Giovanni “Cruz!” I shot up at the sound of my name, swallowing the surfacing anxiety. A guard appeared at the bars of my cell, clanging his baton against them. “¡Visitantes!” (Visitor!)The sound of the doors sliding was a piercing screech that made me wince every time, and no matter how long I stayed here, I would never get used to it.It had been a week since Emiliana last visited. My grandfather had visited two days ago, and that was only to tell me that Emiliana had a plan. I hated that she was so involved with this. It killed me that I was the one needing her help. Never in my life had I relied on anyone else like this, and it didn’t sit right. I was already on edge with the mere fact that there were enemies su

Emiliana   “There’s someone who wants to talk to you.” Vinnie handed me the cell phone before turning away.  Time stood still for a moment as I stared down at my hand, my fist gripping the phone like a vice. My nerves flared and as I answered, every drop of curiosity diminished when I heard the familiar voice. “Mimmo,” my mother spoke into the silence.  “Mamina,” I gasped, tears welling in my eyes. Desperate to find solace, I pushed open my door and sank onto the plush bed. There were no words to describe my emotions as the silence engulfed us. Neither of us knew what to say, and at that point I didn’t care. Knowing my mother was on the other end of the phone somehow soothed the smallest part of me

Emiliana “What is it that you want, Emiliana?” Vittoria sneered through gritted teeth. Blood trickled down her chin and she was now sporting a bruise on her cheek. In his efforts to tie her up in a chair, Vittoria had drawn a knife out from nowhere and plunged it into Vinnie’s hand. While he was against beating the crap out of her, her attempts to harm and escape warranted a backhand. I don’t blame him. Vittoria was more than aware of how this was to go down and she was prepared. It did make me slightly fearful of the man I had come to trust and love, the man who swore to protect me. But I couldn’t let that distract me. I couldn’t let that affect when we came here to do. “Answers,” I replied, twisting her knife between my fingers. Vittoria scoffed, her distaste evident in her facial expressions.

My brain was fogged with emotions. A mixture of despair and desperation weighed me down. The few hours between Italy and Spain gave me time to think about everything that had happened. Vinnie remained silent and wary. From leaving Vittoria’s to arriving at the hangar, he hadn’t uttered a word to me. The way his eyes flitted around us, surveying, observing, thinking. He was deep in thought through the time we were suspended in flight and as much as I wanted to question where his unusual silence had blossomed from; I bit back the urge and focused on my own thoughts, my own feelings. Luis continued watching me as if held the answers to all his questions. I probably did if I wasn’t so focused on the next part of my plan. I had no idea how I was going to do it, but desperation had reached the darkest depths of my mind and with that, it had affected my rational thinking. I glanced out of the window at the sea that separated my family's heritage from Giovanni’s. My thoughts were crashes of

EmilianaI should have paid close attention. I should have questioned what the hell he meant. I should have realized that Vinnie and Giovanni had a plan, a way out of this. The clues were there, staring me in the face, like flashing signs. I just hadn’t seen them until it was too late.Destiny was clearly playing a sick joke on me.It was the commotion that stirred me from my bed—or lack of. I had barely stepped into the kitchen when I spotted the three police cars in the courtyard.My stomach twisted in knots and my head pounded with worry. I didn’t really know what I was expecting until I was out of the front door and watching Vinnie being handcuffed.Flashing lights filled the courtyard, men and women in crisp white shirts flitted around the vicinity.“Vinnie?” My meek voice pierced the calm atmosphere of the courtyard. I looked to my right, to where Luis stood silently with his hands clasped in front of his body. He never made a noise to demand answers, he never shifted nervously