Chapter 36 - Stephanie
STEPHANIE
I’m too focused on getting Jackson safely up and over the wall to see what’s happening down below.
But I can tell something’s wrong by the urgency in Gio’s voice.
Then the sound of a gunshot echoes through my body as if the bullet itself had struck me.
Jackson screams, and my heart stops as we lose our balance, tipping back over the wall.
I twist, reaching, and catch us just in time, the clay shingles biting into my fingers as I slam against the far side of the wall.
One arm wrapped around Jackson, I hold us both suspended as my bare feet scramble, seeking purchase on the jagged rocks of the softly sloping wall.
Biting back a cry of pain as my shoulder protests, I stare down at the predicament we’re in.
Ten feet up, we’re too far off the ground for me to jump and safely break Jackson’s fall.
But the fear that Jackson’s scream might mean he got shot overrules it all.
“Jackson, are you hurt?” I ask, scanning him for a bullet wound as best I can while still holding him with one arm.
“I’m okay,” he says, looking up at me with wide, terrified eyes. “Did he shoot Gio?”
My heart stutters and gives a painful squeeze.
“I… I don’t know,” I admit, glancing above us, hoping I’ll catch a glimpse of Gio.
I might have driven him from our lives, but that doesn’t mean I love him any less than I have since the day I met him, and the thought that he could be hurt or dead on the other side of the wall makes me want to cry.
But if he did get shot, then Jackson and I might be on our own.
“Bud, I need you to do something for me. Can you hold and try to slide down me, closer to the ground? Think of it like you’re going back down that climbing rope in gym.”
Jackson glances over his shoulder at how high up we are and swallows hard, then nods. I keep my arm loosely curled around him, then transition my grip to his upper arm as a safety measure while he slowly works his way closer to the ground.
When he’s at my knees, his arms wrapped around them so tight that my bones are screaming in protest, he looks up at me anxiously.
I give him an encouraging nod. “Good boy. Now I need you to let go. It’s just a small drop from there.”
I don’t know how my little boy got so brave, but he only hesitates a second before he lets go. Then tumbles as he finds the uneven footing several feet beneath him.
As soon as he’s clear of my landing area, I let go of the wall, my bare soles scraping against the stone the whole way down as I half slide, half fall. I don’t even realize I’ve been holding my breath until my feet hit the ground.
My knees nearly give out, but I don’t stop moving until I have Jackson’s little body clutched to my chest once more. He’s breathing hard, and I can feel the hammering of his heart against my ribs.
“What do we do now?” he asks, eyes lifting to search the top of the wall for Gio.
My heart twinges because—in no uncertain terms—Gio’s last words to us were telling us to go, get out of here.
Something dies inside me at the thought that he might have said it because he’s not going to make it over that wall.
But if we stand here long enough, waiting for him, all his efforts and sacrifice will be in vain if we get caught again.
With a knot blocking the words in my throat, I open my mouth, ready to tell Jackson it’s time to go.
We can’t stay here.
But before I can get that far, a head appears over the top of the wall, followed by a pair of broad, powerful shoulders.
Relief floods me as Gio lands with a heavy thud beside me, and before I can protest, he’s scooping Jackson right out of my arms and tucking him securely against his chest.
“Stay close,” he orders, his voice low but urgent. “We need to keep moving.”
I don’t even think to argue.
His free hand reaches back for me, strong fingers closing around my palm—firm enough that I couldn’t get free even if I wanted to.
And God help me… I don’t want to.
Not right now.
We run.
Branches slap at my arms.
My bare feet tear against gravel and roots, but none of it matters.
All I can focus on is keeping my footing, keeping pace with Gio, not letting my fingers slip from his.
Every few strides, he glances back to make sure I’m still with him, his eyes fierce in the low light.
“What happened back there?” I ask as the last echoes of gunfire and shouting fade behind us, replaced by the rasp of our breaths and the thump of boots on dirt.
“My brothers had my back.”
That’s all he says, and I bite my lip as I wonder just what lengths he went to tonight to find us.
Somewhere in the distance, I hear the low rumble of an engine.
Gio angles toward it, never slowing.
Then, as we near the road once more, I see them—three dark figures in the glow of dim headlights.
Miko is the first to move toward us, his expression breaking into something dangerously close to relief. “You made it.”
Sandro’s grin is sharp and crooked, but it’s real. “For a minute there, I thought we’d have to come in and drag you out ourselves.”
I don’t expect the warmth in their voices or the way they each reach for me as soon as Gio slows to a stop.
Miko’s hands grip my shoulders, steadying me. Sandro leans down just enough to press a quick kiss to my temple.
Then Raf steps forward, the hint of a smile gracing his lips. “You alright, Stephanie?”
I nod breathlessly. “We’re okay. We’re both okay.”
Jackson lifts his head from Gio’s shoulder just long enough to give a shy little wave. “Hi.”
That gets a laugh from everyone, low and genuine.
The tension cracks just a fraction, and in that small space, I feel it—home.
Not the kind of home made of walls and a roof but the kind that lives in people, the kind that’s been absent for so long, I almost forgot how good it feels.
Miko gives Gio a look. “We need to move.”
The car door is open before I can think, and Gio’s ushering me inside, still holding Jackson like he’s not going to set him down for the rest of the night.
I slide in after them, the door slamming shut with a finality that feels almost like safety.
The drive back is a blur of shadows and motion. Gio keeps his arm around Jackson the whole time, his other hand gripping mine in the space between us.
He doesn’t say much, but the weight of his hand is enough to steady me in a way nothing else could.
When we finally pull through the towering, formidable gates of an unfamiliar compound, my chest tightens. I lean close to Gio so I can whisper, “Where are we?”
Gio’s eyes flash to mine, and I see a sadness in their depths that I didn’t anticipate. “A lot has happened since you disappeared,” he says gruffly. “I’ll catch you up on everything later tonight.”
The place is lit up, men stationed along the walls, but the sight that catches me off guard is the figure standing just inside the courtyard. Leo, Gio’s older brother.
I had wondered where he was when we found Miko, Sandro, and Raf at the edge of the woods, but I didn’t think it was an appropriate time to ask.
He’s bigger than I remember, all filled out and muscular, but it’s his face that’s changed the most.
Yes, it’s eight years older, but it no longer holds the strained lines of anger and resentment he seemed to carry wherever he went.
Beside him stand two women, one a beautiful petite blonde, whose bare feet on the cement would suggest this is her home.
And on the other side, a striking raven-haired woman whose face holds a frightening resemblance to Kenji’s.
Only her eyes are soft and warm, not cold and maniacal.
And when the car pulls to a stop, she graces us with a radiant smile.
“Thank God,” the blonde gasps as soon as we unload, and to my shock, she races toward Miko, throwing herself into his arms.
Even more unexpected is when he pulls her closer to press a rather intimate kiss to her lips.
“You’re here.” Gio sounds surprised as he strides forward to pull Leo into a hug.
“Anika called as soon as you left the house. We drove straight down,” Leo explains, only furthering my confusion.
What the hell is going on here? Where was Leo before?
Leo steps toward me then, his hand landing heavy but warm on my shoulder before he pulls me into the first hug I think I’ve ever received from him.
“Stephanie, it’s good to have you back,” he says simply, but the weight behind the words is enough to undo me all over again.
Because back from the dead is what he means.
Jackson turns in Gio’s arms, and Gio finally sets him down, though his hand lingers on Jackson’s back.
“Jackson, Stephanie, let me properly introduce you to everybody,” Gio says.
“Those are my twin brothers, Raf and Sandro. That’s Miko and his wife, Anika.
” He gestures to the blonde still wrapped in Miko’s arms. “And this is Leo and his wife, Sora.” Gio indicates the raven-haired woman, who steps forward with tears in her eyes now.
“I’m so sorry for all the pain my family has caused,” she breathes, confirming my suspicion.
But I don’t have long to think about it as she pulls me into a hug.
And in an instant, I know she’s nothing like the man who terrorized me.
She releases me, stepping back with a breathy laugh as she looks down at Jackson. “It’s so wonderful to meet you both. I know how much you mean to Gio.”
It’s all so much—too much.
The warmth, the welcome, the feeling of being folded back into something I thought I’d lost.
And at the same time, so much has changed.
I feel like I blinked and life had moved on.
We move inside, the brothers close around us, voices low but steady. Somewhere between the front door and the living room, I hear Miko’s voice, calm but certain. “Kenji’s gone.”
I look up sharply.
Raf nods, his tone grim. “I put a bullet in his eye. Saw him hit the pavement. His men dragged him back inside, but he wasn’t breathing.”
Gio exhales slowly, the tension in his shoulders shifting—not gone, but altered. “Good,” he mutters.
I should feel relief, too, and part of me does.
But the bigger part of me is just… tired.
Because I know it doesn’t end here.
Kenji might be gone, but there will be another.
There’s always another.
We settle in the living room, Sora bringing water and a blanket for Jackson, who curls up on the couch beside me.
He’s asleep within minutes, the adrenaline wearing off.
Gio sits across from us, his eyes never leaving me.
And in that moment, I know.
This can’t be our life.
Even surrounded by warmth, by people who care, there’s a constant undercurrent of danger.
Gio’s family will always have enemies.
Jackson will never be entirely safe here, no matter how much they love him.
And despite the self-doubt that had started to trickle in about my decision to cut Gio from our lives, this experience has only intensified my reasoning behind it.
I wait until the brothers are busy in the next room and Gio and I are alone.
Then I reach deep inside myself to find the strength to break all three of our hearts once again. “Gio…” My voice feels strange in my throat.
He leans forward, forearms on his knees. “Yeah?”
I swallow, forcing the words out even as they tear at me. “I hope you know this doesn’t change anything.”
His eyes narrow, like he’s not sure he heard me right. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t safe. Not for Jackson. Not for me. Tonight just proved that.” I grip my hands together to keep them from shaking. “I’m grateful—God, I’m so grateful you came for us. But I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep wondering if the next enemy will find us before you do.”
He stares at me, jaw tight. “You think I wouldn’t protect you? Protect him?”
“I know you would. That’s the problem. You’d die trying. And one day, you might not make it in time.” My voice cracks, and I look away. “I can’t live like that. And I won’t make Jackson live like that.”
He doesn’t move for a long moment. Then, quietly, “I understand.”
I blink back tears as I turn my attention to Jackson, gently combing his hair away from his face to rouse him. “Jackson, honey, it’s time to wake up and go home.”
He mumbles something, then sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he yawns.
My heart clenches as Gio crouches in front of him, his big hands settling on Jackson’s small shoulders.
“You take care of your mom, alright, kid?”
Jackson nods sleepily. “Will I see you again?”
Gio glances at me, then shakes his head. “No, bud. It’s best if I stay away.”
Jackson’s lip trembles.
He looks like he wants to argue, but instead, he throws his arms around Gio’s neck.
Gio holds him for a long moment, his eyes closed, his hand splayed across Jackson’s back like he’s memorizing the feel of him.
And the sight of them saying goodbye absolutely crushes me. It’s all I can do not to sob, but I have to be strong.
For Jackson.
When our little boy finally pulls back, Gio stands, his gaze locking with mine. “If you ever need me—”
I shake my head. “Please, Gio. Don’t contact us again.”
The words feel like glass in my mouth, but I say them anyway.
Because loving him isn’t enough.
Not if it gets my son killed.