetic!”

I clench my jaw, my grip tightening on my weapon. “You have no idea what you’re messing with, Massimo.”

He laughs, a cold, cruel sound. “Oh, I think I do. Your time is over, Duretti. Your family’s reign ends today.”

Before I can respond, a burst of gunfire erupts from his side. I duck behind a stack of crates, returning fire.

My mind races, strategizing our next move. We can’t afford to lose the docks—they’re crucial to our operations.

Amid the chaos, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I ignore it at first, focusing on the fight. But when it buzzes again, a sense of dread settles in my stomach. I duck behind cover, and pull out the phone, seeing Carla’s name on the screen.

“What is it?” I bark, keeping one eye on the fight.

“Lorenzo, it’s Daniella. She’s at the club.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. “What do you mean she’s at the club? She’s supposed to be at the house!”

“She came in unexpectedly. I tried to keep her hidden, but—”

I don’t hear the rest of what she says. The only thing that registers is the danger Daniella is in. I feel a surge of panic, a rare emotion for me.

“Fuck!” I shout, slamming my fist against the crate. I look at Victor, who is close enough to see the expression on my face.

“Lorenzo, what’s wrong?” he asks, concern lacing his voice.

“Daniella’s at the club,” I say through gritted teeth. “I need to get to her.”

Victor grabs my arm, his grip firm. “You can’t leave now. If you go, this whole operation falls apart. We need you here.”

I know he’s right, but the thought of Daniella in danger is unbearable. I turn back to Massimo, who is watching me with a smug expression.

“You look distracted, Duretti. Something wrong?” he taunts.

“Massimo, if anything happens to her, I swear to God, I will tear you apart with my bare hands,” I snarl.

He laughs again, a sound that grates on my nerves. “You always were dramatic, Lorenzo. But let’s see if you can back up those words.”

I signal to my men and we launch a coordinated attack. Bullets fly, and the air is filled with the sounds of battle.

I move with purpose, my rage fueling every step. Massimo is going to pay for this.

The fight is brutal. Men fall on both sides, the docks turning into a war zone. Massimo and I exchange fire, each shot filled with the hatred we feel for each other. The explosions and gunfire create a chaotic symphony, a backdrop to our deadly dance.

As the battle rages on, I can feel my control slipping. Every minute that passes is another minute Daniella is in danger. But I can’t abandon my men, can’t let Massimo see any weakness.

“Lorenzo!” Vincent shouts, pulling me out of my thoughts. “We need to push them back!”

I nod, focusing on the task at hand. We move forward, gaining ground inch by inch. Massimo’s forces are strong, but so are we. The fight is relentless, each side refusing to give an inch.

Finally, after what feels like hours, we manage to push Massimo’s men back. The docks are a mess, but we have held our ground. I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart.

Massimo glares at me from a distance, his face twisted in rage. “This isn’t over, Duretti. You’ll regret this.”

“You’re the one who’s going to regret it, Massimo,” I reply, my voice cold.

He turns and retreats with his men and I allow myself a moment of relief. But it’s short-lived. I have to get to Daniella.

“Vincent, Victor, finish up here. Make sure everything is secure,” I order. “I need to get to the club.”

Vincent looks at me, his expression tightening. “Renee is also at the club. Massimo’s men are there.”

Vincent’s face goes pale, his jaw clenching. He nods, understanding the urgency in my voice. “We’ll handle things here. Go.”

I sprint to my car, my mind racing with thoughts of Daniella and Renee. I have to get to them, have to make sure they’re safe.

The drive to the club is a blur. My phone buzzes again, and I see it’s Carla calling me.

“Lorenzo, you need to hurry. Massimo’s men are here.”

“Keep her safe, Carla. I’m on my way,” I say, my voice tight with fear and anger.

I arrive at the club and rush inside, my gun at the ready. The place is a mess, signs of a struggle everywhere. I move quickly, my heart pounding in my chest.

I find Carla and a few of my men in the main hall. “Where is she?” I demand.

“They’re in the back, in the saferoom,” Carla says, her face pale.

I nod and move towards the back, my mind focused on one thing: finding Daniella. I reach the inventory room and throw open the door.

Daniella, Maria, and Renee are inside, looking anything but frightened and they are unharmed. Relief floods through me, but it’s quickly replaced by anger.

I lurch forward, wrapping my arms tightly around Daniella, pulling her close. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. Her arms wrap around me and the feeling of her is almost too much.

For a minute I thought I had lost her and it felt like my entire world had come crashing down.

“What the hell were you thinking, coming here?” I demand, my voice harsher than I intend. But she’s safe. She’s here, in my arms, and that’s all that matters right now.

“I needed to…I couldn’t just stay at the house,” Daniella stammers, her eyes wide.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm down. “You’re safe now. That’s all that matters.” She steps into me again, squeezing me around my midsection. I wrap my arms around her again and hold her to me.

“You're okay. You're okay.” I'm saying it to her, but really, it's more for my benefit. I need the constant reminder that she is okay.

She nods, and I can see the fear in her eyes. I soften my tone. “I’m sorry. I was just worried about you.”

Maria steps forward. “We were lucky. Your sister showed up and saved us.”

I frown and turn to my sister. Well, there's one way to make a big reveal.

“Yes,” Maria says. “She…she killed some of Massimo’s men. Saved our lives.”

“Pretty sure it was at least three of them,” she says, and I raise my brows.

“Only three?”

She shrugs.

“The last guy got lucky, but with where I hit him, he won't be getting lucky ever again.”

I smile just a little, then I frown.

“Are you all right?”

She stretches out her arms for me and I notice the streaks of blood.

“Perfect as the day God made me.”

I roll my eyes and turn back to Daniella. She is watching the exchange between Renee and I with a mix of wonder and shock.

“Dani has had no time to process this new development. I was just about to…”

“Later.”

She snaps her mouth shut and we stare at each other for a full minute.

“Please, I want to get her home.”

My hand trails down to her belly and Renee’s eyes follow the movement.

“Well, Dani and I can talk another time.”

I want to assess her tone and figure out if she is pissed, but right now, my priority is getting Daniella and Maria out of here safely.

“We need to leave,” I say. “It’s not safe here.”

We move quickly, heading toward the exit. My men form a protective circle around us, and we make our way to the cars.

As we drive back to my house, I can’t shake the feeling of uneasiness. Massimo is getting bolder and this attack is just the beginning.

When we arrive at the estate, I make sure Daniella and Maria are settled. I’ve had Isobel brought to the mansion for safety. I wasn't joking about them being under my protection now.

Maria runs and hugs her daughter and I look at Daniella watching the interaction. Her hand is on her belly and there are tears in her eyes.

I take her by her elbow and lead her to her room. I shut the door and she sits on the ottoman.

“I'm assigning you a bodyguard. You won't go anywhere without him.”

She looks up at me.

“Am I a prisoner now?”

“No. You're someone I need safe at all fucking times. I lost my mind when I heard you were at the club during a shootout and I couldn't do a thing to save you.”

Her eyes soften and she gets up.

“I’m fine, see? I'm all right.”

No, I don't. In my head, guns are blazing, bullets are flying and Daniella is right in the middle of it. My fingers twitch with the need to touch her, but now that the adrenaline has receded, I don't know if she will want me to.

“Lorenzo…”

She steps closer to me, so close that I have to look down at her.

“Yes? What do you want, Daniella?”

Even if it kills me, and it just might, I wasn't lying when I promised her that I wouldn't touch her unless she asked me to. She releases a shaky breath and steps back.

“Sorry, I…” She shakes her head.

“There's a lot of things happening, a lot of things that I clearly don't know about. With Renee, and Massimo…”

“Ask me what you want to know.”

She stares at me for a while, eyes dancing.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Yes.”

She gasps and takes another step back. I can only imagine what she is feeling right now.

“All this time, I thought I was lying to you, I thought I was getting closer to outsmarting you and figuring out the truth, and…you were just letting me?”

“Daniella…”

“Did you really think that little of me? Tiny little Daniella, there's fuck-all she can do even if she finds out the truth, is that what you thought?”

“Daniella…”

There's tears in her eyes again and it feels like a punch in my chest when they spill over onto her cheeks.

“Y-you slept with me, I'm having your baby and all this time you knew that I was Jeremy’s fiancé?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” The question explodes from her, and I swallow. It’s the one thing I cannot answer because…

“I don't know.”

She steps up to me again, so close that I can feel her body heat.

“Were you going to kill me?”

“No. Never. Daniella, I…”

She moves away from me again before I can finish speaking. She’s like an elusive dream.

“Did you kill him?”

“Would you believe me if I said no?”

“No. Because it’s what you do, it’s who you are. All around you is chaos and destruction. You lie, you deceive, and you use people to your own ends, for your own gain, not caring what it does to them. I know you're capable of every vile thing without remorse.”

I school my face into a blank expression, but hearing her speak this way is the closest thing to pain I've felt since the day I got the call that my mother had cancer and she would not survive. Dani’s words are rapid-fire shots straight to my heart.

I've heard these words before, from the mouths of people facing the barrel of my gun, from men I work with, even women I’ve fucked have said all of this to me. Never, never has it ever hit me as hard as hearing her say these words.

She shakes her head and turns her back to me. I think she’s crying but doesn’t want me to see. When she turns back to me, her eyes are red.

“I want to go home.”

“I’m afraid that can’t happen.”

“So I am a prisoner here.”

Whatever it takes to keep her here, whatever it takes to make sure she’s safe. There’s no chance in hell that I’ll let her leave with Massimo still alive.

“You’re not leaving. Interpret that however you want.”

She scoffs and shakes her head.

“You’re not going to get away with this, you know. Even if you kill me, I’m not working alone. He will make sure that everything about what you’ve done gets out into the world.”

I think it pisses me off more that there is another man in her life that I know nothing about rather than the fact that she’s been siphoning information to him. Information that could ruin me.

“I’m shaking in my boots.”

My tone is dry and unamused and I know my words have stung when she flinches.

“Get out.”

I nod and turn away. This day is not going the way I thought it would at all, after she’d hugged me the way she did, held on to me the way she did, looked at me the way she did, I thought…I thought.

“Dinner will be ready by seven.”

“Stay here and I’ll tell you all the places you can shove your food into.”

With one final sigh, I exit the room, closing the door carefully behind me.

Renee is in front of me and she has her arms crossed across her body.

“That went well.”

“Not fucking right now,” I say, walking past her. She falls into step beside me.

“Man, I’m almost scared to go talk to her now. She probably hates me even more than she hates you.”

“That’s a small comfort,” I say and she hits my arm.

“Hey! Well, at least she’s safe. We can’t blame her for her reaction.”

“I don’t. Can you save your berating and sarcasm for another day? Today has been long and there’s a lot of work waiting for me.”

She stops walking, and I stop to turn toward her.

“Will you ever not see the worst in me and everything I do?”

“I’m thinking I will when you stop showing me the worst.”

Something flickers in her eyes, something that looks like hurt, and I instantly feel guilty. It’s been a long, shitty day, but still. Then she smiles a Cheshire cat smile.

“Well, brother, if I can’t show you the worst of me, who can I show it to?”

She winks and walks away.

I go into my study and shut the door. My phone pings and I pull it out of my pocket.

Bruno.

“Your son crossed a line today, Bruno.”

The old man sighs, and I can feel his weariness, not like I give two fucks about it right now.

“I would apologize on his behalf, but I, of all people, know how useless that is.”

“So why are you calling?”

“To strike a bargain with you.”

“I’m sorry, Bruno, but there’s nothing you could offer me that would change my mind. Massimo went after someone he really shouldn’t have gone after and that someone isn’t safe as long as he’s in the picture.”

“Free trade through our domains. Your men are welcome here at any time, and our products will be sold to you at half price.”

“Bruno…”

“He’s my only son. We have no heir without him.”

“And maybe you lot are better off that way.”

“Your mother would hate to see this happening.”

I close my eyes as his words wash over me. Using my mother as leverage is pretty fucking pathetic, which tells me how desperate he really is. But my mother is a lure I can never resist. Memories of Massimo, Renee, and myself playing together as children come to me.

I hate that this is how things have turned out. I hate that Renee and I barely see one another as she schemes for her own benefit, and I hate that Massimo is my mortal enemy. I decide to be lenient, for old time’s sake.

“Keep your men in line, Capo. I won't be as benevolent next time.”

“Thank you, Capo.”

I sigh and settle in my chair, ready for this day to be over.