Chapter 6 - BLOOD AND SILK
"Lorenzo!" Maya gasped, relief flooding through her so violently her knees nearly gave way.
Greg’s hands shook wildly as he pointed his gun back and forth between Maya and Lorenzo. "Stay back, Valente! I'll shoot her! I swear to God I'll put a bullet through her!"
Lorenzo didn't slow his pace. He walked down the narrow alley with terrifying, unhurried precision, the rain plastering his dark hair to his forehead.
"You touch a single hair on her head," Lorenzo said, his voice dropping into a register so dark it sounded like thunder rolling over a graveyard, "and I will skin you alive in front of your family."
"I'm not afraid of you!" Greg screamed, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Before Greg could pull it, Lorenzo fired a single, silenced shot.
The bullet struck Greg directly in the right shoulder. Greg shrieked in pain, dropping his gun onto the wet asphalt, clutching his bleeding arm as he fell to his knees.
Lorenzo’s remaining enforcers swarmed the alley, disarming the remaining gunmen and securing Marcus, who was groaningly coming back to consciousness.
Lorenzo didn't even look at the fallen men. He dropped his weapon into a holster and closed the distance between himself and Maya in two long strides.
He backed her gently against the wet brick wall, framing her head with his large, leather-gloved hands.
"Are you hurt?" Lorenzo demanded, his voice rough with an emotion he could no longer hide—sheer, unadulterated panic. "Did they touch you?"
"I'm fine," Maya whispered, her rain-soaked eyelashes fluttering as she looked up into his fierce eyes. "Lorenzo, you're bleeding..."
She reached up, her soft hand touching a deep graze along his cheekbone.
Lorenzo ignored his own injury. His hands moved down her neck, past the crimson ruby necklace, gripping her waist tightly through the wet red silk of her dress, lifting her slightly off her feet until her gaze was level with his.
"I told you," Lorenzo growled softly, his face inches from hers. "You're mine. No one touches what belongs to me."
He slammed his lips onto hers.
The kiss was wild, desperate, and possessive—a fiery explosion of adrenaline, relief, and raw, undeniable passion. Maya let out a soft gasp against his mouth, her arms wrapping around his muscular neck, pulling him closer, surrendering entirely to the electric heat surging between them.
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When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathing heavily, their rain-slicked foreheads resting together in the dark alley.
"The gala is over," Lorenzo murmured against her lips. "Domenico is handled. Now, we finish this once and for all."
