Chapter 34 Isabella
The car is moving fast.
I'm in the back seat of a Mercedes. Bulletproof, Lupo said when he helped us in. The kind of car I expected to see after learning who he really is.
Elena is between us, pressed against my side, still trembling occasionally. But she's talking. Non-stop. The way children do when they're processing something frightening.
"And then the man said we were going to see you, Daddy, but we went to a big building instead and it was dark and Mama held me the whole time and I was brave, wasn't I, Mama? I didn't cry too much. And they took my rabbit and I was so sad but you got it back, right? You have my rabbit?"
"Yes, I have it." His voice is gentle.
His hand reaches across Elena, palm up. I take it immediately, needing the contact with him. Needing to know this is real.
He squeezes gently and I squeeze back, my throat too tight for words.
In the front seat, Ciro is on his phone, speaking quietly. The driver's eyes are on the road. Both of them professional. Giving us as much privacy as they can in the confined space.
But they're still there. I stay quiet. Just hold his hand and listen to Elena.
"Daddy, you said you have my rabbit?"
He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out the worn, beloved stuffed animal.
Elena gasps. "Bunny!" She grabs it, hugging it fiercely. "I thought they lost him!"
"I got him back for you." His voice is soft. "I'll always get him back for you."
She throws her arms around his neck, rabbit clutched between them. "Thank you, Daddy!"
He holds her carefully, his eyes closing for just a moment. I see the emotion there, the relief that she's safe. That we're both safe.
Elena settles back between us, clutching her rabbit, and her chatter continues. About the men, about being scared, about how Mama told her Daddy would come. She's processing. Working through it the only way a three-and-a-half-year-old knows how.
By talking.
I let her. Just hold Lupo's hand and stare out the window at the dark landscape passing by. I'm so tired. The adrenaline is fading, leaving me hollow and shaky.
"Where are we going?" I ask quietly. The first words I've spoken since getting in the car.
"The farm," he says. "For tonight. Tomorrow we'll figure out the rest."
I nod. The farm. Home. One more night in our own bed before everything changes.
"Daddy?" Elena tugs at his sleeve. "Will there be people watching us? Like guards?"
"Yes. To keep you safe while you sleep."
"Okay." She accepts this easily. "Can I wave at them?"
"Of course."
She seems satisfied with this answer and goes back to petting her rabbit, humming quietly to herself. The exhaustion is catching up with her too. Her words are getting slower, her voice softer.
I lean my head back against the seat, still holding his hand. Still needing that anchor.
He came for us.
That's all I can think. All that matters right now.
Ciro finishes his phone call and turns slightly in his seat. "The perimeter is secure, boss. Six men positioned around the property. More if you need them."
"Six is fine for tonight." Lupo's voice is different when he talks to Ciro. More controlled. More commanding. "Tomorrow, we move them to the villa. I want the route secured in advance."
"Already being arranged."
They talk logistics for a few more minutes about the security, timing, transportation. I don't really listen. Just let the words wash over me.
This is his world. The world we're entering.
Guards. Security. Routes that need to be secured.
It should frighten me.
But right now, I'm just grateful.
Grateful he has the resources to protect us. Grateful he came. Grateful we're alive.
Elena is asleep now, slumped against me, her rabbit under her chin. The adrenaline finally gave way to exhaustion.
"She's out," I say quietly.
Lupo looks over, his expression softening when he sees her. "Poor baby. She was so brave."
"She kept asking for you. Kept saying you'd come."
"I'm sorry," he says, his voice rough. "I'm sorry they found you. That they used you to get to me."
I squeeze his hand. Not now. Not with Ciro and the driver right there. We'll talk later. When we're alone.
He seems to understand. Just squeezes back and goes quiet.
We drive in silence for the rest of the journey. Elena sleeping. Me watching the dark landscape blur past. Lupo's hand warm in mine.
Ciro makes more calls. The driver navigates the dark roads carefully and slowly the familiar countryside appears. The roads I know. The landmarks I recognize.
We're almost home.
The car turns onto the dirt road and I see the farmhouse in the distance. Lights still on the way I left them. But there are other vehicles too. Black SUVs. Men in dark clothing taking positions around the property.
My new reality.
Elena wakes as we pull up to the house, rubbing her eyes. "We're home?"
"We're home, baby."
"Look, Mama! There are the guards!" She's not frightened. Just interested. She waves at the nearest one, a large man who smiles and waves back.
The car stops. Ciro gets out and opens our door. Lupo climbs out first, then reaches back for Elena. He lifts her easily, settling her on his hip.
I climb out after them, my legs unsteady. The night air is cool and familiar.
One of the guards nods respectfully as we approach the house. "Don Rossi. Signora."
Don Rossi.
A mob boss to be both respected and feared.
That's who he is to them. To his world.
But to Elena, he's just Daddy.
Inside, everything is exactly as we left it. Elena's toys scattered on the floor. Our breakfast dishes still in the sink.
"Bath time," I say, my voice sounding strange to my own ears. "Then bed."
"Can Daddy help?" Elena asks, already half-asleep again.
"If he wants to."
"I'd like that," he says quietly.
We go through our normal routine. Bath. Pajamas. Teeth brushing. Lupo reads her three stories, his voice steady and soothing. Elena falls asleep before he finishes the third one, her rabbit tucked under her arm.
He kisses her forehead gently, then follows me out of her room.
In the hallway, we stand facing each other. Alone for the first time since the factory.
Ciro is outside coordinating with the guards. The house is quiet except for the sound of Elena's soft breathing from her room.
Finally, we can talk.
But I don't have words. All the fear and relief and gratitude I've been holding back since the factory crashes over me at once.
I step forward and wrap my arms around him, pressing my face against his chest. Feeling the solid reality of him.
"Isabella." His arms come around me immediately, holding me tight. "You're safe. You're both safe now. Don’t worry. I’m here now and I’m never leaving you again."
And then I'm crying. All the tears I held back for Elena's sake. All the terror I couldn't show her. All of it pouring out now that we're finally alone.
"I was so scared," I manage between sobs. "Not for me, for Elena. I kept thinking what if something happens to her? What if..."
"Shh." His hand strokes down my back. "You're both safe. I've got you."
I hold him tighter, letting myself fall apart. Knowing he'll catch me.
He just holds me, murmuring reassurances, being exactly what I need. When the tears finally stop, I pull back slightly, wiping my eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"Don't apologize." He cups my face gently. "You held it together for Elena. You kept her calm. You were so brave. But you don't have to be brave anymore. Not with me."
I lean into his touch. "You came for us."
"Always. I will always come for you." His voice is fierce. "No matter what. No matter where you are. If you need me, I'll come."
"Ciro called you Alessandro in the car."
He nods slowly. "That's my name. My real name. Alessandro Rossi. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I truly couldn't remember."
"But you remember now."
"Everything." He brushes a tear from my cheek with his thumb. "It all came back when I saw Elena's rabbit. When I knew they had you. Everything just flooded back."
"What do you remember?"
"My whole life. Growing up in Naples. Building the organization from nothing. Everything Ciro told me." He pauses, watching my face carefully. "Does it change things? Knowing my real name?"
"No." I shake my head. "You're still you. Still the man who fixed my fence. Who reads Elena stories. Who came for us."
Relief washes over his features. "I was afraid after everything that you'd be scared. That you'd want to leave."
"I'm not scared of you." I touch his face. "I'm scared of the world you live in. Of what almost happened today. But of you? Never."
"Isabella." His voice breaks slightly. "I love you. More than I ever would’ve believed possible."
The words hang in the air between us.
Raw. Honest. True.
"I should have said it before I left," he continues. "Should have told you every day. But I'm saying it now. I love you. And I love Elena. You're my family. And I will do anything to keep you safe."
My throat tightens again with fresh tears. But these are different. Not fear. Not relief.
Joy.
"I love you too," I whisper. "I have for a while. I was just too scared to say it."
"And now?"
"Now I'm still scared. But I'm saying it anyway." I lean up and kiss him softly. "I love you, Lupo. Alessandro. Whoever you are."
He kisses me back, gentle and tender, like I'm the most precious thing in the world to him.
When we finally pull apart, he rests his forehead against mine. "Come to bed. We can talk about Naples tomorrow. About the villa and everything that comes next. But tonight, I just want to hold you. Make sure you're real. That you're safe."
We walk to our bedroom hand in hand. The bed looks the same. Feels the same when we climb in, still wearing our clothes from today. Too exhausted to do anything but curl into each other.
He pulls me against him and I press my face into his neck, breathing him in.
"Lupo?" I murmur, already half asleep.
"Mmm?"
"Can I still call you that? Or should I call you Alessandro?"
"Call me Lupo." His arms tighten around me. "Please. The rest of the world can have Alessandro. But you and Elena, you get Lupo."
"Okay." I press closer. "My Lupo."
"My Isabella," he whispers into my hair. "My brave, beautiful Isabella."
We lie there in the darkness, holding each other. The farmhouse quiet around us except for the occasional murmur of the guards outside.
Tomorrow everything changes.
But tonight, we're just us.