CHAPTER 32
She woke to the sound of a zipper.
The room was dark, lit only by the low amber glow of the hallway light. Mia sat up slowly, her blanket slipping from her shoulders. The clock on her nightstand read 12:03 a.m.
Luca was by the closet, crouched near her open dresser drawers. He was folding clothes and placing them carefully into her travelling bag .
She blinked the sleep from her eyes. “Luca?”
He didn’t flinch. “Hey,” he said quietly. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
She pushed her hair back, her voice still groggy. “What are you doing?”
“Packing some of your things.”
Her heart gave a small tug. “Why?” Mia swung her legs off the bed. The floor was cold.
She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself as she watched him pack another sweater into the bag his movements being so neat and careful
He stood up and zipped the bag closed, then crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. His face looked calm ... too calm, the way it always was when he didn’t want her to worry.
“We’re leaving tonight,” he said gently. “Just for a while.”
Mia blinked, still heavy with sleep. “Leaving? Right now?”
Luca nodded once. “Yeah.”
"Where are we going?”
“Somewhere better. You’ll like it. There’s more space. Quiet. No more stuffy walls or watching the same trees every day.”.”
She frowned. “But I like it here?”
“i know princess, but you've been cooped up here I think its nice to have a change.”
“But… why now, why can't we do it in the morning?”
He hesitated. It was small barely a pause but she felt it.
“Because I want to get you settled before sunrise,” he said.
It didn’t make sense, not really. But she trusted him. She always had.
Still… something about this felt strange.
"Did something happen?” she asked.
“No,” he said gently. “Nothing happened.” it was the kind of “no” that didn’t invite more questions
" I need you to find your shoes, Grayson’s already outside.”
“Are you not coming with me?” she asked.
Luca helped her sit up straighter and reached for her coat. “Not right now. I’ve got a few things to take care of here first. But I’m going to be just behind you, I won't take long I promise .”
Mia didn’t answer. She let him help her into the coat. It was the thick one he’d bought her last winter — the one she never wore unless it was really cold.
Then he tucked her blanket into one of the bags without asking.
I don’t want to leave without you,” she murmured.
He gave her a faint smile and touched her cheek. “I know.”
Luca stood and moved back to the dresser, grabbing the last of her things — her books, the worn sketchpad , the stuffed teddy bear he always pretended not to notice she still kept on the nightstand. He packed them carefully, like each one was a puzzle piece that mattered.
Mia stood too, slower, slipping her shoes on. She reached for the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to peek out.
The driveway was empty, quiet except for the car parked outside. The sky above was black and heavy, stars buried under clouds.
There was something final about the way the night looked. Something that made her fingers curl tighter around the fabric of the blanket.
“Will we come back here?” she asked.
Luca didn’t answer right away. He was tying the strap on the bag, his face lowered and expression hidden in shadow.
“i don't know” he answered his voice rough
Luca looked at her for a long second. Then pulled her in, hugged her tight,....tighter than usual while kissing the top of her head and said against her hair, “You’ll be okay. I promise.”
The air outside was colder than she expected.
Grayson was already at the door when she stepped out. He didn’t say anything at first — just gave her a short nod and took the bag from Luca’s hand. Mia stood there, arms wrapped tightly around herself, her hood slipping halfway off as the night wind tugged at the edges of her coat.
The driveway was dim. A black SUV idled quietly at the curb, headlights off, windows dark.
“Hey,” Grayson said softly.
She looked up at him. He was smiling softly at her,
“You ready?”
Grayson stepped aside and motioned toward the car. But before she could move, he turned and opened the backseat door, reaching inside.
She hesitated, looking back at her brother then suddenly ran towards him, he caught her small frame and hugged her tight,
" You'll be okay princess, Grayson will take good care of you" she nodded at his statement
" Love you" she said her voice soft after a while
" I love you too baby, now go, I'm right behind you, I promise." He said his voice soft
Mia climbed into the backseat, blanket pressed to her chest. Grayson closed the door gently behind her, then giving Luca a slight nod, he rounded to the front and slid into the driver’s seat.
The engine hummed low as they pulled away from the house. She glanced back through the tinted window and saw Luca still standing on the porch, hands in his pockets, watching them disappear.
Marcello stood near the far window of the east sitting room, his hands clasped behind his back, watching the long driveway
The clock on the wall ticked softly behind him — slow, steady, deliberate — like it knew he hated waiting. But he didn’t check it. He had already checked it too many times.
Midnight had passed. She’d be here soon.
He shifted his weight, just slightly, then stilled again.
Everything was ready.
He’d walked the perimeter himself. Twice. The guards outside knew to stay invisible. Every camera that pointed toward the guest wing had been disabled. Only Grayson, Luca, and himself would have access to the inner floor plan.
Mia would have privacy and security
He’d made sure of it.
All she would know tonight was that her brother had sent her here to this house to a man she had never spoken to, never stood near, never even seen up close for more than a few seconds.
And somehow… he had to make that feel safe.
Marcello exhaled through his nose, slow and quiet. The room smelled faintly of fresh linen and cedarwood it was what Grayson told him to do, The heat was low, the lights dim. It was the closest this place had ever come to feeling like a home.
He glanced toward the hallway.
Her room was set. Simple, warm. The books, the sketchpads, the chair by the window — all exactly how she’d want it. Or at least how he hoped she would.
He hated not knowing.
His hand curled loosely at his side. He hadn’t held a gun all evening, and somehow that made him feel more exposed than any ambush ever had.
She was fragile. Not weak. Never weak. But delicate in ways the world didn’t know how to be gentle with. And he of all people was the worst kind of person to place near something so soft.
And yet, she was coming here.
To him.
By Luca’s own will.
That fact alone still felt surreal. But Marcello knew what it meant. Trust. If anything happened to her under this roof, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
He wouldn’t let that happen.
Not to Luca. And not to her.
Because if he was honest if he let the truth rise even for a second this wasn’t about a duty assigned to him.
He missed her.
He missed the shape of her in the window.
He missed the pale curve of her shoulder when she leaned too far toward the glass. The way her head tilted when she sketched. The way his entire world seemed to slow for half a second when he looked at her and no one else was watching.
He had made himself stay away.
Now she was coming here.
To stay.
His stomach tightened as he exhaled through his nose, slow and quiet.
No one had ever lived here with him. Not like this. Not for this reason.
Women had come and gone models in silk dresses, strippers but no one had stayed. No one had mattered. Not even close.
And now she would be in his space.
He was nervous.
Actually nervous.
He hadn't felt this way since he was a boy before the blood, before the power. Back when he still had something to lose.
And now here he was.
A grown man. A killer. A don.Worried that the girl might not feel safe in his home. Just then, Marcello’s phone buzzed.
He pulled it from his coat and glanced at the screen.
Luca.
“Yeah.”
Luca’s voice came through, flat and low. “They’re on the way.”
Marcello straightened. “How far out?”
“Fifteen, maybe twenty, Grayson’s with her.”.”
Marcello was silent for a moment, then asked, “You not coming?”
“No.
Then Marcello asked, evenly, “Why?”
Luca’s voice stayed flat. “I needed to take care of a few things.”
Marcello didn’t say anything.
Luca continued, “I’m clearing the place. Erasing it. Anything with her name, her scent, her face gone.”
Marcello looked down at the floor, his mind making a realization. “Are you burning it?”
" Yeah, its why I made sure she left first, I couldn't let her see it, she wouldn't understand"
Marcello’s jaw shifted, but his voice didn’t change. “Alright.”
Then Luca said, quietly, “I’ll wrap this up and then come by.”
The call ended without a goodbye and marcello slipped the phone back into his pocket.
The car rolled to a stop.
Grayson cut the engine and sat for a second, letting the silence settle. The gravel beneath the tires crunched faintly, but otherwise, the night was still.
He turned in his seat and looked back.
Mia was asleep.
Her head rested against the window, blanket tucked under her chin, breath soft and slow.
Grayson stepped out, walked around to the back passenger door, and opened it carefully.
The porch lights cast a dim glow across her face. She didn’t stir.
“Hey,” he said softly, touching her shoulder. “We’re here.”
She didn’t move.
He tried again, this time gentler. “Mia.”
Still nothing.She was out cold.
Grayson looked toward the front door.
It opened before he could knock.
Marcello stood there, dressed in black, sleeves rolled, jaw tight. His expression shifted the moment his eyes fell to the open car door.
“She’s sleeping,” Grayson said simply.
Marcello said nothing at first. Just stepped forward and looked.
It was the first time he’d seen her this close.
The girl Luca had hidden for years. The one Marcello had only glimpsed through glass and shadows. The one who, somehow, without trying, had carved her way into the back of his mind and stayed there like a splinter he didn’t want removed.
And now she was here. In his driveway. Asleep in the back seat of the car.
She looked younger like this, small, pale, her dark hair soft around her face, curled under the edge of the blanket. Nothing guarded. No fear. Just the unfiltered exhaustion of someone who had no idea her life had just been uprooted.
Marcello’s voice was quiet. “She didn’t wake at all?”
“No,” Grayson said. “She was knocked out before we hit the ridge.”
Marcello looked at her again, then nodded once sharp, like something internal had clicked back into place.
“I’ll carry her in.”
“You sure?”
Marcello was already pulling the door wider.
Grayson stepped back.
Marcello leaned down, moving slow — careful not to wake her. His hands were steady, but something about the way they hovered for a second — like he was afraid his hands would crush her, said more than he ever would out loud.
Then he lifted her.
She didn’t wake, she just breathed out softly, her head dropping slightly against his shoulder as he adjusted the blanket to keep her warm.
Grayson watched him for a second. There was no hesitation in Marcello’s stance no awkwardness but something in the way he held her made it clear...
Marcello turned and walked toward the door.
Grayson moved back toward the car as Marcello carried Mia up the steps.
He popped the trunk, lifted her bag heavier than it looked and slung it over his shoulder without comment
Inside, the house was warm.
Marcello carried her down the hall toward the guest wing, every footstep controlled, like the floor might betray him if he wasn’t careful. She barely stirred.
When they reached her room, he pushed the door open with one hand and walked inside
The room smelled faintly of fresh linen and cedarwood. It was dimly lit — not too bright. Not too cold. Exactly as he’d set it.
He laid her down gently, adjusting the blanket, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face without thinking.
She shifted slightly but didn’t wake.
Marcello stood there for a long moment.
Looking at her.
Then, finally, he stepped back and nodded once toward Grayson, who had been waiting quietly in the doorway.
“She okay?”
Marcello didn’t look away from her as he spoke. “Yeah. She’s fine.”