Sold to the Capo-Chapter 112: IN HIS ARMS AGAIN

ADRIANA’S POV

I didn’t want to involve Vincenzo because if I failed, it would put his life at risk but now, desperate times called for desperate measures which was why I had asked Grace to contact him as he would be more likely to come if he heard that the woman who has stolen from him wanted to see him.

Now as I set eyes on him looking up at me with a smile on his face, I felt my heart literally melt into a puddle under his gaze.

He hasn’t answered me yet when I said we needed to talk, it was almost like he was weighing the odds of something.

"Vi—" I started, but before I could get another word out, he was already on his feet, leaving Hale gasping on the ground.

Then his arms were around me.

Tightly.

His chin rested on top of my head, his grip unrelenting as if letting go meant I’d disappear. His heart pounded against mine, and I hesitated for only a second before wrapping my arms around him too, allowing myself to soak in his warmth, his scent—his presence.

Then, his voice rumbled low and sharp against my ear. "What the hell are you doing in Sicily?"

I closed my eyes briefly before pulling back slightly to look up at him. "I had to come back."

His jaw clenched. "Had to?"

Before I could answer, his hands slid to my face, his thumbs brushing my cheeks as he searched me like he was checking to see if I was real, if I was hurt, if I was hiding something. Then, before I could stop him, he kissed me.

Not rushed. Not rough. Just raw.

I sighed into him, gripping his jacket as his lips moved against mine, possessive and longing.

"I miss you," he murmured between kisses. "You hear me, Tesoro? I fucking missed you."

I felt my chest tighten. I missed him too, but before I could say it back...

"I hate to break the moment," Hale’s voice cut through, irritated and unimpressed, "but we have work to do."

Vincenzo pulled away just slightly, his expression murderous as he turned to face him.

"Is he important?" Vincenzo asked me flatly, eyes still locked on Hale. "Or can I put a bullet in him?"

Hale stiffened. "I’d prefer to live, thanks."

I exhaled sharply, touching Vincenzo’s chest. "He’s one of Michael’s men."

Vincenzo cursed. "Of course, he is. Michael and his goddamn men are the same." He raked a hand through his hair before jerking his chin toward the distance . "My car is there. We’re talking alone. Now."

I nodded.

We walked to the car in silence, getting in. The moment the doors shut, Vincenzo turned to me, eyes scanning me over again.

"Where are you staying?"

"At the casino."

His eyes narrowed. "Not good enough. You should be somewhere safer."

I sighed, already expecting the chiding. "I didn’t exactly have time to book a villa with security, Vincenzo."

He clenched his jaw. "And you didn’t think to tell me?"

"I’m telling you now."

His fingers tapped against the steering wheel, his jaw ticking. "You sent the email, didn’t you?"

I hesitated. "Yes."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "I knew it. The moment I saw you with Grace, I knew."

"She’s—"

"I don’t give a damn about her," he cut in. "I care about you. Are you fine? Are you hurt?"

I exhaled, softening slightly. "I’m fine. I promise."

He didn’t look convinced, but before he could argue, I asked, "What about the attack on the family?"

His lips pressed together, then he exhaled. "We handled it. I got shot."

I stiffened. "What?"

He lifted his sleeve, showing the bandages underneath at his shoulder. "Already healing. Nothing to worry about."

I frowned, my fingers ghosting over his arm before I let out a breath. "We had the ledger. We had a plan but then grace said it was too risky for me so we had to change it. We had the ledger"

Had.

Vincenzo’s expression hardened. "Where is it?"

I met his eyes and dropped the bomb.

"I sold it."

Silence.

Vincenzo was silent.

Too silent.

I could hear the faint tapping of his fingers against the steering wheel, the slow, measured breaths as he processed what I had just said. His fingers tightened against the steering wheel like he was wondering if he should wrap it around my neck instead and just squeeze it tight.

"What?" He finally growled.

"I sold it." I repeated.

Three words. And yet, from the way his jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening over the leather grip of the wheel, I knew it took everything in him not to snap.

Finally, he turned to me. His voice, when it came, was lethal. "To who?"

I held my ground. "To someone the Bratva can’t touch."

His eyes darkened. "Who?"

"A fixer."

Something flickered in his gaze. Wariness "Which one?"

I exhaled. "Lucien D’Angelo."

Silence.

The name carried weight. Lucien wasn’t just any fixer—he was the fixer. The kind of man who dealt in shadows, secrets, and stolen power. The kind who operated on an untouchable level, above even the mafia itself. If Lucien had the ledger, it meant it was now part of a deal that neither the Bratva nor the LaRosas could interfere with—not without consequences at least.

Vincenzo ran a hand down his face, inhaling sharply through his nose before he turned to face me again. "You do realize what this means?" His voice was low, controlled, but edged with frustration. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

I nodded. "It means we can’t steal it back. Not directly."

He scoffed. "No, Tesoro. It means you just made this a thousand times harder."

I bristled at his words. "Vincenzo, if I hadn’t—"

"Do you have any idea what Lucien does to people who cross him?" His tone hardened, his frustration leaking through. "If the Bratva was close enough to find you, then they were close enough to find the ledger. You should have come to me with the ledger back."

"And risked them getting it first?" I shot back. "I made the call that ensured they didn’t come back after you directly again."

His hands clenched into fists, his breathing heavier. I knew he was furious. But more than that—he was worried.

I softened slightly. "Vincenzo, I didn’t sell it to an enemy. I sold it to someone who only cares about profit. That means we can buy it back."

He exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "How much?"

I hesitated.

Lucien never sold things twice. Once something was in his hands, it was already in transit to its buyer, locked behind layers of security and anonymity. The only way to get it back was to find out who he had sold it to and intercept the deal before it was finalized.

"We don’t buy it," I admitted. "We intercept it."

Vincenzo let out a slow, humorless laugh. "Intercept a deal from Lucien? Do you have a death wish?"

"No," I said calmly. "But I know how he works. He never delivers directly. He always uses third-party couriers, shifting locations at the last second. If we find out where the handoff is, we can take the buyer out before the deal is sealed."

Vincenzo studied me, his mind already working through the possibilities. Then, after a long silence, he muttered, "This is insane."

"It’s our best shot."

His eyes searched mine, trying to find a flaw in my plan. Then, with a sharp inhale, he exhaled and nodded.

"Then we do it my way," he said. "No loose ends."

I let out a breath. "Agreed."

We spent the next hour in the car, piecing everything together.

Step 1: Get to Lucien’s courier network. The transaction hadn’t closed yet, which meant the ledger was still in transit. If we could track the right courier, we could trace it to the handoff point.

Step 2: Identify the buyer. If it was the Bratva, this was our chance to hit them before they could use the ledger against us.

Step 3: Force Julius out.

This was the most important part. Lucien never sold high-value items without personally meeting the buyer’s boss first. It was his golden rule—he always confirmed a transaction face-to-face before finalizing it.

If the Bratva were the buyers, then that meant Julius himself would have to come out of hiding to meet Lucien.

And that meant we could ambush and kill him.

Vincenzo’s fingers drummed against his knee, his mind moving as fast as mine.

"So," he murmured, "we let the deal happen just long enough to draw Julius out, then we strike?"

I nodded. "The second Julius meets Lucien in person, we move in. Fast. Clean. No time for them to react."

His lips pressed together in a thin line. "It’s risky."

"It’s calculated."

His dark eyes flicked to mine, something dangerous flickering in them.

"And if Lucien finds out we’re interfering?"

I inhaled deeply. "Then we make it worth his while not to care."

Vincenzo smirked. "Bribery?"

"Business," I corrected. "Lucien doesn’t pick sides. He picks profits. If we offer him something better—something bigger—he won’t blink twice at switching sides."

Silence stretched between us.

Then, after a long moment, Vincenzo laughed. Really laughed.

He shook his head, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You are dangerous, Tesoro."

I lifted a brow. "So is this plan."

His smirk widened. "That’s why I like it."

I exhaled, tension draining from my shoulders.

We had a shot. A real shot.

And for the first time in a long time, it felt like we were winning.

Vincenzo studied me for a long moment, his gaze unreadable. Then, just as I opened my mouth to say something, he moved.

His fingers curled around my jaw, tilting my face up just as his lips crashed against mine.

Heat.

Fire.

The kind that burned through every wall, every hesitation, every breath between us.

When he finally pulled away, his voice was husky. "Come home with me."

I swallowed. "Vincenzo—"

He pressed his forehead against mine, inhaling deeply. "Not forever. Just tonight."

My heart thudded.

And then, before I could talk myself out of it, I nodded.

"...Okay." We stepped out of the car, making out way back to the others and immediately, Hale smirked.

"Took your time. Must’ve been a very important conversation."

Vincenzo reached for his gun but I grabbed his wrist, laughing.

Hale was lucky that he didn’t answer to Vincenzo.

"I’m going over some things with Vincenzo," I told Grace. "Hale, take her to the casino."

Hale hesitated, then nodded.

Vincenzo pulled me back toward his car, his grip firm as we drove to his mansion.

The moment we arrived, the few men on patrol froze in shock.

"Holy shit, Adriana?"

As soon as he pulled me into the house, he hoisted me into his house, the house dark as he carried me upstairs making me gasp.

But Vincenzo didn’t stop. He carried me inside, ignoring the ache in his arm as he brought me straight to his bedroom.

"Vi, your arm—"

"I don’t care."

Then he kicked the room door open and laid me on the bed, his lips claiming mine.

"I have to show you how much I love you again."