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Thirty Minutes Before
“What are you doing?” I whispered when Enzo opened the SUV door inside the garage and grabbed my free hand, pulling me out seconds after leaving me speechless with his “I love you.”
“It’s a mistake to send you away,” Enzo rushed out. “My head was off. We’re all ... a bit off.” He squeezed my hand. “You can’t leave. You’re right. You’re safer near me.”
Alessandro exited the front seat and Isabella and her mom joined us by the vehicle.
“They’ve been ahead of us this whole time,” Enzo said. “What if they have eyes in the sky and follow the SUV and use them to get to us?”
“Use us to get to you? Who?” Isabella cried, turning to her mom for answers, but she remained quiet, only an apology in her eyes. Enzo’s father must’ve only told Angela the details last night, and they’d chosen to keep her in the dark.
Alessandro gave us an uneasy look. “I don’t like them being here, not with war coming our way.”
“War?” Isabella asked as her mom pulled her to her side. “I thought you stopped. You’re out. That life ...”
“We’ll explain later,” Alessandro promised as I kept a tight hold of the rosary in my other hand, trying to keep myself calm. Images of my daughter tethered me to reality, though. Brought the fear up and into my chest and throat. The idea of never seeing her again wasn’t something I could stand.
“The safe room is our best bet.” Enzo peered at me as if reading my worried thoughts. “It’s on the other side of the house, far away from the study. Not near any open land or water. It’s fire- and bulletproof. It can withstand a blast.”
A blast? The rosary nearly slipped from my hand. Maybe we’d be safe in there, but what about him and the others if they weren’t with us?
“Dad won’t like this, but I think you’re right. It’s the safest option,” Alessandro agreed. “What about a decoy, though? If they’re expecting we’ll send the women away, why not redirect some of their men away from here, too?”
Enzo nodded, already on the move, guiding me back inside the house. “I’ll have Hudson grab two of our guys. The armored SUV and another one. Two different directions.”
Enzo stole a look at me from over his shoulder as we walked down the hall, slamming into his father in the process.
“What the hell are they still doing here?” Mr.Costa blocked our path.
Enzo explained his reasoning, then added, “The safe room here is a much better option than sending them away. We’re not thinking clearly because of ... because of Bianca.”
And if they weren’t thinking clearly, did that mean they’d be at an increased risk when “war” happened?
“Fine.” His father grabbed hold of Angela’s and Isabella’s hands, and he led us to the safe room.
It was hidden inside a storage room. Well, behind a shelving unit inside the room was another door. After typing in a code, a door slid open, revealing a staircase.
We went downstairs and were greeted by a vault-like door. One more code. Then we were inside.
The lights flickered on to show a decent-size space, the size of my bedroom back home.
Enzo let go of my hand to face his brother. “Someone has to stay with them down here.”
I set the rosary down on a nearby table and grabbed both his hands. “Can’t it be you?”
“It needs to be Enzo up there,” his father said before Enzo could answer me. “Alessandro won’t be able to kill someone he knows.”
“So you’re saying Enzo can do that?” I asked in a soft voice.
“Yes, if I have to,” Enzo murmured, never losing sight of my eyes. “I’m sorry, Maria. But I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I forced a nod, fighting back tears, then pressed up on my toes to kiss him.
He pulled back, his lips lingering near mine. “I’ll get you back to Chiara, I promise,” he whispered before letting me go.
His mom pulled him in for a hug. Isabella was next. Then he squeezed my arm before heading upstairs after his father said his goodbyes as well.
Feeling alone even though I wasn’t, I looked around the room. There was a daybed, a shelf of food, weapons, and two screens on one wall with a large control panel between them. Lastly, my attention fell to the three boxes near the door. Bianca’s things?
