Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
Lucia
I thrash against the iron grip of the men dragging me across the floor, screaming, but they haul me up the stairs anyway.
Through my thrashing I spot Emily in the hallway with Giorgio. “Emily! Please! Help Tony—Carlo promised he wouldn’t torture him!”
As I get closer I see her face isn’t cold anymore. Tear tracks stain her cheeks and fresh ones shimmer in her eyes. Giorgio shifts, planting his massive body between us like I might suddenly grow claws and lunge at Carlo’s precious wife.
The two men gripping me toss me into a room and slam the door shut behind them. I scramble to my feet, lunging at the door, yanking the handle over and over. Locked.
That’s it. I slam my fists against the wood, screaming, “Carlo, you bastard! You promised! You fucking promised!”
I don’t know how long I pound and scream. When my strength finally gives out I slide down the door, breathless and shattered, Tony’s name a broken whisper on my lips.
When the adrenaline fades I realize where I am. The library. Even crawling to the couch feels like too much effort. Instead, I press my face to the cool marble floor, curl my knees to my chest, and weep.
Time slips away.
Then the door creaks open.
Carlo steps inside.
The sight of him brings back the last bit of strength in me, and I bolt upright. Even though he’s wearing a black t-shirt, the specks of blood are unmistakable. Droplets splattered across his body, blood that must have spilled from my husband’s veins.
My gaze drops to his hands, fresh wounds mar his knuckles, split open from the force of his blows.
He looks at me with contempt, then moves further inside. Behind him, Maxim and Noah carry Tony’s battered body into the room.
He’s wearing only briefs. His face is so swollen I barely recognize him. Cuts, bruises, and burns cover every inch of his body.
I don’t even know if he’s still alive.
Rage blurs my vision. I lunge at Carlo with nothing but murder, or better yet, suicide, on my mind. I want to claw his vile eyes out, rip them from their sockets. But he’s too damn tall, and instead of reaching his face, my nails tear through his shirt, ripping the collar.
His slap cracks across my face, hard and fast, knocking me to the floor again. But I refuse to let the blow disorient me. Gritting my teeth, I push myself up, ready to attack again, when Brando grabs me from behind, holding me in place as he whistles low.
“Easy, kitten. Easy.”
Still fighting, I watch Carlo peel off his ruined shirt. The black ink of his tattoos covers every inch of his powerful chest. Ignoring us, he strides toward a bookshelf, one I know all too well.
This is it. The hidden passage. The escape route Tony and I used that night.
He unlocks the hidden door, revealing the dark corridor leading to the spiral staircase. Standing in the doorway, he pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes Tony’s blood from his fingers, his voice chillingly composed.
“I’ve spent years thinking about how I wanted to kill you both. And I decided…your story should end exactly where it started.”
Carlo signals to his men. Noah and Maxim grab Tony’s battered body, dragging him across the floor before tossing him down the stairs. My eyes widen in horror as a piercing scream rips from my throat.
“No! Tony!”
This time, Brando releases me without resistance, and I bolt toward Tony, now lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs.
Gently, I turn his head toward me. A faint groan escapes his lips.
Relief floods my chest at the proof of life, but I don’t dare move him, fearing any touch could worsen his injuries.
Carlo’s men come down again, yank us both across the cold stone, and drag us into the dark tunnel. The minutes stretch as they haul us through the dim tunnel. Finally an iron gate appears.
The men shove us past it, dumping us unceremoniously on the ground before turning back.
I crawl to Tony and cradle his head in my lap. Carlo stands over us. In the dim glow of a flashlight, he looks less like a man and more like a savage beast.
He gestures around. “You should know this passage well. But I’ve made some changes.”
His gaze shifts to Tony. “Your husband should know, the old route is gone. I dug a new one, leading somewhere entirely different. If you walk, it’ll take a full day to reach the exit. Given his condition, maybe longer.”
Rage surges through me, my breaths coming in sharp, shallow bursts. My fingers twitch with the urge to claw at his face, to tear him apart.
Carlo places his hand on the iron door, smirking as he delivers the final blow.
“In exactly six hours, this tunnel will explode. If you run, maybe you’ll make it in time.”
He smiles, slow and cruel. “Goodbye, Lucia. I hope it hurts like hell.”
When the door shuts, absolute darkness swallows everything. I don’t even have a lighter to see what’s around me. Carefully, I lower my fingers, feeling for Tony’s face. I lean down, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, and whisper his name.
“Tony…my love…my love.”
His breathing grows heavier, his voice barely a whisper.
“Lucia…get out of here.”
Tears run down my face but I laugh, choked and broken, and grab his hand. “Last I checked I’m not exactly a champion sprinter.”
His breath rattles, every inhale sounding like a struggle. “Today might be a good day to start.”
I laugh through my tears, wiping them away quickly. Gently, I rest his head back on the ground and fumble my way toward his body, feeling my way in the pitch-blackness like I’m completely blind. I lie down beside him, pressing my face against his bloodied but still warm skin.
“I love you, Antonio Bruni.”
His hand fumbles, searching. I catch it and lace our fingers. “I love you too, Lucia Bruni.”
I brush my thumb over his knuckles, my voice soft and teasing.
“Who would’ve thought Carlo could be this creative?”
He lets out a rough, pained laugh. “Right? I always figured he was a caveman who found a time machine and never looked back.”
“At least you could picture him in a car. I remember back in the day, whenever I saw him driving some luxury ride, I kept thinking, nothing suits that face and that attitude better than a wild horse, not an SUV.”
This time Tony laughs a little louder, but the movement rips a groan out of him. “You weren’t entirely wrong. Carlo’s always loved breaking wild horses. I think he used the same tricks on Emily. Tamed her. Leashed her.”
I shake my head. “No, I think he brainwashed her. What woman could possibly fall in love with a man like that?”
“And what if she isn’t in love with him? What if she’s just afraid?”
“No, my love. I know what a woman in love looks like. Trust me.”
Tony falls quiet for a beat, then squeezes my hand. “Why did you fall in love with me?” he asks, voice soft.
His question pulls a real smile from me and carries me back to that sunny afternoon.
I shift closer, voice warm. “I don’t know. Nobody ever really knows, do they? But from the first second I saw you, I wanted you. At first you were just a daydream. Then I kept adding to it, making you more real every day. In my head I traveled the world with you, loved you, lived with you.”
Tony lets out a slow exhale. “And after all the shitty things I did to you, I must have ruined that picture completely.”
“I won’t lie. You weren’t exactly the most lovable man at first. But you were already inside me, Tony.
Woven into every part of me. You weren’t the man I thought you were, that’s true.
But when I really got to know you, I realized you were even better than I’d imagined.
The love I felt for you the second time was stronger, deeper than before. I don’t regret anything.”
“But I do,” he murmurs. “You’re here because of me.”
“Don’t. I’d rather die in the dark beside you than live in the light with someone like Carlo. You were everything I ever wanted. The only love I’ve ever known. I was lucky to live with you…and I’ll be lucky to die with you.”
Tony squeezes my hand, voice rough. “Even if I lived a thousand lives, I still wouldn’t deserve you. I was the lucky one.”
I prop myself up on one elbow and lean down until I find his lips. I kiss him anyway, tasting blood and not caring. He kisses me back with the last ounce of strength he has left.
Then, a faint sound reaches me, making me go still. It takes me a second to realize, it’s the sound of an engine.
I lift my head, my heart hammering. “Tony, do you hear that?”
His breath is shallow, his voice faint. “All I hear is ringing.”
As the sound grows closer, I sit up fully, my eyes widening in the darkness, straining to see anything. A few minutes later, a faint light flickers through the tunnel, growing stronger with every second until a motorcycle finally comes into view.
Tony stirs beside me, his voice barely above a whisper. “Help me sit up.”
I quickly move to support him, easing his back against the wall before settling beside him. My pulse pounds in my ears. I don’t know if this is another one of Carlo’s twisted games or if help has actually come.
A motorcycle screeches to a halt right in front of us, and the rider swings off. My vision hasn’t adjusted to the sudden brightness, so I instinctively wrap an arm around Tony, shielding him. But then, a familiar voice cuts through the dark, urgent and out of breath.
“Hurry up! We don’t have much time!”
My breath catches in my throat. “Rafael? Is that you?”
He slides an arm under Tony’s shoulders, carefully helping him up as he responds, “Yeah, it’s me. But save the joy for later, Lucia. In a few hours, this whole tunnel’s going up in flames.”
I help him lift Tony onto the motorcycle. It’s a struggle, but somehow, we manage. I climb on behind Tony, wrapping my arms around him while Rafael gets in front, making sure Tony doesn’t fall.
Just as Rafael revs the engine, Tony rasps out the question that lingers in my mind. “How did you find us?”
Rafael doesn’t miss a beat. “Emily.”
He twists the throttle and we roar into the dark