A Warning in the Shadows

Serena's POV

The room felt suffocating. The tension in the air was so thick I could practically taste it. I stood at the far end of Lorenzo's office, arms crossed, my jaw clenched as I watched him glare at his cousin, Amir.

"Let me get this straight," Lorenzo's voice was low, dangerous, "you took my wife out to a club, let her get drunk, and then left her alone for five minutes while some bastard tried to put his hands on her?"

Amir scoffed, leaning back in his chair with an unapologetic smirk. "Relax, man. I handled it."

Lorenzo's hand twitched, his patience running on thin ice. "Handled it?" His voice dropped an octave, sending a shiver down my spine. "You mean after the fact? After she already had to deal with it?"

"Okay, one, she's not a child. Serena is more than capable of handling herself." Amir shrugged, clearly unfazed by the brewing storm in Lorenzo's eyes. "And two, she needed a night out. She's been locked in this damn house like a caged bird ever since you dragged her into your world."

I frowned at Amir's choice of words. I wasn't exactly locked up, but... he wasn't completely wrong either.

Lorenzo ran a hand down his face, trying to calm himself, but I could see the war raging behind his dark eyes. He wasn't just angry. He was furious.

"I told you," he said, voice controlled but lethal, "not to let her out of your sight."

Amir sighed dramatically, turning toward me. "Serena, tell him you're fine. That nothing happened."

I bit my lip, hesitant. "I am fine." I glanced at Lorenzo. "But that's not the point, is it?"

Lorenzo's jaw ticked. "Damn right it's not."

Amir rolled his eyes. "You act like she got kidnapped or something. Some drunk idiot tried to touch her. She shoved him, I punched him, problem solved."

Lorenzo wasn't having it.

"You don't get it," he gritted out. "If anyone—anyone—so much as looks at her the wrong way, it's a problem. She's mine."

Amir groaned, shaking his head. "This possessive caveman act is exhausting."

I cut in before Lorenzo could explode. "Amir, just go," I said, rubbing my temples. "I appreciate the night out, but I think you've done enough for today."

He threw his hands up in surrender and stood. "Fine, fine. But for the record, Serena? You're too smart to let Lorenzo keep you in this little bubble forever." He smirked at Lorenzo one last time before heading for the door. "Try not to strangle me in my sleep, cousin."

The door shut behind him, leaving only me and the storm that was Lorenzo.

I sighed, leaning against his desk. "Lorenzo…"

He was already in front of me in a heartbeat, hands gripping the edge of the desk on either side of me, caging me in. His eyes were molten fire, barely holding back the rage boiling beneath the surface.

"You're not going out like that again," he stated.

I bristled. "Lorenzo, I'm not a prisoner—"

"You could've been taken." His voice was low, rough. "Do you understand that? One second of vulnerability and someone could have grabbed you. Do you have any idea what that would do to me?"

I softened slightly, my irritation wavering as I saw the raw fear hidden in his anger.

"I was never in danger," I said quietly. "I know how to take care of myself."

Lorenzo let out a slow, deep breath, as if trying to calm the beast inside him. His hands moved to my waist, his grip firm but not harsh. "That's not the point," he muttered.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the tension in his body. "You have to trust me."

His forehead rested against mine, his breath warm against my skin. "I do," he admitted. "But I don't trust the world around you."

I smiled softly, pressing a small kiss to his lips. "Then we'll just have to meet halfway."

He pulled me closer, his lips trailing down my neck. "We'll see about that," he murmured.

And just like that, the storm inside him quieted… for now.

---

Lorenzo's POV

Serena was trouble.

Not in the way my enemies were trouble. Not in the way betrayals and power struggles were trouble.

She was a different kind of trouble. The kind that had me losing my damn mind.

She thought I was overreacting about what happened at the club. That Amir taking her out was no big deal.

I clenched my fists, remembering the way that bastard had looked at her. The way he had dared to reach for her. If I had been there, I would have put a bullet in his skull.

I wasn't irrational. I wasn't paranoid. I had seen what happened to women in this world—how enemies used them as leverage, how they disappeared without a trace.

Serena was my wife. My weakness and my strength.

And I was going to make damn sure nothing ever happened to her.

As I walked into the main hall of the estate, Nico was waiting for me.

"There's something you need to see," he said grimly.

I followed him to the security room, where the camera feed from outside the club played on the screen.

My blood ran cold.

A familiar face appeared on the footage. Watching. Waiting.

Dante.

My greatest enemy.

A slow, lethal rage built inside me. He was there. He had been watching her.

This wasn't a coincidence.

This was a warning.

I turned to Nico, my voice deadly calm. "Find out what he wants."

Serena was right.

She wasn't a prisoner.

But I'd be damned if I let anyone take her away from me.

Not now.

Not ever.