LOGINFor a heartbeat, the courtyard went silent. Completely, utterly silent. I had expected shock. I had expected questions. I had expected Kat to combust on the spot. But the actual reactions… Yeah. They were something else.My mother blinked once. Twice. Then she stepped forward, eyes wide. “Wife?” she repeated, like the word personally offended her. Her gaze snapped to Gabe. “Son?” Her voice pitched up an octave on the second word. I braced myself.My twin didn’t say a word. He just smirked, that slow, knowing, infuriating smirk, because he remembered Sara. He remembered the girl I couldn’t shut up about. The girl who vanished. He crossed his arms, leaning back like he was watching the best drama of the year.“Finalmente,” he murmured. Finally. I resisted the urge to elbow him.Wolf leaned toward Kat and whispered, “Oh shit.”He didn’t even try to hide it. Kat smacked him upside the head so fast he didn’t have time to flinch. “Language,” she hissed. “In front of the kids!” Jace snorted.
I woke up to the soft bells of Rome echoing through the open balcony door. For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then I remembered: Italy. Easter. The Ricci family. My stomach twisted.Salvatore was already dressed, adjusting his cufflinks in the mirror. He looked calm, but I knew him well enough to see the tension in his shoulders. He caught my reflection and smiled gently. “Morning, mi corazón.”“Morning,” I whispered. “I’m… nervous.”“I know.” He crossed the room and kissed my forehead. “But you’re ready.”I wasn’t sure I agreed, but I nodded anyway.Gabe came out of the bathroom in his little button‑down shirt, hair combed neatly, eyes wide with excitement and fear.“Do I look okay?” he asked.“You look perfect,” I said, pulling him close.He hugged me tightly. “Are you nervous too?”“Yeah,” I admitted. “A little.” He nodded like that made everything make sense.The car ride out of Rome was quiet at first. The city faded into rolling hills and vineyards, the kind of scenery you only
Rome hit different the second you stepped off the plane. The air was warmer, softer. The sky brighter. The noise louder in a way that felt alive, not chaotic. Even the airport smelled like espresso and fresh bread. Gabe pressed his face to the window of the car the entire ride into the city, pointing at every scooter, every fountain, every building older than anything he’d ever seen.“Dad! Look! That building is crooked!”“That’s just old,” I said, laughing.Sara elbowed me. “Be nice. He’s excited.”“I’m excited,” I admitted. Because for the first time in a long time, it was just us. No guards hovering. No meetings. No threats. No Juan. Just Rome. Just my family.We checked into the hotel, a quiet place near the Spanish Steps, and Gabe immediately ran to the balcony, shouting, “Mom! Dad! You can see EVERYTHING!”Sara joined him, her eyes wide, her smile soft.
I was going through the last of the security updates Hale had sent me when my phone buzzed with Matteo’s name. I answered on the second ring. “Tell me you’re packed,” he said by way of greeting.I smirked. “Hello to you too.”“I’m serious,” Matteo said. “The jet will be ready Thursday morning. Kat, Wolf, the kids... everyone’s flying out together.”I froze. Thursday. With Kat. With Wolf. With the kids. Absolutely not. I cleared my throat. “I can’t leave Thursday.”Matteo went silent for a beat. “Why not?”“I’ve got an issue to deal with,” I said. “Something I can’t walk away from yet.”It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the whole truth. I wasn’t ready to put Sara and Gabe in front of Kat for ten hours in a metal tube where she could interrogate Sara, interrogate me, interrogate the universe.
Three weeks passed faster than I expected. Between Gabe’s school projects, Salvatore’s endless meetings, and Hale practically turning the house into a fortress, Easter in Italy crept up on us before I had time to fully process it. Now I was standing in the middle of the mall with Marco and Gabe, surrounded by shopping bags and half‑finished iced coffees, trying to remember if I’d packed enough outfits that didn’t scream American tourist.Gabe tugged on my sleeve. “Mom, can I get this shirt? It has a dinosaur riding a scooter.”Marco snorted. “Honestly? Iconic. I’d wear it.”I laughed. “Put it in the cart.”Gabe cheered and ran ahead to look at more clothes. Marco leaned in, lowering his voice. “I still can’t believe you’re going to Italy. With Salvatore. Alone.”“Well, Gabe’s coming,” I said.“You know what I mean.&rdquo
The run wrapped clean. No surprises. No tails. No interference. Which only confirmed what I already knew: Juan never wanted the shipment. He wanted me out of town. Wolf walked beside me as we checked the last truck, his expression tight. He’d been watching me all night, not suspicious, just… concerned.“You gonna tell me what he’s after?” Wolf asked quietly.I didn’t answer right away. I just closed the back of the truck and locked it, letting the metal click echo through the loading bay. Wolf waited. He always waited. Finally, I said, “When the time is right.”He studied me for a long moment, then nodded. “Alright. I trust you.” And that was why I couldn’t tell him. Wolf clapped my shoulder once. “Let’s get out of here.”We split off in the parking lot, his men heading one way, mine another. I got into my SUV and finally let myself breathe.Bruce’s







