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When her hand stilled, I lifted my head.
“I thought I’d lost you, too. I didn’t know how to warn you. Byrne wanted to take everything from you.”
“He did. He took you.”
More tears glistened on her cheeks. I took my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She slipped her arms into the sleeves, then brought them to her nose and inhaled.
The door popped open. Ant slid behind the steering wheel, and Stefano sat in the passenger seat, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette. I sat on the seat and settled Allegra on my lap as Timoteo climbed into the third-row seating.
She could sit beside me, but I needed her close. I needed to feel the warmth of her body, to feel her heart beat with mine. I wanted to breathe her in. I clutched her closer. Understanding my desperation, she rested her hand on my jaw, and her nails combed through my beard.
“Do you want to watch it burn?” Stefano glanced over his shoulder at Allegra.
“No. I want to find Dee.” She laced her trembling, blood-stained fingers with mine, noticing for the first time her wedding ring on my finger. Her gaze snapped to mine.
I curled my hand into a fist, denying her the ring. Not because it didn’t belong on her finger, but when I offered it to her again, there would only be truth and trust between us. Not the promise of something neither was prepared to give.
“We need to get you to the house.”
“Not without Dee and Knox. You have to find them, Marco. Please. Byrne sold her. There are other girls in the house. We have to help them.”
I met Ant’s gaze in the rearview mirror and gave him a slight nod. He quietly spoke to Stefano.
Ant drove while Stefano spoke on the phone. Allegra glanced at Timoteo and quickly averted her gaze.
“No more lies,” I said.
“No more secrets.” She shuddered in my arms. “What if we’re too late?”
“You trust Knox, and I trust Orlando. They’ll get Dee.”
She covered her face with her hands as a sob rolled from her throat. She dipped her forehead to my shoulder. I held her and whispered to her in Italian.
“My wife, a beautiful warrior. She fights for her family.”
“Emilio has a location,” Stefano said. “But Orlando isn’t answering.”
Allegra lifted her head. “What about Knox?”
My grip on her hip tightened.
“Fuck,” Stefano flicked his cigarette out the window. “Emilio is monitoring the police scanners. The cops are at the house in the Hills. Gunshots were reported. Several fatalities and medical transports are on the scene.”
Allegra squeezed my hand.
“Don’t,” I said.
“Oh god. Marco, if something happens to them, it’ll be my fault.”
“This wasn’t your fault. We’re Italian mafia, and Byrne is Irish mob. This is the danger we live with. Why it’s important for you to understand why you need soldiers surrounding you. Why Deidre should’ve known not to leave the house without her security. We’ve both made mistakes,” I said, gently brushing her bangs from her eyes. “Tell me about Knox.”
“A few weeks ago, he found out Dee was in the gaming chatrooms. I asked Tim to check her keystrokes.” She glanced at Tim. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you why.”
Tim sat back in the seat and kept quiet. Secrets were being exposed. Deadly secrets. Secrets that could have cost me Allegra.
She shifted on my lap. “I couldn’t expose Knox,” she said too quietly. “He’s a soldier for Byrne, but he’s not like them. When he discovered Byrne’s plans for Deidre, he came to me. Once they took her, I made him take me with him. He couldn’t get her out alone. After everything that happened between us,” she said about me. “I couldn’t take the chance you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“I wouldn’t have listened.”
