Chapter 47

Chapter 47
Rafael POV

The villa was too quiet as I stood in the security room staring at the monitors while rain battered the windows outside. The storm rolled in an hour ago, dark clouds hiding the moon and turning the vineyards beyond the gates into black shadows.

Lorenzo leaned against the wall beside me, calm as always, though I noticed the slight tension in his jaw.
That was the thing about Lorenzo. Most people thought he was emotionless because he never raised his voice or lost control.

But I had known him my entire life. I knew every small shift in his expression and based on his expression right now— he was worried.

“Still nothing from Dante?” I asked quietly.

Lorenzo shook his head once. “He didn't call or leave any messages. One of my men tracked his car heading south yesterday, but after that…” He exhaled slowly. “Nothing.”

I clenched my jaw hard enough to hurt.

Dante disappearing now was not a coincidence especially when Rossi’s men were suddenly moving again and now Vincent came back.

Someone was circling us, testing the waters to see how far we are willing to go. And I was beginning to suspect the danger had already found a way inside.

“Rafael,” Lorenzo said carefully, “you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that Dante may not be on our side anymore.”

I had my share of suspicion about Dante but no matter what I couldn't bring myself to believe that Dante was capable of doing something like that. He was the one who kept our family business on line for all these years.

I looked away from the screens, rubbing a hand over my mouth. “He’s still our family.”

“So was Luca,” Lorenzo replied quietly.

Those words reminded me the very tragic memories I have been trying to erase from my mind. Because Luca was a family too, right until the moment Vincent men put a bullet through his skull while I stood there helpless as seventeen years old.

I still remembered the blood pooled on the floor, i still remembered the way my cousin collapsed beside me while Vincent calmly lit a cigarette like he hadn’t just destroyed someone’s life.

“Non voglio pensarci.” ( I don’t want to think about it.)

Lorenzo’s gaze softened slightly. “I know.”

The room fell silent again except for the sound of rain hammering against the glass. Then one of the guards entered abruptly, tension written all over his face.

“Boss,” he said quickly, slightly breathless. “There’s a problem.”

Every muscle in my body tightened instantly. “What the fuck happened now?”

“We found someone near the gate.”

Lorenzo straightened immediately. “One of ours?”

The guard hesitated then replied. “No.”

I grabbed my gun from the table and shoved it into the back of my jeans before following the guard out of the room. Lorenzo stayed beside me as we moved quickly through the corridors

The rain hit my face the second we stepped outside near the wall, three guards stood surrounding a man kneeling in the mud with blood running from his nose.

One of the guards had clearly beaten him before bringing him in. The stranger looked up when he saw me approaching, fear flashing across his face.

Good.

At least he knew what I was capable of.

“Who the fuck is this?” I asked coldly.

“We caught him climbing over the wall,” one of the guards answered. “He had a knife on him.”

The man immediately shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.”

“Then why were you sneaking onto my property?” I asked.

His breathing became uneven. “I—I was sent here.”

“By who?”

He remained silent

I stepped closer slowly until I stood directly in front of him. Rain soaked through my shirt, but I barely noticed, my focus was on the stranger alone.

“Answer me.”

The man swallowed hard. “I don’t know his name.”

I grabbed him by the collar violently and slammed him against the wall.

“Non mentirmi!” (Don’t lie to me!)

The guards shifted uneasily behind me while thunder roared overhead.

“I swear!” the man gasped. “I swear I don’t know his real name. They only called him V.”

Fucking Vincent.

Lorenzo cursed quietly behind me.

The man kept talking desperately. “He wanted information about the villa and the girl.”

Something inside me snapped. I punched the wall beside his head hard enough to crack skin across my knuckles.

“Cazzo!”

Raelyn.

Even hearing strangers talk about her felt wrong.

The man flinched violently. “Please—I didn’t hurt her!”

“But you were planning to.”

“No!”

I shoved him backward so hard he collapsed into the mud. Lorenzo stepped forward before I could lose control completely. “Take him downstairs. Lock him up until we question him properly.”

The guards dragged the trembling man away while rain continued pouring around us. I stayed there breathing hard, my hands curled into fists.

Vincent was getting bolder.

And if he had already planted people near the villa, then it was only a matter of time before something worse happened.

A warm hand touched my arm gently.
I turned sharply, my instincts flaring, only to freeze when I saw Raelyn standing there.

Fuck.

She shouldn’t have been outside. She wore one of my dark sweaters, the sleeves swallowing her hands, her hair slightly damp from the rain.

Concern filled her gray eyes as she looked at the blood on my knuckles.

“Rafael,” she whispered softly. “What happened?”

For one brief second, I forgot how to breathe.
Because she looked too delicate standing in the middle of all this violence.

Too soft for men like Vincent—too good for monsters like me.

I immediately walked toward her, gripping her shoulders gently. “Why are you outside?”

“I heard yelling.”

“You should’ve stayed inside.”

Her brows pulled together slightly. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Talk to me like I’m fragile.”

I stared at her.

Rainwater slid down her cheeks while thunder echoed in the distance, but she held my gaze steadily.

Brave girl.

“You don’t understand how dangerous this is becoming,” I said quietly.

“Then explain it to me.”

My jaw tightened.

I wanted to. God, I wanted to tell her everything.
About Dante, Vincent’s spies but fear stopped me.
Because every truth will shatter her trust and change everything.

“I’m handling it,” I said finally.

Disappointment flickered across her face before she masked it quickly. That expression twisted something ugly inside my chest.

She was starting to expect honesty from me nowand I kept failing her.

Raelyn stepped closer anyway, her fingers wrapping carefully around my bleeding hand. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing.”

“You keep saying that.”

The softness in her voice nearly ruined me.
I watched her inspect my knuckles under the rain, her touch gentle despite the tension surrounding us.

Then suddenly she looked up at me. “You’re scared.”

The words caught me off guard. I laughed bitterly under my breath. “I’m not scared of anyone.”

Scared? Rafael was not and will not be scared of anything let alone anyone. That was simply impossible.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Raelyn’s hand tightened around mine slightly. “You’re scared something will happen to me.”

My chest felt painfully tight because she was right.
Every second of every day, fear kept taking over my mind. Fear that Vincent would take her and that one day she would finally see me clearly and realize loving me was a mistake.

“Rafael…”

I closed my eyes briefly before pulling her against me. Her body melted into mine instantly.

Mine.
The possessive thought hit me so hard it almost made me sick. But that was how I was. I was used to get whatever I wanted.

I buried my face in her damp hair and inhaled shakily.
“If anything happens,” I murmured against her temple, “you must stay close to Lorenzo or Mateo. Never alone. Capito?”

She pulled back slightly. “You’re frightening me.”

“Good.”
Her eyes widened shocked by my comment.

“Because maybe fear will keep you alive.” The words came out harsher than I intended, but exhaustion and panic were already eating through my insides.

Rain dripped from my hair as I cupped her face carefully. “I can survive losing anyone else,” I admitted quietly. “But not you.”

"I don't know what is it with you but I can't bear to see you hurt by anyone Raelyn".

Emotion flickered across her face so quickly it nearly undid me.Then she reached up slowly and touched my cheek.

“You won’t lose me. Im here aren't i?”

The certainty in her voice made my chest ache.
Because she still believed love could stop bullets. Still believed loyalty meant safety and that we could outrun the darkness closing in around us.

I wanted to believe it too.

But i knew well somewhere beyond the villa, Vincent was moving closer.

And deep in my gut, I knew this fragile peace we built together was about to shatter.