Amore Mio (#4)

Chapter 13: Certainty

MIA REGINA hit 1 million a few days ago!!! WOOT WOOT!!! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 And Amore Mio is at 100k 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

We did it guys! This couldn't have been possible without any of you. I can't thank you guys enough for the love and support you've shown the books and even me. I really appreciate your kindness more than you realize, so thank you ❤️❤️❤️ We are all in this together. Every milestone the books hit, we've done it together. I love you guys so much ❤️❤️❤️

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(Leo's POV)

The pain pills I had swallowed left me nauseous, but my need to find my love overpowered everything. Arie's locket was tightly fisted in my palm which provided me with a minuscule sense of comfort. My eyes had been glued to the screen that showed the location of the tracker I had slipped into Arie's mouth. The signal was still bouncing everywhere; from the edge of Bulgaria to different parts of the Black Sea.

          Frustration had my muscles tensed and skin prickling with sweat. I loosened a couple of buttons of my dress shirt and shrugged off my suit jacket before leaning back in the leather seat of the jet we were flying in. Mike sat across from me, his calculating gaze intact. He pushed a bottle of water in my direction that I chugged down at once. My throat was parched due to the pills.

          Mike gave our guards a look which made them excuse us and walk to the front of the jet and out of earshot. "Man, you look deathly sick." Mike turned to me, pointing out the obvious and offering me a handkerchief. "You're pale. The sweat on your face looks like fucking oil. You should've rested. I could take care of this myself."

          Taking the handkerchief from his grasp, I wipe the beads of sweat from my forehead and breathe in slowly. "Arie is my priority."

          "I get that. I'd give my everything to bring her home and you know that." Mike shook his head at my condition helplessly. "You're gonna work yourself to death."

          "This is the price I pay for being the leader. It's nothing new, and you know that."

          "I do, but—"

          My fist came down with a rattling clank on the polished table that separated us. "Arie isn't a want for me, Mike. She isn't just a bloody desire," I spat, pain flaring up in my body with the sudden anger that surged through my veins. "She is a need. She's a necessity that I cannot live without. I don't give a fuck about my injuries or how busted up I look right now. I need her by my side and I will get her back no matter the price I pay. If I lose a limb or two in the process, so be it, but God better fucking help those who stand in my way for I will rip their heads clean off their shoulders and gift them to the tigers to play with, and that'd be mercy on my end. You know that as well as I do. Keep trying to talk me out of this and you'll be their first meal."

He held my gaze for a few moments and bit back his tongue. With a defeated sigh, his shoulders slouched a little. "As your right-hand man, it's my job to advise you. I'm your consigliere for a reason. Not your brothers or cousins but me. Your word is law at the end of the day, but as your best mate, I just want you to know that you're one fucked up asshole. Losing you in this battle will be the downfall for us all."

"The empire won't fall over this. I've handled worse shit."

"I've sworn my loyalty to you with my blood, Leo. Literally. You're not one to sit back and let your soldiers fight your battles. I'll ride into any war with you, but it does me no good if the king I follow isn't well enough to pick up a sword." He regarded me with frustration. "And it definitely isn't good if I have to bury that king."