She may not have said the words, but I hear them in the tremor of her voice at the idea that I won't return.
"I'm coming back, I promise." I kiss her again softly.
"You can't promise that."
"I can promise that I'll fight with everything I have to protect you and keep you and Sofia safe.
And I can promise that when this is over, we will have a good future together."
She closes her eyes and leans her forehead against my chest.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her while she processes everything I just said.
She's not a frail woman by any means, but I take her insecurities and fears seriously.
Sofia and Angelica are my family now.
And I'll do whatever it takes to protect them.
Even if it costs me everything.
23
ANGELICA
Isit at the table in what Dante calls the command room.
It's a smaller den adjacent to his main office with a long table covered in papers and maps of Rome, photographs of buildings, and notes written in shorthand that mean nothing to me.
Rico, Enzo, and Luca are already here when Dante brings me in.
They look surprised to see me and I feel a bit out of place in my night robe, but his men don't comment.
Dante pulls out a chair and gestures for me to sit.
"Angelica provided the information about the tunnels," he says. "She'll sit in on the planning."
Rico raises an eyebrow but nods. I sit down and fold my hands in my lap.
My heart's still racing from Dante's confession.
Love is a very strong word, something I never thought I'd hear from him.
The words keep echoing in my head, changing everything I thought I understood about this situation.
Nobody's ever looked at me the way he did when he said it.
Like I was something precious.
The memory makes my chest tight and my thoughts scattered.
Part of me wonders if he's just manipulating me, but another part of me believes him.
Dante spreads a map across the table.
"Based on Angelica's information, the tunnel runs from the club in Trastevere to somewhere near the warehouses along the Tiber. Forty minutes to traverse on foot, three choke points where the passage narrows, and safe pauses timed to street sweepers and church bells."
Dante points at a map I can't see, and I watch the men's skeptical expressions.
