Chapter 191 

Chapter 191 

The taste of blood still lingered in my mouth as I stared at the black screen of my phone, Nico’s sick grin burned into my memory. My hands shook with rage—not fear, never fear—but pure, unadulterated fury that threatened to consume everything in its path. 

Aria’s face. The bruises on her skin. The way she’d tried to hide her terror behind defiance. 

I was going to kill him. Slowly. 

“Dom?” Julian’s voice cut through the red haze clouding my vision. “Talk to me, man. What’s the play?” 

I couldn’t answer immediately. My throat felt raw, like I’d been screaming, though I hadn’t made a sound since the call ended. The silence in my study stretched until it became uncomfortable, broken only by the steady tick of the grandfather clock in the corner–the same clock that had marked time through three generations of De Luca business. 

“Gather the men,” I finally managed, my voice hoarse. “Every available soldier. I want them armed and ready in thirty minutes.” 

Julian stepped closer, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by the sharp focus he only showed during family crises. “How many are we talking about?” 

“All of them.” 

“Dom, that’s-” 

“All of them!” The words exploded from me with more force than I’d intended. The whiskey glass on my desk jumped, amber liquid sloshing over the rim. 

Julian held up his hands, palms out. “Okay, okay. But think about this for a second. If you pull every man from their posts, you’re leaving our territory 

completely exposed. The Torrinos, the Morettis–they’ll see it as an invitation.” 

I turned to face him fully, and whatever he saw in my expression made him take a step back. 

“Let them come,” I said. “After tonight, they can fight over the scraps.” 

The words hung in the air between us, heavy with implication. Julian’s face went pale. 

“What the hell does that mean?” 

I moved to the wall safe behind my desk, inputting the code with steady fingers despite the chaos in my head. Inside, alongside stacks of cash and 

important documents, was a sealed envelope with Julian’s name written across it in my handwriting. 

“It means,” I said, pulling out the envelope and setting it on the desk between us, “that you need to be prepared for the possibility that I don’t come back 

from this.” 

“Don’t.” Julian’s voice was sharp, cutting. “Don’t you dare start talking like that.” 

I ignored him, opening my laptop and pulling up the document I’d been working on for months–my will, my succession plans, everything Julian would need if the worst happened. My fingers moved across the keyboard with mechanical precision. 

“The offshore accounts are detailed in section three,” I said without looking up. “Passwords are in the usual place. The legitimate businesses can be handed over to Martinez–he’s clean, and he’ll keep them running without drawing attention.” 

“Dominic, stop.” 

“The contacts list is encrypted, but you know the key. Most of our allies will test you in the first few weeks, see if you’re weak. You’re not. Don’t let them think otherwise.” 

“I said stop!” Julian slammed his hand down on the desk, making the tamp shake. “You’re not dying tonight, so quit writing your fucking obituary.” 

I finally looked up at him, this younger brother who’d lived his whole life in my shadow, who’d chosen parties and women over power because he’d never 

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Chapter 191 

wanted the weight of our family’s legacy on his shoulders. 

“You need to grow up, Julian. Fast.” I saved the document and closed the laptop. “The family needs a leader, not a playboy.” 

His jaw clenched. “The family needs you.” 

“The family needs someone who can think clearly. Someone who isn’t compromised.” I stood, walking to the window that overlooked the city. Somewhere out there, Aria was suffering because of me. Because I’d been too possessive, too controlling, too fucking blind to see Nico’s betrayal coming. 

“And you think you’re compromised?” Julian’s voice carried a note of disbelief. 

“I know I am.” The admission felt like swallowing glass. “Everything I’ve built, everything I’ve fought for–I’d burn it all down to get her back. That’s not leadership, Julian. That’s weakness.” 

“That’s love.” 

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Love is a luxury we can’t afford. Father taught us that.” 

“Father was wrong about a lot of things.” 

I turned back to face him, studying the face that looked so much like our father’s had at that age. Julian had his eyes, that same stubborn set to his jaw when he’d made up his mind about something. 

“Maybe,” I admitted. “But he was right about this. A leader who can be manipulated through his emotions is no leader at all.” 

Julian moved closer, and I could see the frustration burning in his eyes. “So what, you’re just going to throw your life away? Walk into whatever trap Nico’s set because you think you deserve to die for loving someone?” 

“I’m going to get her back.” 

“You’re going to get yourself killed!” His voice cracked slightly. “Jesus, Dom, listen to yourself. You’re talking like this is some kind of suicide mission.” 

“Maybe it is.” 

The words came out quietly, but they hit Julian like a physical blow. He stepped back, shaking his head. 

“No. No, fuck that. We’re doing this smart. We scope out the locatioh, we bring in surveillance, we wait for the right moment-” 

“There’s no time.” I picked up my phone, checking the messages from my lieutenants. Men were already mobilizing, weapons being distributed, vehicles prepared. “Every minute we waste planning is another minute Nico has to hurt her.” 

“And every minute you waste charging in blind is another step closer to your grave!” 

The frustration in his voice was palpable, but I was past caring about caution. Past caring about anything except the image of Aria’s face on that screen, the bruises on her skin, the fear she’d tried so hard to hide. 

“You think I don’t know it’s a trap?” I moved to the gun cabinet, selecting weapons with practiced efficiency. “You think I’m that stupid?” 

“I think you’re that desperate.” 

The words hit harder than I expected. I paused, a Glock 19 halfway to my shoulder holster. 

“Maybe I am,” I said finally. “But desperate men are dangerous men, Julian. And right now, being dangerous is all I have left.” 

Julian watched me arm myself—the Glock, a backup .38 at my ankle, a knife in my boot. Standard loadout for any De Luca operation, but tonight it felt more like preparation for war. 

“There has to be another way,” he said quietly. 

Chapter 191 

“There is.” I checked the Glock’s magazine, satisfied with the weight of it in my hand. “You could let me handle this alone.” 

“Like hell.” 

“I’m serious.” I turned to face him, and this time I let him see everything–the rage, the desperation, the bone–deep fear that I might be too late. “This isn’t your fight, Julian. It’s mine. I made the choices that led here, and I’ll live with the consequences.” 

“Or die with them.” 

“indeed,” I agreed. 

Julian stared at me for a long moment, then did something that surprised me–he laughed. Short and bitter, but a laugh nonetheless. 

“You know what the really fucked up part is?” he said. “Part of me respects it. The fact that you’d risk everything for her. Father never would have done that. He’d have written her off as acceptable losses and moved on.” 

“Father never loved anyone the way I love her.” 

“No,” Julian said quietly. “He didn’t.” 

I moved toward the door, but Julian’s voice stopped me. 

“Dom.” When I turned back, his expression was serious, older somehow than I’d ever seen it. “Your emotions are clouding your judgment. You know that, right? You’re walking into this like a man with nothing to lose, and that’s exactly how Nico wants you to feel.” 

S 

For a moment, just a moment, I considered his words. The tactical part of my mind–the part that had kept me alive through countless wars and betrayals–whispered that he was right. That I was making exactly the kind of mistake that got leaders killed. 

But then I thought of Aria’s voice on that call, small and scared but still defiant. I thought of Nico’s hands on her, his threats, his promises of what he’d do to her. 

“Maybe my judgment is clouded,” I said. “But it’s also crystal clear about one thing.” 

I opened the door, stepping into the hallway where my men were already gathering. The sound of their voices, the metallic clicks of weapons being checked, the familiar rhythm of preparation for battle. 

Julian followed me out, still trying to be the voice of reason. “What’s that?” 

I paused at the top of the stairs, looking down at the small army assembling in my foyer. Good men, loyal men, many of whom might not survive the night because of my choices. 

“If this is my last act,” I said, my voice carrying clearly through the sudden silence as my men looked up a 

at me, “it’ll be to destroy Nico.” 

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