45. Before You Were Mine
CHAPTER 45
BEFORE YOU WERE MINE
S erena
Sprawled out on the small bed at the pensione we found just outside of town, I watch as Antonio paces the tiny room. It’s all we can afford with our meager allowance from Santi. The pissed off Italian stalks across the minute space, his shoulders bowed, deep lines furrowing his brow. We’ve been debating our next move for the past hour, and we’re at an impasse.
Worse, I haven’t been able to get a hold of Isabella, so I still have no idea if Alessandro is all right. A pit of dread has taken permanent root in my gut, the ache in my chest unbearable. I’ve searched all the media sites, but it’s like the explosion never happened. I don’t dare call Papà . Dio , if something happened to Ale while he was on a mission to save me, it could cause a third world war between my dad and uncles. For decades, the Valentinos and Rossi’s have edged the fine line of a stalemate, only the shared blood running through our veins preventing crimson spilling across the streets of Manhattan.
No, he has to be all right.
I would never forgive myself for dragging him into this mess. My chest hollows out, and I wrap my arms around my middle to keep myself together.
“Tomorrow, we go to Rome.”
I glance up to find Antonio looming over me, that unsettling look in his eye. It’s not anger or fury, no that I could handle, it’s something much worse. Utter defeat.
“I wanted to avoid returning home as anyone with half a brain would realize it would be the first place I’d go, but with my credit cards compromised, we have no other option.” He drags a hand through his disheveled hair. “I have a stash for emergencies at the train station. It has enough cash to last a few months, a fake I.D., new phone, all of it.”
“And then what?” I slide to the edge of the mattress and tip my head back to meet that wary gaze. “We can’t just keep running.” I blow out a breath, my ribs too tight from worry. “Besides, I’m not leaving Milano until I know what happened to Ale.”
“It’s not safe for you here, Serena. Can’t you see that?” He drops to his knees, hands closing around my thighs. “I’m not running. I’m trying my damnedest to keep you alive. It’s clear there’s a traitor within our ranks, but is it on your side or mine? There’s no way to know right now.” His eyes latch onto mine, anguish darkening his features. “I know my brother, and that man is much too paranoid to ever allow Isabella’s phone to be compromised. It’s the only reason I’ve allowed you to contact her. But anyone else? It’s much too risky.”
The phone on the nightstand vibrates, jerking my attention from the paranoid mob boss, and I lunge at it. Antonio is at my side before I scan the number on the screen. “It’s Bella,” I breathe.
He nods, and I jab my finger at the green button.
“Please tell me you’ve heard from Alessandro,” I blurt.
“I have,” Isabella murmurs, a hitch in her voice.
“He’s alive?” I barely get the words out.
“Yes, but he’s not in good shape. He was badly burned by the explosion at the airport. What the hell happened, Sere? I was so fucking worried about you.” She falters, a sob echoing across the line, and my chest tightens. “When I heard about the jet, I tried calling you a thousand times. I thought you were dead.” Emotion cuts her off, her voice trembling. “Please, just come home, Serena.”
“I’m so sorry, Bella. I’m trying I swear.” I stand and move to the small, attached bathroom. “I just can’t leave Antonio with this big mess to sort out,” I whisper, dropping down onto the toilet, and heave out a breath.
“Who the hell cares about Antonio Ferrara?” she shouts across the line. “He’s the reason you’re in this crazy-ass situation, and he’s the reason Alessandro is fighting for his life in the hospital.”
I glance at the doorway and find Toni leaning against the frame. His brows furrow as he regards me and with the way my cousin is screaming, there’s no doubt he can hear every word.
I draw in a sharp breath, my heart kicking at my ribs. “How bad is he?” I mutter.
“It’s bad, Sere. Uncle Marco and Aunt Jia are on their way to Milano now. They should be arriving in the next few hours. From what Papà told me, they have no idea why he was there or anything about your involvement.”
Damn, Ale stuck to his word and kept my secret even after I almost got him blown up. Fuck, this is all my fault. My stomach churns, nausea creeping up my throat.
“You better get your ass on that plane back to Manhattan with the Rossi’s, Serena, or I swear to Dio , I’ll never speak to you again. And if you get yourself killed, I won’t come to your fucking funeral.”
“Geez, Bella, way to go dark on me.”
“I’m serious. I don’t care what is going on with you and Antonio, but you need to get your ass back home.”
“Okay,” I rasp, standing to continue my pacing.
“Promise me.”
“I promise to come home.”
“Okay, good.” She heaves out a breath, the tremor in her voice subsiding. “So you’re really okay?”
Moving to the sink, I stare at my reflection in the mirror. “Yup, not a scratch on me.” Thanks to Antonio. But I know better than to let that part slip out right now. Clearly, my cousin thinks I’ve lost my mind, and she’s not wrong.
“Thank Dio .” Muffled voices resound through the line before Bella cuts in again. “Raf wants to talk to his brother.”
My gaze swivels to Antonio, still braced in the bathroom doorway, but his head whips back and forth. Coward .
I hand him the phone, but he mouths an adamant, “No.”
Ignoring him, I shove it in his face and press the speaker button. “He’s on.”
Raf shouts across the line, a chaos of Italian curses mixed in. Then Antonio’s hand latches onto the phone and he starts in on his younger brother. I squeeze between him and the open door, my best effort at giving them some privacy.
It’s time Antonio hashes this thing out with Raf. Their family feud has been going on for too long and with only the two of them remaining from the once great Ferrara empire, it’s now or never. With their asshole of a father gone, it’s their chance to start over again.
I slump down on the bed, burying my face in my hands. Antonio’s furious shouts are muffled in the distance, drowned by my own swirling thoughts. How the hell am I going to get out of this?
Now, not only has Antonio kidnapped me, but he’s also nearly cost Alessandro his life. As if he didn’t have enough trouble with my father, he’s now incurred the Rossi’s wrath as well. My Uncle Marco is a fairly reasonable man, but his kids are everything to him, and Aunt Jia… she’s more ruthless than he is.
A long minute later, the crash of the bathroom door smashing into the wall jerks me from the dismal inner musings. Antonio stalks out, anger carved into his jaw, and a furious vein pulsing across his forehead.
“It went well I take it?” I shoot him a cheeky smile.
“Yes, it’s extremely pleasant to be verbally crucified by your holier-than-thou younger brother. Thank you for that.” His fists clench at his side as he nears.
“No problem.”
He blows out a frustrated breath. “I’m sorry about your cousin.”
Clenching my teeth, I will steel into my veins. I will not cry . If I let the dam burst, there will be no stopping it. “Alessandro is strong. He’ll survive this.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” He moves in front of me again, then crouches, onyx eyes smoldering. “Raf made it clear that my life would be forfeit if I don’t return you to the Valentinos safely. That said, my little brother also agrees that getting you out of the city for a few days is the best option. As soon as your cousin is well enough to be transported from the hospital, I’ll deliver you to the Rossi’s and you can all fly home together.”
“So you plan on dumping me in some safehouse in Rome until then? And then what? Are you going to run off by yourself and play the hero?”
“Yes,” he grits out, “if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”
“Well, I’m not okay with that. Just like you don’t find it acceptable that I risk my life for yours, the same holds true for you.” I’m not exactly sure when that happened, but it has. The idea of Antonio dying is unbearable, a thought that chills me to the bone and leaves my heart aching.
“You have no say in the matter,” he growls, rising so that he towers over me.
I jump up, climbing on the mattress and gaining a foot on him. Jabbing my finger into his chest, I hiss, “You may have taken me hostage, kept me in a comfy cage for weeks, but I do not belong to you. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I have been for years.”
His eyes flash, the fury I much prefer to the utter defeat, surging to the surface. “I don’t give a fuck what you did in the past. That was before?—”
“Before what?” I snarl, leaning into his space. The air thickens between us, my world narrowing to only his breath and my own.
“Before you were mine.” His hand snakes around the back of my neck and his mouth claims mine, punishing and ravenous, as if he needs to prove that I belong to him with this fiery kiss.
And in this moment, I want to.