Back in Marco's car, I gave him directions.
"Take me back to the estate. I need to get Aria out before..."
"Absolutely not." Marco didn't even start the car. Just stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "Are you insane? Did you lose too much blood? Because that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth and that's saying something."
"I can't leave her there with him."
"You go back now, you die. Salvatore has guards everywhere. Luca is watching. They'll shoot you on sight. Your father made that very clear when he dumped you outside like trash."
"I don't care. I can't just..."
Marco hit me. Not hard enough to cause real damage but enough to snap my attention back.
"Listen to me very carefully because I'm only saying this once. I warned you yesterday this would happen. I told you to be more careful. I said Luca was watching. And you didn't listen. You never listen. You went charging in to comfort your girl and got caught and now look where we are."
He was right. I hated that he was right.
"So here's what you're going to do. You're going to sit here. You're going to let me drive you somewhere safe. And you're going to use that brilliant strategic mind I know you have to figure out how to saveher the smart way instead of getting yourself killed trying to be a hero."
"There's no time for smart. The wedding is in a week."
"Then we better work fast. We have evidence. We have a case. Father Benedetto already agreed to hear us. But we need to wait until morning when the full Council can convene. Going back tonight gets you killed and does nothing to help Aria."
Logic. Reason. Everything I didn't want to hear but needed to accept.
"Lia. What about Lia? Is she safe?"
"Locked in her room too. Your father is in full paranoid mode. No one in or out. Guards on every door. He's keeping everyone under watch until he can marry Aria and announce Lia's engagement." Marco started the car finally. "But she's alive. Safe for now. We save Aria, we save Lia. But we have to do this right."
I slumped back in the seat. Let exhaustion and blood loss and defeat wash over me.
"Where are we going?"
"My place. It's secure. Your father doesn't know about it. You can rest, regroup, prepare for tomorrow."
"I don't need rest."
"You need about twelve hours of sleep and probably a blood transfusion. But since we can't do the transfusion, sleep will have to suffice."
Marco's apartment was in a building he owned under a shell company. Top floor. Good security. Anonymous enough that no one would think to look for me there.
He set me up in the guest room. Brought water, painkillers, clean clothes.
"Get some sleep. I'll wake you at dawn and we'll go see Father Benedetto together."
"I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see her. See my father hitting her. See the fear on her face when they dragged her away."
"Then lie there and stare at the ceiling. But stay in that bed. Don't make metie you down."
He left. Closed the door.
I lay there. Stared at the ceiling. Watched shadows move as headlights from passing cars swept across the room.
My arm throbbed. A steady, burning pain that made thinking difficult.
But not difficult enough to stop the thoughts from coming.
Aria was in that room right now. Locked in. Guarded. Knowing the wedding was happening in seven days whether she wanted it or not.
