34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mariella
“ W here were you last night?” Sofia asks as soon as I enter her room. “I’m not used to the old dragon bringing me food anymore.”
I roll my eyes at her dramatic tone. “Giulia is not a dragon. She’s the sweetest woman ever.”
“To you perhaps, but she loathes me.”
I set the tray I was carrying down on the little table and turn to face her. She narrows her eyes, studying me.
“What happened?” she asks after a beat or two.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been all smiles the past few days, but not this morning. Did your father show up again?”
Sofia’s gaze is sharp, and I’m surprised by how attuned she is to my moods. I guess she doesn’t have much else to occupy her time, so she notices every shift.
Then again, it’s probably not hard. Last night’s events still weigh on me, though Mateo’s comfort helped more than he’ll ever know.
I remember falling asleep in his arms, and despite everything, I slept like a rock. The adrenaline crash must have knocked me out.
But I woke up alone this morning, not that I expected him to stay. It wouldn’t have been appropriate.
Mateo’s scent lingered though, and it was like he was still there with me.
“Yes and no,” I reply as I sink onto her bed with a sigh. “I went sightseeing in Rome yesterday, but just before I was supposed to meet Gustavo, my father showed up and pulled me into an alcove. He grabbed me from behind. I didn’t realize it was him at first. Scared the living daylights out of me.”
That encounter with him seems like a lifetime ago. It’s hard to believe it was just yesterday.
“Well, you’re still here, thank God. Guess that means he didn’t drag you back to Sicily.”
I laugh, but there’s no humor in it.
The words you’re still here hit me hard, pulling me back to last night. I could so easily not have been.
The shock of being caught in a shooting may have faded, but the memory of that bullet whizzing past my head hasn’t. It makes me shudder, and, of course, Sofia notices.
“What else happened? There’s more, isn’t there?” Damn, she’s perceptive.
“Yeah,” I sigh, the fear from last night resurfacing.
How does Mateo do it? How does he stay so cool when bullets are flying all around him?
“Mateo and I were being shot at on the way home last night.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I cringe.
Crap.
I shouldn’t have mentioned Mateo. Now she’ll have a deluge of questions.
Sofia’s eyebrows shoot up. Here we go.
“Mateo? I thought you said Gustavo was picking you up. Why were you suddenly with the man of the house?”
“He, umm… he must have been in the neighborhood,” I lie. Actually, I don’t know if it’s a lie. He never said why he was looking for me.
“And?” Sofia asks when I get lost in that realization.
“And he took me to dinner because I hadn’t eaten all day. Afterward, we were walking to his car when, all of a sudden, bullets were flying from everywhere. I’ve never been more scared in my life.”
“Fuck, Mari. Are you okay?” she asks her face full of concern.
“Yeah, neither of us got hit, but it was terrifying.”
“I know what that’s like,” she says quietly. “I’ve been in a couple of shootouts and seen men drop all around me. It messes with your head. Not knowing if you’re next, if the next bullet’s got your name on it. You try to keep your focus, but all you hear is the pounding in your ears, the chaos, and that eerie silence after each shot.”
I stare at Sofia, stunned. It sounds like she wasn’t just hiding behind a car like I was. She was in the thick of it, defending herself. It’s hard to wrap my head around. Seeing her now, so composed, you’d never guess she’s been through something like that.
My mind flickers back to last night, to the way I froze, barely able to breathe, let alone think.
But Sofia? She faced it head-on. The contrast hits me hard. We’re worlds apart.
But hadn’t I noticed her confidence from the start? The way she carries herself, calm and composed. That kind of strength doesn’t just appear. It’s earned.
She’s been through things, and somehow, she’s come out stronger. Standing beside her, I feel sheltered, maybe even a little na?ve. And yet, for the first time, I’m grateful for it.
Only yesterday, I wandered through Rome, tasting freedom and resenting how Father had kept us so isolated. Now, I realize it sheltered us from the dangers of our world that Sofia knows all too well.
I silently pray I’ll never have to face anything like last night again. But if I did, would I find my strength or freeze all over again?
Sofia takes my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“You’re going to be alright, Mari. Thankfully, things like this aren’t daily occurrences for us.”
For us. But for Mateo, they are.
He’s exposed to that kind of danger every single day, and yet he doesn’t even flinch. I guess when you face death constantly, you grow numb to it, almost expect it.
But it also means every day could be his last.
The thought slams into me, and my throat tightens.
I can’t imagine a world without Mateo in it. Especially not now, after he let his guard down and shared a sliver of his true self with me.
“What will happen to me?” Sofia asks quietly out of the blue. “If Mateo had been shot, what would happen to me?”
I turn my head to look at her, caught off guard by her question.
“I’m scared, Mari. Scared I’ll die in this room.”
I want to reassure her, but I have no answers. No one has mentioned anything about her future, not even in passing.
“I don’t know what their plans are for you,” I admit softly, wishing I could say something more. “But I’m sure of one thing. They wouldn’t just leave you here to die. That’s not who they are.”
She chuckles without humor in it. “I suppose. They kept me alive this long when I’m no longer useful to them. With all of my family gone, I’m no leverage anymore.”
“I’m sure they’ll let you go eventually,” I say, forcing a smile. “And hey, at least in here you’re safe from flying bullets.”
“Signor De Marco was looking for you, cara mia ,” Giulia says as I enter the kitchen a few minutes later.
“Oh? Does he want to see me? Should I go to his office?” The words spill out of me, and I’m sure I’ve given away how just the mention of his name makes my heart race.
Part of me can’t wait to see him again, but the other part dreads it.
How am I supposed to act around him now?
Will there still be that closeness we shared last night? Or does he regret opening up to me about his blood phobia? Perhaps he wants to see me to remind me not to tell anyone.
My palms go sweaty and my stomach performs jumping jacks. It’s nauseating.
Giulia glances up from her pots, her eyebrows raised, and a flush creeps over my cheeks. Great, now I probably look guilty.
“He said to tell you to change into workout clothes and meet him by the front door in…” She glances at the clock. “Twenty minutes.”
“Workout clothes? Does he want to go for a run?”