We paid one of his trusted men to “confirm” the body. Loyal enough to be believed. Corrupt enough to be bought. He called it in.
Voice trembling, like a man haunted.
“She’s dead. There’s nothing left but ash.”
The bounty lifted.
The manhunt ceased.
Danica De Santis was a memory now. A ghost.
***
The jet was sleek. Silent. Fast.
Salvatore sat across from me, dressed like a god of war wrapped in custom Italian silk.
No longer the broken-hearted boy I once left behind.
Now, a shadow king feared by all—Mr. X.
But right now?
He was just the man flying me far from hell.
“Facility in Mexico is locked down. Private doctors. Guards. No one gets in or out unless I say so.”
He didn’t need to say it. I trusted him.
The jet cut through the clouds, slicing the sky like a blade. I sat back, fingers curled over my belly.
They kicked at the same time.
I smiled.
“They took everything from me,” I whispered. “Now I take everything back.”
Salvatore leaned forward, his eyes steel and fire.
“Do you want me to finish this for you? I can. Say the word, and I’ll erase him. Her. All of them.”
I looked up. Met his gaze.
Strong. Unwavering.
“No,” I said. “I want to end it. On my own terms.”