Chapter 7: The Escape Attempt

I couldn't sleep. The bed was too soft, the room was too quiet, and the ring on my finger felt like it was glowing in the dark. Every time I closed my eyes, I thought about the bank, I thought about the scanner and the numbers my father had left behind.

If my thumbprint didn't work tomorrow, what would Luca do? He said he didn't keep liabilities. In his world, that meant I was as good as dead.

I stood up and walked to the window. I watched the guard on the lawn. He walked in a straight line, his rifle strapped to his shoulder. He looked like a statue that had come to life.

"I can't stay here," I whispered to the empty room. “I have to get out of here.”

I didn't have a plan. I just had a feeling in my chest that if I didn't leave now, I would never leave. I didn't put on the fancy silk clothes. I found my old jeans and the shirt I had been wearing when they snatched me. They were in a pile in the corner of the closet, probably meant to be thrown away. They felt like home.

I opened my door an inch. The hallway was dim. The guards who usually stood at the ends of the hall were gone. Maybe they were on a break. Maybe they thought I was already broken enough to stay put.

I slipped out into the hall, keeping my back to the wall. My socks made no noise on the thick rugs. I didn't go toward the main stairs. I went toward the back, where the laundry carts went. I found a small wooden door hidden behind a heavy curtain. I pushed it, and it groaned.

Inside was a small, cramped service elevator. I stepped in and pressed the button for the basement. My stomach dropped as the lift began to move.

Please open. Please let there be a way out.

The doors opened into a hallway that smelled of bleach and moisture. This was the heart of the house. I passed the kitchen, where giant silver pots hung from the ceiling. Everything was dark. I kept moving, following the smell of car exhaust and cold air.

I pushed through a heavy steel door and found the garage. It was huge. It looked like a showroom for a billionaire. There were no regular cars here. Just rows of massive, armored SUVs and luxury trucks. All these cars would probably cost a gazillion dollars.

I ran to the main bay door. It was a giant wall of metal. I looked for a button, a lever, anything to make it move.

"It won't open without a code, Isabella."

I jumped so hard I nearly hit my head on a concrete pillar. I spun around.

Enzo was leaning against the hood of the black G-Wagon. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt, and he was cleaning a small handgun with a cloth. He didn't look irritated or anything. He just looked confused.

"H... h... how did you know?" I asked, my voice shaking.

Enzo pointed to a small red light in the corner of the ceiling. "The Boss has cameras in every hallway. You were spotted the moment you stepped out of your room. I’ve been sitting here for ten minutes waiting for you to find the garage. You’re slow by the way."

"Let me out, Enzo. Please." I walked toward him, my hands shaking. "You don't have to tell him. Just open the door. I’ll run. I’ll never come back."

Enzo put the gun down on the hood of the car. He walked toward me, his boots echoing on the concrete. "And go where? It’s three in the morning; you’re wearing a hoodie and sneakers. It’s freezing outside. The nearest town is ten miles away, and the roads are patrolled by men who don't work for Luca."

"I don't care. I'll walk. I'll hide in the woods."

"There are no woods high enough to hide you," Enzo said. He stopped a few feet away from me. "You think this is a game? You think Luca is just being mean by keeping you here?"

"He kidnapped me! He forced me to marry him!"

"He saved your life," Enzo snapped.

"How? By locking me in a room with a red dress?"

Enzo sighed and rubbed his face. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week. "Sit down, Isabella. You’re not going anywhere, so you might as well listen."

I didn't want to sit, but my legs felt like water. I sank down onto a wooden crate near the wall. Enzo leaned against the pillar across from me.

"You think your father was a good man," Enzo said. "I get it. He was your dad. But he stole from the wrong people. Not just the Morettis. He stole from the Vanchis, too. He played both sides."

"He wouldn't do that."

"He did. And now both sides want that diamond. If Luca lets you walk out that door, the Vanchis will have you before you hit the main road. And believe me, they won't give you a bedroom with silk sheets. They’ll put you in a cellar and start cutting off fingers until you tell them where the stone is."

"I don't know where it is!" I shouted.

"They won't believe you. Luca is the only one who is even trying to keep you whole. He needs you alive. They just need you to talk."

I looked at the giant metal door. "Is that why you stay? Because you’re afraid of the other guys?"

Enzo laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. “Me? Afraid? I stay because Luca is the only man in this city with a soul, even if it’s a small one. I’ve seen what happens when the other families take over. It’s blood in the streets, Isabella. Luca keeps the peace by being the strongest monster in the room."

"He doesn't feel like a man with a soul," I whispered.

"That's because he can't afford to show it to you. Not yet." Enzo walked over to a wall of monitors and flipped a switch.

Six screens flickered to life. They showed the perimeter of the estate. I saw men with rifles standing in the trees. I saw infrared cameras picking up heat signatures in the tall grass.

"See that?" Enzo asked, pointing to a flickering light on the edge of the screen. "That’s a scout. Probably Vanchi's men. They’ve been circling the house since the news of the wedding got out. They’re waiting for a gap in the fence. They’re waiting for you to do exactly what you just did."

I stared at the screen. I felt a cold chill that had nothing to do with the basement air. I was a target. A literal bullseye.

"Why didn't he tell me?" I asked.

"Because he wanted you to hate him," Enzo said. "It’s easier to control someone who hates you than someone who is terrified. If you're angry, you're sharp. If you're scared, you're a mess."

Enzo walked back to the car and picked up his gun. He tucked it into his waistband. "Go back upstairs, Isabella. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Are you going to tell him?"

Enzo looked at me. For a second, his tough face softened. "No. I’ll tell the guards the elevator had a glitch. But don't do it again. The guards in the hallway are going to be doubled starting tomorrow; I won't be the one waiting next time."

"Because of the bank?" I asked.

"Because the Vanchis are getting restless," Enzo said. "They know tomorrow is the big day. They’ll be trying everything they can to stop us from getting to that vault."

I stood up, my knees still shaky. "Thanks, Enzo."

"Don't thank me. Just stay in your room."

I turned towards  the service elevator.

"Does he ever talk about anything other than the diamond?"

Enzo paused, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Sometimes. Mostly he just complains about how much you talk back to him."

"Good," I said. "I hope it keeps him awake." We both let out a soft laugh.

As the doors closed, I saw Enzo go back to cleaning his car. He looked like he was settling in for a long night of watching the screens.

I got back to my room and crawled into the big, soft bed. 

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. Tomorrow, I would go to the bank. I would put my thumb on that scanner. And I would pray that my father had left me enough of a trail to keep me in Luca’s good graces.

Because if I lost Luca’s protection, I wouldn't just be alone. I’d be dead.

I fell asleep just as the sun started to peek over the ocean, wondering if my husband was still awake in the east wing, watching the cameras, waiting for the world to try and take what was his.