***
She knew why her brother had saved this place.
Deep inside, they were only children still hoping for their father’s love but knowing they’d never get it—he’d always hated them. The home they’d grown up in eventually became the representation of all their demons. A place they could look at, sneer, and sometimes cry. Well … Fabiana was sure maybe she was the only one to do that, but for now, it was a sanctuary.
“You sure here is the best place?” Giuliana snapped her teeth toward the house. Fabiana was sure if Giules could rip the thing apart with her bare hands, she would.
Goddess, but I love having a sister.
“It’s the one place only a handful of people really know about. Adonis won’t search for me here.”
Giuliana shook her head. “I doubt it, Fab. Even with that weird scent-dampening stuff you’re wearing, you can’t run away. Pasquale will never let you live here full time, and neither will I. But who says we can’t teach an Alpha how we’re supposed to be treated?”
Their laughter only lasted a moment as they entered the house. Of course, it wouldn’t last here, with the deep-paneled walls and a stone statue of a wolf in full attack taking up the large foyer. There had been too many deaths, too many heartbreaks.
Fabiana streaked through the home, knowing the layout as second-nature. She bounded up the stairs, skirting through the stables where her father had kept his men.
Yes, stables.
Primo’s soldiers didn’t have rooms; they had cages on the second floor to protect the family rooms on the third level. They were fodder in case of attack.
“You all better die before a hair on my family is touched.”
Not that it stoppedhimfrom touching his family. But, like most bullies, Primo didn’t like to share.
She kept her focus on the back panel of the room, the masked entry to the only stairs to the third floor. It creaked with non-use as she opened it. Fabiana cringed at the sound, pausing, her heart racing.
Don’t find me. Don’t find me.
“Move, Fabiana. Only ghosts are here, and they can’t hurt you anymore.”
Giuliana’s voice rang up from downstairs, and it was enough to push Fabiana forward. That’s right. Pasquale was an Alpha. Giuliana was strong. Fabiana had found a family who supported her. She was welcome among the Lombardi Pack and no one blamed her for her shit of a father.
She was free.
“He can’t hurt you anymore,” Fabiana assured herself.
Still, she didn’t look around the upstairs floor, not wanting to remember things better left alone or make a liar of her pep talk. She knew where she wanted to go, and even if Adonis somehow found his way here, she was safe.
She placed her trembling hand against the scanner in the back of her father’s study and it beeped to life before granting her access. The steel door slid open with awhooshand she stepped inside. At least she had this.
The panic room was self-sustainable, stocked with non-perishables, water, and a bank of surveillance screens to view the cameras throughout the house. A bed and bathroom came in handy for extended stays. Not that her father had prepared for anyone else, really. She doubted he’d have saved her or Pasquale from the crossfire if he were certain he’d be able to rebuild.
Dominic and Carlos had her appreciation for ending his reign of terror.
For now, she would sit and wait. Adonis was beautiful, with his hazel eyes, golden skin, and dark hair. He was the Alpha of the most powerful pack in Encantado, and women vied for his attention. Primo had at one time thought to trap him with Fabiana but thought better of it for Adonis’s sheer size and power over the south. He’d believed Dominic was the better option to control and move in on to get a foothold with the Moretti.
Nothing worked as planned.
Fabiana found the control panel and connected to the foyer. “I’m in and okay.”
Giuliana spun around on the camera, clutching her chest. “Shit, Fab. Give a girl a warning next time.”
“Sorry. Will you keep watch outside?”
Giuliana nodded. “Might as well. Can you still hear me if I’m out there?”
“Yes. My–” Fabiana paused and took a quick breath. “Primo made sure to connect sound and visual at every point in the house. I’ll know what’s going on.”
