Chapter 10: The Safe House

The truck didn't slow down until the city lights were long gone. We traded the paved highways for dirt roads that wound through thick, dark forests. Branches scraped against the sides of the pickup like fingernails on glass. Inside the cab, the silence was so thick it felt like it was choking me.

Luca hadn't looked at me once since we left the bank. He sat with his arms crossed, his jaw set so tight I thought his teeth might crack. He was radiating a cold, dark energy that made the small space feel even smaller.

I wanted to touch him, tell him that everything would be okay, that I had the key to everything but I couldn’t.

Enzo pulled the truck into a small clearing. In front of us sat a tiny, weathered cabin. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for years. The wood was gray and peeling, and the porch sagged to one side.

"We’re here," Enzo said quietly.

"Stay with the truck," Luca ordered. "Keep the radio on. If you see headlights, we move immediately."

"You got it, Boss."

Luca opened the door and climbed out. He didn't wait for me. He walked to the cabin door, kicked it open, and disappeared inside. I scrambled out of the truck and followed him, my heart hammering.

The inside of the cabin was one single room. It smelled of dust, pine, and old smoke. There was a small wood stove in the corner, a tiny kitchen table with two chairs, and a single bed pushed against the far wall. It was a far cry from the marble and silk of the Moretti mansion.

Luca threw his ruined jacket onto the table. He started unbuttoning his white shirt, his movements jerky and violent. He ripped the fabric open, revealing the heavy muscles of his chest and the dark ink of a tattoo on his shoulder. He looked like a man who was seconds away from breaking something.

"An empty vault," he said. His voice was a low, dangerous vibration. "I lost three men today for an empty vault."

"I told you I didn't know," I said. I stayed near the door, my hand clutching the fabric of my dress where the key was hidden.

Luca spun around. “I didn’t say that you did Isa.” Then he paused.

He was across the room in two strides, pinning me against the wooden door. He didn't grab me, but he put his hands on the wall on either side of my head, trapping me. He was so close I could feel his breathe against my skin.

"Or did you know?" he hissed. "Did your father tell you to lead me there so the Vanchis could finish me off?"

"No!" I shouted. I looked right into his grey eyes. They were full of pain and fury. "He didn't tell me anything! You were the one that kept talking about the bank like you were sure, I thought the diamond was there just as much as you did! You saw the scanner, Luca. It was my thumb that opened it. Why would I open it if I knew it was a trap?"

Luca stared at me for a long time. His chest was heaving, his breath warm against my face. For a second, his gaze dropped to my lips, and the anger in the room shifted. It became something else, something heavy and electric that made my skin tingle.

He quickly snapped out of it. He let out a long, ragged breath and stepped back. He rubbed his face with his hands, looking exhausted.

"I need to think," he muttered. He walked over to the small sink and splashed cold water on his face.

"I... I’m going to wash up," I said.

I ducked into the tiny bathroom and shut the door. It was barely big enough to stand in. I leaned against the sink and took a deep breath. My hands were shaking. I reached into my hidden pocket and pulled out the brass key and the note.

I looked at the words again.

The garden under the floorboards.

I remembered now. My grandmother had an old pantry in her house. The floorboards were loose, and she used to hide her jars of preserved peaches there to keep them cool in the summer. She called it her "indoor garden."

The house had burned down ten years ago, right after my father disappeared. Everyone thought it was an accident, but now I knew better. Someone had been looking for the diamond back then, too. But the cellar... the cellar was stone. It would still be there.

"Isabella! What are you doing in there?" Luca’s voice boomed through the door.

I jumped, nearly dropping the key into the toilet. I shoved the paper and the key into the top of my bra, smoothing my dress just as the door handle turned.

I opened the door before he could. Luca was standing there, his eyes narrowed. He had changed into a clean black t-shirt he must have kept in the cabin.

"Just washing the soot off," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Luca looked me up and down. He didn't look convinced. "You’re being very quiet. Usually, you’re telling me how much you hate me."

"I’m tired, Luca. And I’m scared. Is that allowed?"

He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His touch was surprisingly soft, a sharp contrast to the man who had been ready to kill me five minutes ago.

"We stay here tonight," he said. "Tomorrow, Enzo will bring a fresh car. We’ll figure out where your father actually went. He couldn't have disappeared into thin air."

"Maybe he’s dead," I suggested.

"No," Luca said. "Men like your father don't just die. He’s out there. And he’s watching us."

Luca walked over to the bed and sat down, kicking off his boots. "Sleep. I’ll keep watch."

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" I asked, looking at the single bed.

Luca looked at the bed, then at me. A small, dark smirk formed on his lips. "It’s a small house, Isabella. And you are my wife. I think you can figure it out."

I looked at the bed and then at the hard wooden chairs by the table. I was exhausted, aching, and covered in the dust of a fallen empire.

I walked over to the bed and lay down on the very edge, keeping as much space between us as possible. I could feel the weight of the key against my chest. It felt like a heartbeat.

Luca lay down next to me. He didn't try to touch me, but I could feel the warmth of his body. The cabin was freezing, but he was like fire.

"Luca?" I whispered into the dark.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you really marry me? It wasn't just the diamond, was it?"

There was a long silence. I thought he had fallen asleep. Then, I felt him shift.

"My father always said that a King is only as strong as his Queen," Luca said quietly. "He told me that a Romano woman was the only thing that could ever make a Moretti man feel like he was more than just a killer."

"Do you feel like more than a killer?"

"Not tonight," he said.

I closed my eyes. I had a key in my bra and a lie on my tongue, but as I drifted off to sleep, I found myself moving closer to the heat of the man next to me.

I was bound to him.