Chapter 16 #2
I take the bottle, our fingers brushing briefly, causing that uncomfortable pang in my core. "Thank you."
He nods, watching as I unscrew the cap and take a long drink.
"Changing laptops and locations will make the job easier," I say, returning to the screen. "Raymond's tracking system won't be able to lock onto a moving signal. We'll be ghosts."
Alessio raises an eyebrow. "You sound almost confident."
"I am." I twist my mother's ring once, then stop myself.
He studies me for a moment, his dark eyes unreadable. "Good. Keep working."
As he turns to walk away I feel a strange sense of determination rising within me. Yes, we're hunted. Yes, we're in danger. But for the first time since this began I feel like we might actually have a chance.
I take another sip of water and dive back into code, fingers flying across the keyboard with renewed purpose.
I rummage through the supply crate in the corner of the warehouse, finding more canned goods. My arm throbs as I reach for a can of beef stew, the bandage Melania applied pulling tight against my skin.
The hot plate takes forever to warm up. While the stew heats, I check my phone. Three missed calls from Damiano. Shit.
I step out of Melania's hearing range and call him back.
"Took you long enough," Damiano says when he answers.
"Been busy keeping us alive," I reply, keeping my voice low. "What's the situation?"
"We've got two places lined up. A condo in Brookfield for tonight, then a house in Greenwich for tomorrow. After that, we'll reassess." He pauses. "There's something else. Leonardo had a major blowout with Antonio yesterday. Sources say Leonardo stormed out of the Lombardi estate."
My interest sharpens. "You think he's turned?"
"Maybe. That's what I need you to find out. See what the sister knows about her brother. If Leonardo's having second thoughts about daddy dearest we might be able to use him."
I glance at Melania. "I'll see what I can do."
After hanging up I stir the stew, the smell making my stomach growl. I fill two bowls and carry them over to where Melania works.
"Food break," I announce, setting a bowl beside her.
She blinks, surfacing from whatever digital maze she's navigating. "Thanks."
I sit across from her, watching as she saves her work before picking up the bowl.
"Damiano called," I say casually, testing the stew's temperature. "We have a condo for tonight, house tomorrow."
She nods, taking a small bite. "Better than this place, I hope."
"Much." I hesitate, then decide on the direct approach. "He also mentioned your brother had a major fight with your father. Leonardo apparently left the estate."
Her spoon freezes halfway to her mouth. Something flickers in her eyes—surprise, hope, concern—before she carefully masks it.
"Leo and my father disagree sometimes," she says carefully.
"This seemed bigger than 'disagree.'" I watch her closely. "How close are you with your brother?"
She sets the bowl down, suddenly looking tired. "Why do you want to know about Leo?"
"Because he might be useful." I see no point in lying. "If he's questioning your father's methods he could be an ally."
Melania twists her mother's ring, a nervous habit I've noticed before. " I already told you. My brother is... complicated."
I set my bowl down too, leaning forward. "What I'm asking is whether Leonardo would choose you over your father. If he's fighting with Antonio then maybe he's questioning things."
Melania's face falls, a shadow crossing her features that makes my chest tighten. I hate putting that look on her face but I need to know.
She twists her mother's ring slowly, staring at some point beyond my shoulder. "Leo used to protect me from everything. When I was little he'd sneak me candy when Father said I couldn't have any. In school he'd threaten anyone who dared say a word against me."
Her voice softens with the memory but then hardens. "But this... this is different. This isn't schoolyard bullies or strict parenting. This is my father's empire, his legacy."
"You don't think he'd choose you?" I press, though I already see the answer in her eyes.
"I don't know," she whispers, and the uncertainty in her voice feels like a confession that costs her dear. "I want to believe he would but Leo has been groomed to take over since he could walk. Everything he is, everything he has... it all comes from our father."
I nod, understanding the weight of family legacy all too well. If I had a sister—someone to protect, someone whose safety and happiness depended on me—I'd burn the world down before I'd let anyone hurt her. I'd choose her over Damiano, over the Ferettis, over everything.
But I'm not Leonardo Lombardi. I wasn't raised to be a don.
"I'm sorry," I say, surprising myself with how much I mean it. "I shouldn't have pushed."
Melania looks up, her eyes meeting mine. "It's fine. These are questions I've been asking myself since I found that USB drive."
I watch as Melania's eyes fill with unshed tears. Her jaw trembles slightly.
Fuck. I did this.
My fist clenches at my side, the urge to punch something—the wall, the floor, anything—nearly overwhelming.
The familiar burn of rage rises in my chest but this time it's directed at myself.
I've spent years mastering control, learning to channel anger into precision, but seeing her like this makes me want to tear this warehouse apart with my bare hands.
I move before I think better of it, closing the distance between us. She doesn't flinch when I crouch before her, doesn't pull away when I reach up and gently cup her chin with my hand.
"Look at me," I say.
She raises her eyes to mine, those unshed tears making them shine like amber caught in sunlight.
"What you're doing right now?" I say, holding her gaze steady. "It's braver than anything I've ever done. Braver than your brother, than your father, than any don in our world."
She blinks, a single tear escaping down her cheek. I brush it away with my thumb, the contact sending heat through my fingertips.
"I don't feel brave," she whispers. "I feel terrified."
"That's what makes it brave, piccola . Feeling the terror and doing it anyway.
" I don't release her chin, can't seem to make myself let go.
"You know what I want from all this? To make your father lose control.
To show him his place. It's about power and territory and all the same shit we've been fighting over for generations. "
My thumb strokes along her jawline without my permission.
"But you?” I continue, “you're doing this for those people in the files.
For kids who'll never get to grow up. For families who'll never know what happened to someone they loved.
" I shake my head, something like awe creeping into my voice.
"There's a fucking huge gap between those two things. "
She stares at me, searching my face like she's trying to decode another encrypted file. Whatever she finds there makes her shoulders straighten, her chin lift slightly higher in my grasp.