Page 22 of Sicilian Savior

“See? He’s okay. We’ll keep an eye on him while we figure out how to get him out.”

“How’s it looking?” Knox asked.

Wesley shrugged. “Not good, but not bad. We’ve gotten in and out of a lot worse. Still gonna take a little planning, though.”

“But you can do it?” I asked. “You can get him out.”

Wes snorted. “Oh, yeah. We’ll get him out. Well, they’ll get him out. I won’t be there. I’m just the guy who handles the computers and cameras and shit. I don’t even have to leave my couch to do my part. Knox, Piper, and Marcus do all the hands-on stuff, but they’re the best of the best, and with my eyes in the sky, we’ll succeed.”

“You’re damn right we will,” Knox said.

“So, I just called to tell you I finished tying up the holes in Lucia’s identity. Not even the CIA could hook her up to the new one now.”

“Wait,” I said. “I had holes?”

Knox nodded. “The average citizen can change their identity, but anyone with enough know-how can still track you down. I asked Wes to make sure there were no connections between your old life and your new one. He completely erased your trail. Now when you get Luca back, no one will ever be able to find you, Lucia.” He arched an eyebrow. “Or I guess I mean they’ll never find Maria Ciccone.”

I gasped. “How... how did you figure out my real name?”

“Well, that part was easy,” Wes said. “Your marriage license to Victor had your maiden name.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“But there were still ties that hooked Maria Ciccone to Lucia Salvatore. I erased them. You’re safe now. Just wanted you to know. I like the name Lucia, by the way. It’s pretty.”

“My mother called me Lucia as a child, a name meaning light. Before Luca was born, I’d thought he was a girl and had settled on calling him Lucia. But I changed it to Luca when I saw his sweet face. When I needed to come up with a new identity, Lucia was the first name to come to mind.”

“I like it too,” Knox said. “Since it’s your new identity and needs to stay that way, I’m going to keep calling you that instead of Maria. Okay?”

“Yeah. Of course. I’m Lucia now. This is my new life. I still can’t believe I left a trail back to Maria. I really thought I’d done a good job.”

“You did, for a civilian,” Wes said. “But I’ve got ways to make anyone disappear. You’re good now.” He looked at his screen and quickly said, “This is Marcus. Gotta go, Beefcake. Bye, Lucia.”

The screen went black, and Knox shoved it back into his jeans pocket. “There. Now you see? You can trust me. We’ve got this.”

I sighed and pushed back into his arms, holding his muscular back while I let the tears fall again.

He stroked my hair, holding me tighter as he whispered, “I’ve got you, Lucia. I’ve got you.”

And he did. I knew he did. For the first time since the day I saw Victor killing that man in his office and realized I’d married a monster, I felt safe.

Knox pulled back and looked down at me, his eyes drifting to my lips. I’d been so focused on finding Luca and running that it had never even occurred to me I could ever have romance in my life again. But for the first time since I escaped, I let the thought drift into my mind.

And it felt good picturing Knox’s lips on mine.

Really good.

But he didn’t kiss me. Instead, he cleared his throat and stepped back. “So, we need to get our stuff together here. I think the sooner we head to Sicily and get situated, the better. We’ll need to stay a distance out of Palermo, so you don’t get seen, but I’d rather be there and ready when Marcus finishes the plan than scrambling to get there.”

“Yes. I agree.” I wanted to be on the same soil as my son, and the sooner we got there, the better.

“Why don’t you go get packed and let Ned know you’ll be traveling. Tell him your aunt is sick. Don’t need him raising any eyebrows at your absence. I’ll arrange for travel and text you as soon as I’ve got it sorted out.”

“Okay,” I answered. “I’ll be ready.”

Knox stepped forward and slid a thumb across my cheek, cupping my chin with his hand. “We’ve got this, Lucia. You’ll have him back soon.”

I smiled and pressed my cheek into his hand, hoping now that maybe he’d kiss me. But he didn’t, instead turning around and leaving the store.