"Cara! Dio, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Cara."

In a heartbeat, the terrifying predator vanished. Giovanni dropped Adrian like a piece of useless trash and scrambled across the pavement on his knees, his face pale with sheer horror. His bloody hands hovered over Rosa, trembling, terrified to touch her and cause more pain.

Relief washed over Rosa. The truth was, his elbow hadn't actually connected with her stomach—he had missed her entirely, his arm merely brushing past as she tripped and fell. But seeing how close he had been to beating Adrian to death, she knew she had to keep up the act. It was the only thing that would...