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“Happier than I ever thought possible. I love him, Marco. I know it seems quick, but I can feel it in my soul. This doesn’t feel like a transaction, like I’m being sold. Not like it did with Antonio. With Nick, it feels more like an agreement, a vow that actually means something.”
My brother looks into my eyes, then down for a long time, as if he’s processing what I just said. After a while, he nods his head in acceptance.
“So, you going to tell me why you were pacing?” I ask as Carlotta starts warming food.
“Nick wouldn’t let me go with them,” he admits, making me love my husband even more.
“You wanted to go?” I elbow him lightly. “To fight for the Davincis?”
He shrugs. “You’re my family. And if you choose the Davincis”—he clasps my hand—“so do I.”
“Mangia,” Carlotta says as she finishes placing food on the countertop. The tension in Marco breaks somewhat as his stomach rumbles.
We dig in, enjoying the food. Carlotta’s prepared a simple burrata, and we devour it as if we’ve never seen the deliciousness that is mozzarella before.
“So good.” I steal the last bite from Marco.
He tries to swipe for it. “Hey, that’s--”
My heart stops when a loud pop sounds, followed by an alarm blaring. My hand goes for the gun, my fingers wrapping around the cold steel.
“Sophia!” Carlotta grabs my wrist and pulls me from the kitchen.
Marco follows at my heels.
“What’s happening?” I don’t know why I ask the question. I know the answer. War.
“Upstairs.” Carlotta, surprisingly spry, leads me up the stairs at almost a run, and shows me to a room on the opposite end of the house from the bedroom. More gunfire rings out, and men yell.
Someone at the front door calls, “It’s Pasquale’s men. Take them out!”
My guards position themselves in the hall behind us, their guns drawn.
Carlotta opens a heavy door and pulls me inside a room lined with flat screens.
“What is this?”
“Safe room.” She motions for Marco to come inside.
He glances at me, resolve on his face.
Panic blooms in my heart. “Marco, don’t go out--”
“I have to.”
“No!” I dart to the door, but he shuts it in my face.
“Marco!” I yell and beat on the sturdy door. The wood panel is just a veneer. I can tell there’s metal beneath it. Whirling, I grab Carlotta. “Please, open it. He’ll be killed.”
“I can’t.” She shakes her head.
“Why not?” I look around for a handle, a button, anything. But the wall and door are completely smooth.
“Nick left strict orders for your safety. And this is the only way he can do what he needs to do. You’re a liability.”
“What?” I cry.
Her face softens a bit as she pulls me to the screens. “I only mean that you’re his heart. If he thinks you could be in danger, he won’t be able to focus on doing what needs to be done. He’d be too worried about you.”
I swallow hard and try to think calmly. I’m not there yet, but what she says does make some sense. “I think I understand.” Even so, worry for Marco and Nick eats away at what little composure I have. “But Marco is just a kid.” I watch as he heads down the stairs and one of Nick’s men gives him a gun. “No, no, no.”
“Nick is coming. Try to trust that he’ll keep all of us safe.” She points to a screen showing the busted front gate and the black SUVs speeding up the long drive. “And please keep in mind that this isn’t the first time fools have come for the Davincis.” She turns and opens a cabinet along the windowless wall. Pulling out a semi-automatic rifle, she cocks it like a professional and lays it on the wide mahogany desk beneath the screens. “If they come for us, we’ll be ready.”
My gun looks like a toy compared to hers. “Damn, Carlotta.” I have a newfound appreciation for her, and I don’t think my eyes have ever been wider in my life.
She pats my arm in her grandmotherly way. “No one will hurt you. Not on my watch.”
I peer at another view and watch as Nick steps from one of the SUVs. More cars barrel down the drive, and then the real war begins.
