As we race away in the car, a storm of anger and fear swells inside me. How could she be so reckless? How could she risk everything like that?
When the empty road stretches before us, I slam on the brakes, my heart pounding in my chest. I throw the...
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I stepped into Chiara’s apartment, my frustration already simmering beneath the surface. The place was too quiet. My instincts kicked in immediately, a sickening feeling brewing in my gut. Something was off. I scanned the room, expecting her to be seated, maybe sulking after our previous conversation, but she wasn’t there. The uneasy silence stretched longer than it should have.
“Where is she?” I demanded, glaring at the bodyguard stationed outside. “You had one job.”
The man’s face paled. “I... I didn’t see her leave, Mr. Romano.”
“Didn’t see her leave?” I barked, the frustration now boiling over. “She went through the fire escape, didn’t she?”
He stammered, clearly flustered, unable to offer an answer, but I already knew. Chiara had escaped.
Before I could lash out any further, the door swung open. My eyes snapped toward it, and there she was—Chiara, striding in like the bold, fiery woman she was. Her posture was confident, unshaken by the stunt she had pulled. She looked me dead in the eyes, daring me to say something. She was fearless—like a tiger. Damn her.
“Where the hell have you been?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice calm, though it trembled with a mixture of anger and concern.
“Had some work to handle,” she retorted coolly, shrugging as though it were the most casual thing in the world. She glared right back at me, unyielding.
The tension in the room grew thick as we stood there, staring each other down. I was used to people flinching, cowering when I was angry. Not her. Never her. She wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, and that frustrated me more than anything.
“You can’t just sneak out like that. It’s not safe, Chiara,” I said, my tone softening slightly. “You’re in danger, and you know it.”
Her eyes narrowed, her jaw set in defiance. “I’m not a fragile doll, Gabriel. You don’t get to lock me away just because you think it’s for my own good.”
Damn it, she had a point, but that didn’t change the fact that she was at risk. “I know you’re not fragile, but that doesn’t mean you can take stupid risks,” I countered, taking a step closer to her.
Chiara crossed her arms, not backing down. “And you think keeping me locked in my apartment is the solution? I refuse to sit around like a caged bird while you play hero.”
“I’m trying to protect you,” I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended. “If something happens to you—”
“Then what, Gabriel? You’ll feel guilty? Is that what this is about? You think you can control everything, but you can’t control me.” Her words were like knives, each one cutting deeper than I cared to admit.
I ran a hand through my hair, exasperated. “That’s not what this is about. You don’t understand the danger you’re in.”
“I understand perfectly well. I met this guy today—Adam. He told me to join the FBI and help them bring you down, or I’d be charged alongside you. He threatened me, Gabriel.”
