Chapter Fifty-Four
Sabrina
I lowered my pistol and sank into one of the chairs, letting the adrenaline slowly drain from my body as I waited for my family to reach the room. I wasn't about to leave Sergei and Yuri unattended, but I had even less intention of dragging two grown men through a warehouse.
My gaze settled on Sergei.
He lay exactly where he'd fallen, one arm twisted beneath him, his face turned slightly towards the floor. Without the arrogance in his expression or the coldness in his eyes, he looked younger somehow. He was only twenty, already carrying the same darkness I'd seen in his father's eyes.
For a moment, the years seemed to collapse. I wasn't looking at Sergei anymore.
I was looking at Ivan.
Fifty-two years old when I stood over his body and watched the life leave his eyes beneath my feet. I'd spent years believing that killing him would finally silence the ghosts he'd left behind, only to find that his son had grown into another version of the same man.
The resemblance wasn't just in their features. It was in the way they believed power belonged to them simply because they had been born into it.
The irony wasn't lost on me. Ivan had tried to destroy me, and I'd killed him. Now his son had followed the same path and ended up at my feet.
My fingers tightened around the pistol resting against my thigh.
The distant sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor. Finally, I straightened in my chair and turned towards the door, listening as the voices outside grew louder.
My family was getting closer.
The footsteps grew louder until they were almost directly outside the room. A second later, the door burst open.
Dad appeared in the doorway, his eyes sweeping across the room before landing on me.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Then a deep breath left him, the sound heavy with relief, and he crossed the room in a few quick strides. His arms wrapped around me before I could say a word, pulling me firmly against his chest as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“Grazie a Dio,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. “Stai bene.”
Thank God. You're okay.
I closed my eyes for a moment and let myself sink into the embrace. After everything that had happened, feeling my father's arms around me was enough to remind me that I wasn't alone anymore.
When he finally pulled back, his hands remained on my shoulders as his eyes moved over me, checking for injuries.
“I'm fine, Dad.”
He studied my face for another moment before finally seeming satisfied.
I glanced towards the doorway. “Aren't you going to tell the others you've found me?”
A small smile tugged at his mouth.
“Not yet.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I'd like to enjoy a little peace before your brothers come charging through that door,” he admitted. “Once they know I've found you, the quiet will be over.”
I couldn't help but laugh. “You know they'll be looking for you.”
“I know.” He glanced towards the doorway. “That's why I'm going to enjoy these last few minutes.”
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Dad closed his eyes briefly.
“Actually, I think we've already run out of time.”
The door opened again, and Enzo stepped inside.
His gaze immediately found me, and the relief on his face was quickly replaced by confusion when he noticed the two bodies lying on the floor. His eyes moved from Sergei to Yuri before a slow smirk spread across his face.
“Well, damn.”
He walked further into the room, looking over the scene with open amusement before turning towards the corridor.
“I found them!”
His voice echoed through the warehouse.
Dad sighed.
“So much for the quiet.”
Enzo laughed and crossed the room, pulling me into a tight embrace the moment he reached me. He held me for a few seconds before pulling back and looking me over.
Then his gaze drifted towards Sergei again.
“I was expecting to find him unconscious,” he said, nodding towards Sergei, “or dead.”
His eyes returned to me, the corner of his mouth lifting.
“Honestly, I'm impressed you left him breathing.”
The sound of hurried footsteps filled the corridor before the door opened again.
Dante came through first, followed closely by Leonardo, Carlo, Luca and Matteo. The moment they saw me, whatever urgency had brought them into the room disappeared. They crossed the distance between us almost at once, pulling me into a series of tight embraces that left me laughing despite myself.
“I'm fine,” I reminded them when they finally gave me enough room to breathe. “You all know what I'm capable of.”
“That doesn't mean we weren't worried,” Leonardo said.
Carlo shook his head. “You're still our sister.”
I smiled, looking between them. “I was gone for one day.”
“One day too long,” Carlo muttered.
My gaze eventually settled on Dante. Unlike the others, he hadn't said anything. He stood a little further back, his eyes moving over me from head to toe, checking every visible inch of me for injuries.
I caught him staring.
His eyes met mine for a second before he immediately looked away, glancing towards the two unconscious men on the floor instead.
“I knew what you were capable of,” he said, his voice quieter than the others. His gaze remained on Sergei and Yuri. “I just didn't know whether they'd give you the chance to prove it.”
Before I could answer, another set of footsteps approached.
Mum appeared in the doorway.
The moment she saw me, her expression crumpled with relief. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me, pressing kiss after kiss against my forehead and cheeks as though she needed to make certain I was really there.
“Oh, my girl.”
I laughed softly through the emotion. “I'm fine, Mum.”
She held me for another moment before finally pulling back.
Then her expression changed.
“We need to go back to the island.”
I frowned slightly.
“Dario needs to see you.”
The words settled heavily in my chest.
Mum glanced towards my brothers. “Someone needs to get that little boy out of bed.”
My stomach tightened.
“He's still in bed?”
She nodded.
“He refuses to leave it. He hasn't wanted to eat properly, he barely speaks, and...” Her voice softened. “He's been crying.”
Everything inside me went still.
For all the blood I'd spilled tonight, all the men I'd fought and every threat I'd faced, nothing had frightened me more than those words.
Dario had been waiting for me.
And I'd already kept him waiting long enough.
I looked towards the door. “Let's go home.”
We made our way out of the warehouse, the night air hitting my face the moment I stepped outside. After spending so long surrounded by concrete walls and stale air, the cool breeze felt almost unfamiliar.
Behind us, Sean's men carried Sergei and Yuri out of the building. Neither had stirred, and both were being taken straight to Sean's basement. I watched them disappear into the waiting vehicles before turning back towards my family.
Then I saw Luis.
He was standing a little apart from the others, his eyes already fixed on me.
I excused myself from my family and walked towards him, my steps slowing the closer I got. He didn't say anything at first. His gaze moved over me, searching my face the same way everyone else had, as though he needed to reassure himself that I was really standing there.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
“I'm fine.”
He studied me for another moment.
I looked into his eyes.
“Yes.”
His eyebrows drew together. “Yes to what?”
I realised what I'd just done and, before I could overthink it, I let a small smile pull at my lips.
“Dinner.”
Then I turned and walked away.
I didn't look back. My heart was beating harder than it had during the entire night, and somehow, that unsettled me more than the armed men, the vent full of spiders or Sergei and Yuri ever had.
Apparently, all it took to make me lose control was agreeing to dinner with Luis.