Chapter 195: He would always be a threat

Chapter 195: He would always be a threat
Leonardo

Her watery gaze shifted to Eleanora. “About… my meetups with her. I was scared of how you’d react. I’m sorry.”

Something inside me lurched—pain and guilt all tangled up. She’d been scared of me. I had to change that.

“It’s okay,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her damp forehead before pulling her against my chest. Her trembling slowed, even just a little.

“Where’s Dario?” I asked, my voice low and sharp.

“I… I don’t know,” she whispered.

My gaze slid to Eleanora, my tone hardening. “You did this, didn’t you?”

Her tear-streaked face turned up to me, shame flickering in her green eyes. “I’m sorry.”

I surged forward, rage boiling over, my hand twitching before Aurora’s voice cut through the red haze.

“Leonardo, please. She has a good reason. Don’t hurt her. Be mad at me—I lied to you.”

Even Eleanora blinked in shock at that, her tear-swollen eyes widening.

I exhaled slowly, the fight bleeding out of me. How the hell am I supposed to stay mad at her? Even now, after all this, she’s protecting the person who betrayed her.

Aurora turned her face up to me, her voice soft. “How did you get here anyway?”

I hesitated before sighing. “I drove.”

She shook her head faintly. “No… I mean, how did you find me? Eleanora said we’re not in Rome right now. It should’ve taken you longer.”

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm even as my blood boiled at the thought of her not knowing where she even was. That only mean she was drugged and dragged here.

I’m going to murder Dario.

I nodded toward Eleanora.

“She sent me a location.”

Aurora’s breath hitched, her wide eyes swinging to Eleanora, who’d stayed silent until now.

“But… how?”

Eleanora’s voice was small, trembling. “Before Dario’s men took my phone. I didn’t know if he’d come because it was me… but then I thought maybe he’d come if he knew we were together.”

Aurora’s gaze darted back to me, a silent question in her eyes.

I gave a small, almost bitter smile. “I stopped by your office after you said you couldn’t do dinner,” I admitted quietly. “I brought the cinnamon rolls you liked. Lucia said you weren’t there—that you went to a meeting. I… I thought you were seeing someone else. That you didn’t want to be with me anymore.”

A tear slipped down her cheek, catching the dim light. She sniffled, then gave a soft, shaky laugh. “I’d hug you now, but I’m still tied up.”

For the first time in what felt like forever, a breath of laughter escaped me. “Let’s fix that.”

I pulled a blade from my belt and made quick work of the knots, the rope falling away.

The second she was free, Aurora threw her arms around me, burying her face into my chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I promise I won’t keep things from you anymore.”

I held her tighter, feeling her heartbeat against mine, silently vowing I wouldn’t let anything tear her from me again.

I pulled back from the hug, though it took every ounce of willpower to put even that small distance between us. My hand lingered at the small of her back, steadying her as I looked past her to Eleanora—still on the floor, ropes digging into her wrists, silent tears streaking her face.

“What are we going to do with her?” I asked, my voice flat, eyes narrowing on Eleanora. I knew Aurora could see the anger burning behind them.

Aurora swallowed hard, her gaze steady despite how frail she looked. “Let her be. I’ll handle it.”

A muscle in my jaw ticked. I didn’t like it, not one bit—but this wasn’t the place to argue. I gave a terse nod and crouched to untie the bindings around her legs.

I didn’t spare Eleanora a glance as I stood. “Untie her,” I ordered one of my men, jerking my chin in her direction. He moved instantly, blade in hand.

Aurora clung to me as we stepped out of the room, her weight light against my side. We navigated through the corridor, the distant echoes of gunfire replaced by the low rumble of engines outside.

The night air hit us as we pushed open the warehouse door. A pair of headlights sliced through the dark—then a car barreled into view.

Dario.

I didn’t think—I just raised my gun and fired. Muzzle flashes lit the driveway, the recoil biting into my hand. But Dario’s reflexes were sharp; the car screeched in reverse, tires spitting gravel as he floored it and vanished into the night.

Coward.

He wasn’t expecting any of this. That’s why he ran.

I barked out an order, voice sharp as a whip: “Go. Don’t let him out of your sight!”

Several of my men peeled off, engines roaring as they chased after him.

I didn’t move. Not an inch. Aurora’s trembling hand was clutching my jacket, and I wasn’t leaving her side—not when she’d gone two days with barely any food, not when her skin was pale and clammy under my touch.

We got into one of the SUVs, and I told Salvatore to find a hotel nearby. Aurora needed a shower, a meal, and rest before anything else.

Later, in the hotel suite, she begged me—quietly, like she always did when she thought I was on edge—to do the same for Eleanora. She had no phone, no wallet, nothing to her name right now.

I didn’t want to, but I did it. For her.

By morning, she had some color back in her cheeks, and I called for my jet and we boarded it back to Rome. She slept through most of the flight, her head on my shoulder, and I let her.

Hours after we landed, my men called. Their voices were grim.

“They lost him,” Salvatore said. “Dario crashed into a barricade, but the car was empty by the time we reached it.”

I closed my eyes, the fury simmering beneath my skin like molten steel.

Dario was still out there.

And until I found him, until I put him in the ground, he would always be a threat.

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