We say our goodbyes and head down. The ride back is quiet, but it's a different kind of quiet than before. Something has shifted.
When we get to my building, Marco opens my door but doesn't offer his hand. We both know why—we're too charged right now. Any touch might ignite something we can't control.
Inside my apartment, I set my purse on the kitchen island and freeze.
There's a note. Plain white paper with two words written in harsh black ink:48 HOURS
"Marco." My voice comes out strangled.
He's beside me instantly. "What the fuck?"
My hands shake as I pick up the note. "Forty-eight hours. That's all they're giving me."
"Forty-eight hours for what?"
This is it. The moment where I either tell him everything or keep lying. Keep pushing him away. Keep pretending I can handle this alone.
I think about Rina's words:If this is who you want, go for it.
I think about Marco admitting he cares about me.
I think about the fact that in forty-eight hours, the Costellos are going to make their move, and I'm out of time.
"My father's debt," I whisper. "He owes the Costellos a million dollars. Gambling debt. They've been threatening me to get him to pay. But he’s hard to pin down, so they're using me as leverage."
Marco's jaw tightens. "How long have they been threatening you?"
"Months. Since before you moved in. They've followed me. Sent men to rough me up. They know I'm Elio's daughter now. And they know I'm connected to Vito." I take a shaky breath. "And they know about Rina."
"What about Rina?"
I can't tell him about the ultrasound. Not yet. That's Rina's news to share.
"They've been watching her. Watching all of us. They sent me proof."
"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice is strained. "Why didn't you tell Vito?"
"Because I thought I could fix it! I thought if I could just find my dad, if I could just get him to pay or make a deal or something—" My voice breaks. "But he doesn't care. He ran away and left me to deal with his mess. And now I have forty-eight hours to come up with a million dollars or they're going to?—"
I can't finish the sentence. Can't say out loud what they threatened to do.
Marco pulls me into his arms. "They're not going to touch you. I promise you, Elena. They're not going to touch you."
"You can't promise that."
"Yes, I can." He pulls back to look at me. "I told you I'd always be there. I meant it."
"But Vito said?—"
"I don't give a fuck what Vito said." His hands frame my face. "You're mine to protect. And I will burn down every Costello operation in this city before I let them hurt you."
The fierceness in his voice, the absolute certainty, breaks something open in me.
"Rina told me something last night," I whisper. "She said if you're who I want, I should go for it. That I shouldn't let Vito's rules stop me."
"What do you want, Elena?"
"You. I want you."
