Bliss went rigid with fear, her face turning paper white as she cried, "No! Please, I'm begging you! Don't touch my baby!"

The men beside her let out filthy laughs and reached their hands toward her.

Right at that moment, I snapped the rope and surged to my feet, driving my elbow hard into the scar-faced man's jaw.

I snatched the knife from him and cut the rope binding Bliss. Then, I pushed her behind me, using my body to cover hers.

"Damn it! Kill that bitch!" The scar-faced man shouted, clutching his chin in fury.

Several men circled us at once, each gripping an iron rod.

I knew how to fight a bit, but my injuries had barely healed. Up against a pack of desperate thugs, I started losing ground fast.

The rods slammed into me, the pain so sharp it nearly knocked me to my knees.

All I could do was take the blows with my body and keep Bliss pinned behind me in the corner where they couldn't get to her.

The scar-faced man clearly ran out of patience. I heard the sharp click as he cocked his gun, the dark barrel lifting to aim right at me.

"Go to hell, you bitches!" he snarled.

​​The moment his finger tightened on the trigger, a deafening blast erupted from the warehouse entrance.

Leone stormed in with his men, and gunfire exploded instantly.

He rushed toward us like a lion driven mad. He grabbed Bliss and pulled her into his arms. "Bliss, don't be afraid! I'm here!"

Bliss sobbed against his chest before passing out from the shock.

Leone scooped her up carefully and carried her outside to settle her in the car.

Then, he turned and started walking back toward me.

"Anna," he said, his voice sharp and cold as ice. "Why are you here?"

I forced my battered body to stay upright, met his searching gaze, and let out a cold smile.

"You think I set this up?" I asked.

I didn't even finish the sentence before he slapped me hard across the face.

The blow was so heavy it sent me sprawling to the floor, blood seeping from the corner of my lips.

"I knew you'd try to go after Bliss and get rid of her. Didn't you?" he demanded.

I spat the blood out of my mouth and rasped, "I didn't."

His distrust cut deeper than any of my wounds.

Leone hauled up one of the thugs who still wasn't quite dead and pressed his gun to the guy's forehead. "Tell me. Who hired you?" he asked.

The thug shuddered all over. He shot me a terrified look, then latched onto me like I was his last lifeline and shrieked, "It... It was her! She paid us to rough that woman up!"

My heart sank, and a cold dread flooded through me.

Leone gave a cold laugh, pulled out the knife he always carried, and cut the man's throat without blinking.

He shoved the body aside, crouched down, and stomped his boot onto my hand.

Pain ripped through me so hard it felt like my soul was being torn to pieces.

When he spoke, his tone was almost like a sigh. "These hands used to do exactly what I needed. Why are you using them now to hurt the woman I love most?"

He turned the knife in his grip, watching the edge catch the light.

"I told you, Anna, don't touch what's mine!"

The second the words left his mouth, the blade flashed.

A sharp breath caught in my throat.

The knife drove straight through my right palm and pinned it to the cold concrete.

"Ah!" I screamed, my whole body jerking, my vision going black as I almost passed out.

The pain tore a hoarse scream from my throat. "Leone! I never should've saved you in that alley seven years ago! I never should've helped you climb onto that damn chair!"

With his own hands, he crushed the last scrap of feeling between us.

Leone's eyes stayed cold and sharp. He spared me one last contemptuous look, then walked out of the warehouse without looking back.

Only when the cold numbness finally dulled the stabbing pain a little did I move.

I used my left hand to dig a tiny tracker out from inside my bra and pressed it with a shaking finger.

My most trusted associate, Enzo Giordano, arrived quickly. The moment he saw me, his eyes went red.

He carefully pulled the knife out of my hand. My right palm was a mangled blur of flesh and blood. I couldn't feel a thing.

My voice was weak, but I had never sounded more determined in my life. "Set a fire. Burn everything here to the ground. From today on, Navarro doesn't have a Queen of Cards named Anna Russo anymore."