Lights flash along the garden walls.
I swear under my breath and run faster.
Sofia starts crying.
Her small hands clutch at my blouse as I sprint toward the gate.
Guards pour into the garden from every direction.
They move like wolves closing in on prey and I push harder, my lungs burning.
But the men are faster.
One of them cuts me off before I reach the gate.
Another grabs my arm from behind and yanks me backward.
Sofia screams.
I twist and try to pull free, but more hands grab at me.
I kick and thrash, spitting curses in Italian and then in French and then in German because I don’t care what language they understand as long as they know I am not going quietly.
"Let go of me," I shout. "Get your hands off me!"
One of the guards tries to pry Sofia from my arms.
I hold her tighter and swing my elbow into his face.
He grunts and stumbles back.
Another guard grabs my hair and pulls hard enough to make my eyes water.
I bite his hand and taste blood.
Then a voice cuts through the chaos.
"Enough."
Dante strides into the garden with his jaw set and his eyes a cold shade of blue.
The guards step back immediately.
He walks toward me and grabs my arm so tight, I wince and whimper.
He doesn’t say anything.
He just pulls me back toward the villa with enough force that I have to move or fall.
Sofia sobs against my chest.
I try to soothe her while still fighting against Dante's hold, but it's useless.
He's stronger than I am and he knows it.
He drags me back inside and up the stairs.
The guards follow at a distance.
