Chapter 17 The silent war
Damien gently pulled me aside and walked towards the box on the ground, the broken glass crunching under his feet as he picked up the box.
It was a gift box, but Damien didn't need to tell me that it wasn't from a friend.
He gently brushed the shards of glass from the box with his hands and pulled it open. His gaze flickered to me as I walked closer; he quickly shut it.
My brows pinched together, “What is it?” I asked.
“Don't worry about it, love,” he spoke, his gaze sweeping round the place until he caught a note on the floor. He quickly picked it up and scanned through it.
I began to move closer to him. “What do you mean, ‘Don’t worry about it’? This obviously seems like something to worry about. As I reached for the box in his hand, he quickly lifted his hand so that it was way out of my reach.
I pouted, “Damien.”
He let out a soft exhale before he spoke. “Charlotte, I can't let you see what's in the box.”
“Why not?”
“It's…” He hesitated. “Luciano sent a human finger. I can't let you see that; you might not be able to eat for days.”
My lips parted in shock. “Could it be Derek’s sister?”
Damien tossed the box onto the floor, and then he wrapped his hand around my arm as he led me away from the glass. “It's not her; I believe he found out somehow that I'm in Italy, and he wanted me to know that this is his territory.” Damien handed me the note. “Except it's not.”
I looked at the paper: “Welcome back to Italy, Damien. Stay out of my business, and there'll be peace.”
There was a subtle arrow sign on the lower right of the note. I flipped the paper around, and there was another piece of writing, one Damien hadn't noticed: “Who's the brunette?”
Had Luciano seen us when we got down from the plane?
I looked up at Damien, who quickly took the note from me. As he read it, his gaze darkened, his lips pressed together in anger, and his knuckles turned white as his fists clenched tightly.
I quickly cupped both sides of his face with my hands and caressed it gently with my thumbs. “It's okay, Damien. I'm with you; I'm safe.”
His jaw relaxed, but his fists were still clenched tight. “I know it's just an empty threat, love.”
“Then why are you so mad?” My voice softened.
His gaze scanned mine for a few seconds before he spoke, “Luciano has no right to mess with any member of my Mafia family, especially not my wife. It has been a long time since I put him in his place. He thinks he can send threats?”
I placed my hand on his chest and felt it rise and fall with anger. “It's okay, Damien."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I turned to look at the door. “Come in,” I instructed, and Marcus pulled the door, stepping in.
“I heard the loud crash.” His gaze was fixed on the glass that had broken.
“It was Luciano,” Damien spoke. “Get my wife and me a better suite, one he can't get to.”
Marcus bowed and exited the room immediately; minutes later, we were moved into a different suite, which was bigger but had no view of the city.
Immediately after Marcus and the other men left the room, I turned to face Damien; he stood by a fireplace, gazing intently into it.
“How do you feel?” I asked, moving closer to him.
“You cannot come with me tomorrow,” he said in a soft tone. “I cannot let you see what's going to happen.” He slowly turned around, his green eyes glimmering under the light of the chandelier.
“This is war, Charlotte.” He began to walk towards me. “You understand that if I take you into war, you'll not be able to defend yourself; that will put both of us in danger, and I would kill myself if anything happens to you.
I slowly nodded. “I understand.” I wrapped my hands around him, placing my head on his chest. “I don't have to go.”
As his hands stroked my head, a thought suddenly came to me: “I want to learn.” I looked up to meet his eyes.
His brows pinched together. “Learn what?” His voice was raspy.
“Everything. When I said I wanted to be a part of your world, I meant the dangerous parts as well.”
His hands gripped my hips tightly, his gaze turning serious. “Every part of my life is dangerous, Charlotte; even sleeping peacefully in a beautiful room can be dangerous. You saw what happened in our last suite; that could have been a bullet or a bomb.” His words felt like knives on his tongue.
“I know that, Damien, but I want more.”
His chest heaved, and his brows formed a knot as his lips parted in confusion. “What more do you want, Amore mio?”
“I want to learn how to do the things you do. I want to learn to fight so that I can fight alongside you. I want to learn how to use guns….” I paused as I noticed his facial expression; they spoke louder than words.
I noticed him blinking slowly. I saw his jaw tighten and his eyes mixed with regret. “What have I done to you?” His voice cracked.
I quickly wrapped my hands around his shoulders and pressed my chest tighter against his. “What do you mean?” My face twisted with concern, my eyes searching his.
“When I found you, you were a sweet, innocent girl.” His throat tightened as he spoke, almost as if the following words were too heavy. “Now I have turned you into a woman who wants to wield guns; I have brought you into my world and tried to darken it.”
I quickly shook my head. “No, please don't say that. You didn't turn me dark; you brought light into my world. You showed me what it meant to be loved. You took me away from an abusive home and into yours, the best one could ever wish for.”
I paused to watch the emotion on his face; it was bitter, filled with regret. “The gun is just for my protection, Damien.”
“You take a life with it if you have to,” he added.
The heavy reality dawned on me: if I entered his world completely, I'd have to kill as he does.
“I don't want blood on your hands; it would kill me.”
I looked up at him. “Only if I have to do it, Damien. As long as there are people who are trying to hurt me, does it matter?”
He pulled away from me, his fists clenched tight, as he paced angrily around the room. It matters.”
“But you do it, don’t you?” My eyes followed him until he stopped by the fireplace.
“Yes, but I chose this life!” He barked, his voice erupting through the air, and my body jerked in shock. He had never raised his voice at me like that before. “You didn't choose this life, Charlotte, I did! You are going to turn into a monster because of me!”
“You are not a monster!” I shouted back, “And I want this.” My chest heaved.
His gaze scanned me, his brows pinched together as he noticed my trembling hands. “Vita mia,” his voice suddenly softened, and he marched towards me and suddenly dropped to his knees, looking up at me. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell.” His hands caressed my calves. “I was only worried…”
“I understand,” I cut in quickly, kneeling before him. I placed my hands on his shoulders. “I understand why you are mad, Damien, but if you don't train me, I'll always be a burden.”
“You are never a burden.” His voice was barely above a whisper, “You are my world; I'd lay down my life for you.” His face drew closer to mine.
“That's the problem, because I want you to live for me.”
He swallowed. “Can I kiss you?” He asked.
I chuckled softly, “Yes.”
He pressed his lips against mine. “Forgive me for yelling at you, Vita mia,” he breathed against my lips.
“I forgive you,” I responded. “So…will you teach me?”
He stood up, his fingers slipping into mine as he lifted me from the floor. “Good combat takes years, Charlotte.” He pulled me closer, his hands wrapped around my waist.
“Well, I’m glad we have years together.”
His gaze lit up. “Yeah,” he whispered, “we do,”