Chapter 36
EVA
I test the window in the guest bath downstairs again.
Still sealed tight.
Not a single budge even after three days of working at them when no one's watching.
I’ve tried with other windows and doors in obscure rooms of the house.
It’s almost as if Ivan knows what I’ll try and he’s thwarting me all the way.
But time is running out. Tomorrow is Friday.
Giving up, I retreat to my room where I’ve spent all my time trying to figure out how I can warn Adriano.
“Oh… you are here,” Daria, the maid assigned to care for me, or spy on me, says as she walks in with a tray. “I have your lunch.”
She’s young, maybe twenty.
I’m sure she’s here like an indentured servant, committing to give seven years of work in exchange for her moving to America.
I wonder if Ivan will ever let her go. She’s probably lucky he didn’t sell her.
"I need a phone call," I say, like I've said every day. "Just one call to check on my daughter."
"Boss says no." She sets the tray down and retreats quickly.
I slump onto the bed, mind racing. The Vitales and Ivan are going to ambush the Dantes at the shipment tomorrow. Adriano will be there and they will kill him.
I've considered screaming for help, breaking the window glass, setting off some kind of alarm or anything to create chaos that might give me a chance. But I'm on the third floor, guards everywhere, and Ivan made it clear I’d never make it out.
I glance at the uneaten lunch. The utensils are plastic.
“You should eat,” Daria says, returning to my room.
“I’m not hungry.”
She shrugs and goes about cleaning my room. She bends over to dust under my bed and her phone falls out. She picks it up, setting it on the bed as she reaches further under the bed.
When she gets up, she picks up the towels she set on the bed and takes them to my bathroom.
I can’t stop looking at the phone.
It’s sitting there waiting for me to take it. Did she leave it there for me on purpose? If not, and I take it, she’ll tell Ivan.
In the bathroom, she hums a tune I don’t recognize. The door closes and I hear the sink running.
I have no choice. I move. I grab the phone, my fingers shaking as I swipe the screen.
No password.
No thumb print.
No visual recognition.
The universe is on my side for once.
I type frantically, entering Adriano’s phone number and typing a message.
Ivan + Vitales planning ambush at Friday shipment. DO NOT GO.
The water stops running. I glance at the bathroom, wanting to write more, but am afraid my time has run out. I hit send, delete the message from the sent folder, clear the history, and place the phone exactly where it was, face down.
When Daria enters my room, I’m sitting at my table, eating the sandwich she’s brought me.
“Oh, good, you’re eating,” she says cheerfully, collecting her phone. With a slight nod, she leaves my room.
I close my eyes, exhaling slowly. The message is sent. Whether Adriano believes it, whether he even reads it, is beyond my control now.
At least I tried. At least I warned him.
I’ve barely caught my breath from the risk I’ve just taken when the door swings open without warning.
Ivan strides in. "Comfortable?"
I keep my face blank, worried he knows what I’ve done.
He gives me that dumb, amused smile. “The silent treatment, eh? I respect your strength and resolve, Eva. It's what made you such a valuable asset."
"I was never your asset," I say. "Your brother threatened my father's life."
Ivan turns, smirking. "And yet you performed admirably.
Until you didn't." He adjusts his cufflinks, studying me.
"It seems your beloved Adriano doesn't care much about your wellbeing.
No rescue attempts. Not even negotiations.
" He seems disappointed. “I really thought he might disobey Alessandro and try to save you after all.”
He shrugs. "Perhaps he's finally realized what you are. A traitor.”
“Is there something you want, or are you just bored and find amusement in harassing me?”
Ivan laughs. "I won’t deny I enjoy watching you squirm, but I’m here for a reason. I'm feeling generous." He checks his watch. "I'm going to give him one more chance to play the hero."
"What do you mean?"
"You're coming with me tomorrow. Special event. We'll see if Adriano's feelings for you are strong enough to override his brother's command to stay away."
My blood runs cold. The shipment. He's bringing me as bait, dangling me in front of Adriano while his men prepare to kill him. Or maybe he wants to make sure Adriano believes I really am a traitor.
"And if he doesn't try to save me?" I ask.
Ivan shrugs. "Then perhaps I'll have to reconsider the value of keeping you alive. Or maybe I'll pay a visit to that sweet daughter of yours instead."
God, back to that. “Your threats are getting tedious.”
He leans close, his breath hot on my face. "You're nothing, Eva. A pawn. Useful until you're not. Don’t forget that."
He straightens, adjusting his tie. "Rest up. Tomorrow will be eventful whether Adriano cares enough to save you or decides you deserve to die alongside him."
The door slams behind him, and I let out a breath, praying my message reached Adriano in time.
God. How did I end up here?
Could I have made different choices like Adriano said?
Four years ago, when Lorenzo threatened me, what if I'd gone straight to Adriano?
If I'd told him everything, about the Russians blackmailing me, about his father's ultimatum, about the baby growing inside me, would he have protected us?
Could he have protected us from his father?
I close my eyes, imagining that alternate life.
Adriano standing up to his father, keeping me safe, raising Mirabella together.
Our daughter growing up with both parents, secure and loved.
Or would Lorenzo have simply killed me before Adriano could intervene?
Would Adriano have even believed me over his father?
The Dantes value family loyalty above all else.
And what about now?
If I'd trusted Adriano with the whole truth when he found me in New Jersey, would things be different?
Would he have understood why I spied for the Bratva, why I ran, why I kept so many secrets?
Maybe I'd be safe in his arms right now instead of locked in this room, waiting for tomorrow's bloodbath.
But I've seen the Dante men when they feel betrayed.
I saw Lorenzo's eyes when he accused me of betraying his family.
I've witnessed Alessandro's mistrust.
Even Adriano's face when he caught me in Atlanta was brutally menacing.
Would the truth have set me free or signed my death warrant?
I let out a frustrated growl.
These endless what-ifs won't save me, and they won't protect Adriano tomorrow.
The night passes in a haze of dread and restless sleep. As dawn breaks, I find myself oddly calm, resigned to whatever comes next.
If this is my last day alive, I can face it knowing one thing. Mirabella is safe.
My little girl with her infectious laugh and curious eyes is far from here, protected behind the walls of the Dante compound.
Whatever Alessandro thinks of me, he would never let harm come to his niece. And Adriano would tear the world apart to keep her safe.
All they have to do is survive.
But what if they don’t?
Has Adriano made plans for her to go to his family in Chicago?
I never met Luca.
He was exiled before I met the Dantes. But I knew Valentina. I liked her. She’s married now with a child, so surely, she’d be a good person to raise Mirabella if both Adriano and I die today.
The idea that Mirabella may be orphaned today nearly brings me to my knees.
I send out a prayer that Adriano got the text and will heed the warning.
That he will live to raise Mirabella and help her live her dreams.