Chapter 172: Oh Shit, My Husband Is Hotter When Declaring War!

The walk back from the interrogation room felt way longer than it did on the way in.

Maybe it was because we had gathered more information than we had when we entered, or maybe it was just that the insights we picked up added a heavy atmosphere to the hallways.

I had spent a good chunk of the previous evening trying to wrap my mind around how a simple family dinner could end with someone pointing a gun at his own brother.

The answer? A rival organization had been quietly setting the stage for this for months, maybe years, while the rest of us were just trying to keep up the facade of being a normal family.

What a spectacular failure that turned out to be.

Lorenzo walked beside me, quiet as ever.

I noticed how rigid his posture was...something I recognized when he was deep in thought about something uncomfortable.

His fingers flexed at his side now and then, as if he was holding back the urge to grab something.

Though his face was calm, there was a fierceness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before we entered the interrogation room.

As we rounded the corner into the main hallway, his hand found the small of my back, guiding me gently past a couple of guards hauling equipment toward the west wing.

His hand lingered there, warm and steady, and I found myself leaning into it without even realizing it.

We didn’t say anything until we reached a quieter part of the hall, where a small sitting room stood empty behind a pair of open doors. Lorenzo slowed down, and I followed him inside.

Lorenzo stopped near the window, while I stood beside one of the armchairs, trying to decide how to express my thoughts without making it sound like I had just swallowed a heavy newspaper.

"I think I finally get why you’ve always hated surprises," I said.

He turned to me. "Do you?"

"Of course. Since every unexpected visitor seems to come with a criminal conspiracy, a gun, or some awful family revelation. I’d probably avoid the front door too."

His lips twitched, but the smile never quite reached his eyes.

I looked down at my hands, feeling the weight of what I was about to say.

"That creepy guy at the gala," I continued, quieter. "DeLuca."

Lorenzo’s expression shifted.

"I remember him," I carried on. "Dante’s been working with the guy who tried to blow you up, turning your brother against you, and drugging me into a heat so someone could ruin my damn life...yeah. Really great family values."

I let out a small, humorless laugh.

Lorenzo remained silent.

Saying those words felt terrible, and I hated how they brought back the memories. I could still recall the gala, the strange faces, the music, and the moment when everything spiraled into chaos.

The drugged cloth, the confusion, the sickening realization that something was happening to my own body without my consent.

I had spent so long trying to move on from all that, but hearing DeLuca’s name again just dragged it all back up to the surface.

"I should probably be impressed by the amount of planning that went into it," I added, trying to regain some of my usual tone, "but honestly, I’d have preferred a less personal approach to international business."

Lorenzo stepped closer. "Amore mio."

"I’m fine."

He gave me a knowing look.

I sighed. "Okay, I’m not completely fine. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

One of his hands cradled the side of my neck, his thumb brushing over the fading mark he’d left there days ago, and the simple touch sent a reluctant shiver of comfort through me.

?"They won’t get a second chance," he said, his voice low and firm. "Anyone who touched you or tried to take you from me won’t walk away from this. Do you understand?"

His voice was calm, without dramatic promises of revenge. There was a certainty in his words that made me believe he was already planning out every way to make that statement true.

I swallowed.

"I know you want to keep me safe."

"I will keep you safe."

"Lorenzo, I don’t want you to start treating me like some fragile object that has to be locked away every time someone sneezes the wrong way agaim."

His thumb moved gently along my jawline. "I understand."

"Do you? Because your version of reasonable security and my idea of a reasonable social life don’t always line up."

"I’m open to discussing arrangements."

"Great. Maybe we can negotiate a middle ground where I can leave the estate without needing a military escort and a written statement of my plans."

His expression softened.

"I’ll think about it."

"That sounds suspiciously like something a politician would say right before definitely not thinking about it."

He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine.

For a moment, we were both silent. I could feel his warm breath on my face, and his familiar scent enveloped me, calming some of the tension that had settled inside me.

I shut my eyes, leaning into him, his hand still against my neck.

He smelled like home.

It was kind of embarrassing to realize this, but there was something really comforting about being close enough to breathe in his scent without overthinking it.

"You’re here," he murmured.

I opened my eyes.

"So are you."

His gaze softened, and he pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead before stepping back.

"Come with me. I have work to get back to."

"Of course. Heaven forbid the Don spend more than five minutes being affectionate."

He took my hand. "You’re welcome to complain while I work."

"I’ll definitely take you up on that offer, Dracula."

By the time we reached Lorenzo’s office, the atmosphere had already shifted.

Timothy was waiting by the desk with two trusted associates, both straightening up when Lorenzo walked in.

A few folders were spread across the polished surface, next to a tablet showing what looked like a map of the Castelli territories.

I recognized some of the names from past discussions, but I’ve never really cared for the nitty-gritty details of mafia territory management.

I preferred to know which restaurants had decent food and which members of the organization were likely to interrupt my day with an unnecessary security briefing.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the latter was becoming a full-time gig.

"Don," Timothy greeted him.

Lorenzo nodded and took off his jacket, handing it to one of the men before moving toward the desk.

"Give me the latest security update."

Timothy opened one of the folders.

"We’ve already ramped up patrols around the estate, and we’re adding more personnel to the northern and eastern entrances. The security teams at our main businesses have also been told to report any unusual activity immediately."

"Double the security around the warehouses and financial offices. I want to review the access logs, and anyone who entered restricted areas without permission needs to be investigated."

"Got it."

"Reach out to our neutral partners. I want to know if DeLuca has been in contact with any of them lately, and let’s review the old agreements before anyone decides to get ambitious."

Timothy noted it down. "What about the assets linked to Dante’s accounts?"

"Freeze the accounts we can quietly restrict, and put pressure on the middlemen moving funds between them. I don’t want anything traced back to us until we figure out who else is involved."

One of the men near the desk spoke up.

"We can start disrupting the smaller transactions today, Don. There are a few accounts that seem connected to DeLuca’s side operations."

"Do it. But do it carefully. If he catches on too soon, he’ll move the remaining funds and disappear behind new names."

"Yes, Don."

I watched Lorenzo as he continued giving orders, and I found myself fascinated by how effortlessly he transitioned between his different roles.

Just a few minutes earlier, he’d been assuring me I was safe.

Now he was diving into discussions about financial restrictions, territorial security, and the quiet dismantling of a rival organization’s resources, all as if he were just having a routine business meeting.

It was undeniably impressive.

And a bit unsettling.

And, to my personal embarrassment, pretty fucking hot.

I cleared my throat, hoping that would also clear the unholy thoughts dancing across my mind.

Lorenzo glanced my way. "Come here, tesoro."