His mouth pressed to a grim line, and he shook his head. “I’m trusted to enter the estate because your father is perceived as Dante’s ally, but I don’t know anything about how this place is run.”
My sister dragged me forward. “We don’t have time for this. If someone sees me, they’ll know I’m not supposed to be here. They’ll get suspicious. I’m taking you out of here right now.”
“I’m not going to let anyone hurt Giana,” Antonio rumbled. “Let’s go.”
I glanced between the two of them, noting the hungry, desperate way he watched her. He was afraid for Giana to risk herself like this, but he’d accompanied her anyway. I’d never known the man well, but it seemed he knew Giana. Or at least, he wanted her.
I cleared away my budding concern for her. There would be time for me to assess the potential match later. Luca was all that mattered now.
I strode past both of them, grateful that I’d chosen to defy Dante today and wear my own comfortable blouse and jeans while he was gone; I didn’t want my sister to ever see me in the scandalous scraps of lace he usually dressed me in, like I was his personal sex doll.
Giana hurried after me.
“Where are you going?” she hissed, trying to keep her panicked words to a whisper.
“I have to get to Luca,” I insisted, shaking off her gasping hand. “I’m not leaving without him.”
“Nora!”
I ignored Giana’s rebuke and quickened my pace, jogging down the long corridor toward the basement entrance.
I flung open the door and switched on the light.
I hadn’t made it down the stairs when Luca growled, “You can’t be here.”
“Giana has come to get me out,” I said, rushing to him so that I could examine the lock on his cell. “We’re leaving.”
His eyes widened with hope for a moment before his face settled into grim, stony planes.
“No,” he said sharply. “You’re leaving. Go with Giana before Dante comes back.”
“No!” I tossed right back at him, gripping the bars as though I could break the lock through sheer force of will. “I’m not going without you.”
His big hands closed around mine. “Look at me,” he commanded.
My eyes lifted to his, and I sucked in a breath at the depth of emotion I found in their ochre depths. He stroked my hair back from my cheek, and my tears wet his palm as I turned into his tender touch.
“I can’t leave you.” I managed a strained whisper.
“You have to,” he countered sternly. “I’ll die before I let him touch you again. Do you understand? I’ll do anything to keep you from him.”
“But your friends?—”
“I would trade anything for you,” he rasped, eyes burning into my soul. “Anything.”
I swallowed a sob and traced the line of his strong jaw, memorizing the shape of his face. “I can’t let them die because of me.” I squared my shoulders and vowed, “I’ll find them. I’ll rescue Gabriele and Lorenzo, and then Dante will hold no power over you. Father won’t come to save you, but I can convince him to save them. He needs allies if he’s going to take power.”
His only response was to cup my nape so that he could crush his lips to mine. My tongue tangled with his, the need to join with him burning me up inside. Leaving him would rip out a piece of my heart, but I didn’t have a choice.
As long as Dante had me as his hostage, Luca would be his prisoner. My husband might be prepared to risk his friends, but he would never risk me.
Luca broke away from me. “Go.”
Three desperate, passionate words teased at the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them down. If I uttered them, I wasn’t sure if I’d have the strength to leave him.
“Come on.” Giana snagged my hand and dragged me away.
I hadn’t even noticed that she had joined us in the basement. Tears blurred my vision as I rushed after her, away from Luca. Guilt twisted my stomach as I abandoned him in the darkness.
