جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 320

Max’s car was barely out of sight when Matteo appeared at the end of the drive.Suzi watched from the front window, one hand still curled around the sunflower stem he’d tucked behind her ear before leaving. She didn’t know what he was saying in Italian, but the way Max’s voice had dropped when he was talking made her stomach knot.Matteo stood guard at the gate. He didn’t wave. Just folded his arms across his chest and stared straight ahead.Suzi backed away from the window.The house was still beautiful. Still warm and perfect. But now it felt… quiet. Like the moment in a fairytale right before the forest starts whispering wrong.She wandered into the kitchen, filled a glass of water, and tried not to think about how easily Max had changed. How fast his smile had vanished.~-~Max drove fast, one hand on the wheel, the other already texting orders.He didn’t need the full story. Just the name Ricci and a location. That was enough.They weren’t supposed to hit domestic properties. Tha

Suzi sat curled in the corner of the couch, blanket half-draped over her lap, staring at the ceiling.The clock ticked louder with every passing minute.Where was he?Max said he’d be back in few hours. That was nine hours ago!She couldn’t even call him since she didn’t have a phone. She never needed one since she never left the house. Max was going to get her one this weekend. Something about not wanting her first phone to be ugly or confusing. He wanted to pick it out together. “A proper first,” he had said.She let out a shaky breath and stood abruptly, pacing across the living room in long, anxious strides. Her heart pounded in her throat like it was trying to climb out.“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay. You’re not helpless. You can do something.”She pulled on the oversized hoodie she’d been sleeping in and slipped on a pair of Max’s slides, nearly tripping as she rushed to the front door.The night air hit her like a slap.Matteo stood by the gate like a statue, arms crossed, eyes

Antonio kept one arm around her, not moving until he felt the tremor in her body start to ease. His other hand gave one slow, reassuring stroke down her back.When he finally pulled back, it was only far enough to see her face. “You need to breathe, Suzi,” he said quietly. “Max would not want you drowning in fear.”The mention of his name made her throat tighten all over again. She tried to breathe the way Antonio told her, deep and steady, but every inhale seemed to snag on the thought of Max chained up somewhere in the dark.“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted, her voice small.“You do what I tell you to do,” Antonio said firmly, though there was no harshness in it. “That is how we make sure he comes back to you. You will eat. You will sleep. You will keep yourself safe. That is your job now.”Suzi swallowed hard. “And yours?”“My job,” Antonio said, a muscle tightening in his jaw, “is to get my son back before the twenty-four hours are over.”Her stomach turned at the reminder

Antonio’s black SUV slid past shuttered shops and empty bus stops. He sat forward with one hand on his knee and the other around the grip of his pistol. Every mile closed the distance to his son. Every mile pulled the knot in his chest tighter.Landon sat beside him, checking his weapon in silence. Metal clicked. A fresh magazine seated with a firm slap.“You know it is a trap,” Landon said.“Of course it is,” Antonio replied. “That is why we brought everyone with a few hidded.”Two more SUVs followed close behind. Each one held men who had heard the same order. End it if anything looks wrong.The docks opened ahead in a wash of sick yellow light. Cranes stood like bones against the sky. A single box truck idled by a corrugated warehouse. Three men waited near it with rifles held low.Their SUV rolled to a stop. Antonio stepped out first. The air off the water smelled like iron and oil. He set a duffel at his feet and unzipped it. Stacks of cash sat inside, neat and tempting. Not ten

Antonio caught her before she hit the floor, his hands firm under her arms. Her head lolled against his chest, her face pale.Valerie rushed toward them, reaching for Suzi’s arm. “Let me help.”“I’ve got her,” Antonio said, his voice low but controlled. He shifted Suzi gently in his hold until she was cradled against him. “She’s just in shock.”Valerie’s eyes swept over Suzi’s limp form, her brow furrowing. “Poor thing… she isn’t used to our kind of world.”Antonio’s gaze hardened for a moment. “She is his wife. This is her world now, whether she was ready for it or not.”He carried Suzi to the room next to Max’s, lowering her in bed with surprising care.He adjusted the blanket over her, making sure it covered her shoulders. For a moment he just stood there, looking down at her pale face. She looked impossibly small against the expanse of the mattress, her breathing shallow and uneven.Valerie lingered in the doorway, her arms crossed loosely. “When she wakes up, she’s going to need