Page 36 of Autumn Ritual

Marching right up to him, I hissed. “You’re out of line, Signore.”

I didn’t mean to. My body moved of its own accord.

If I’d had time to analyze the situation, it would be obvious that all the fight scenes were still dancing around in the back of my mind. The part of my brain that was always living in the fictional world was violent. That had to be why I lunged and shoved the don into the lake.

I caught myself on the post, staring down in horror at the thrashing, writhing man bobbing up to the surface.

“Sara!” he roared.

“Don’t back down!” It was like Ivry was in my head, cheering me on.

Forcing my voice to sound stern, I barked, “Lucian Ravello, you crossed a line. You can’t forbid me being with one of your guys because I was sick once upon a time. That’s wrong.”

“It wrecked him, Sara!” Lucian slapped his hands on the water before pushing toward the dock.

I scuttled back as his hands gripped the ledge. With a grunt, he hauled himself over the edge. My heart jumped to my throat, and adrenaline coursed through my veins. If I had to run, I would. I might even make it to the car and drive off before he charged.

But Lucian just sat there. “Maybe…maybe I misjudged you.”

“You think?” I choked.

“It will break him if something happens to you. I don’t want him to go through that.”

“And if he had another girl? And he was fond of her—” I forced the words out, even though they made my chest ache “—and if she died in a car crash? Wouldn’t that wreck him?”

Lucian simply stared at me.

“Life’s a risk, Signore,” I ground out. “If your objection is that I might not be here someday, then you’re stupider than I thought. Because you might not be! Especially if you keep pissing off every woman in this town.”

Those black eyes narrowed to slits. “Meaning?”

I quickly changed the subject. “Look, if the concern is that Cam won’t be on his A-game because he’s got something else besides the mob in his life, I offer you a solution. Start training another enforcer.”

The wind swept over the lake, and Lucian shivered.

I resisted the urge to go get him a towel. Let him freeze for a bit longer.

“It would be smart to have someone younger training for the job anyhow. That person would be an under-enforcer,” I added, trying to sound enthusiastic, but my teeth chattered from more than cold.

Brushing his mop of wet hair back, Lucian pulled a face. “You know? You’re smarter than you look.”

“Thanks?” I hesitated.

“Don’t break my friend’s heart, Sara.”

The sun peeked out from behind the fluffy cloud. It started to chase the wind’s bite away.

“I don’t plan on it, Signore.”

Chapter 14 – Cam

Asingle candle burned on the kitchen table. Frowning, I peered through the window. Why would she leave that fire hazard there? It wasn’t safe. Perhaps she’d gone to bed and forgotten about it. That was highly likely. Sara became so invested in her work that she forgot to eat and drink. Or maybe….maybe she’d done it on purpose and wanted me to find it. Maybe she was hoping for a punishment.

Either way, she was going to get it.

Going to the den, I pried the window open. The lock was broken, so while the latch caught, it wasn’t secure. Once inside, I stalked through the den, crossed the front hall, and pushed into the kitchen.

Where Sara sat on the floor, tongue pressed against the corner of her mouth, as she concentrated on the pumpkin. Relief flowed through me. She hadn’t left a candle burn while she slept. It was the ambiance. I hadn’t seen her because of the table and the counter.