The villa's resident priest, Father Lupo Sartori, was a scholarly man who had ministered quietly to the Colleoni household for decades, offering discreet confessions and presiding over Gabriella's elaborate, hypocritical funerals.
Rodrigo had always found a strange comfort in the man's quiet presence, a relic of a simpler time before Gabriella's poison fully took hold.
He knew Lupo had a past in the army before joining the priesthood, which made him better equipped to deal with the Colleoni mercenaries than other priests. Lupo had been visiting his niece in Siena for the past two weeks, tending to her after a difficult childbirth.
"He's still in Siena?" Rodrigo asked, a prickle of unease threading through him.
Lupo was an old man, but his association with the Colleonis made him a target. Especially now, with tensions ratcheting to breaking point.
Leo nodded. "He checked in yesterday. Said the baby had colic, so he was helping out and planned to stay another fewdays. To be honest, it might be safer if he stays put. Bringing him back now will mean he is here for the attack."
Rodrigo considered it. Leo was right. The compound was a fortress, but it was also a bullseye. Leaving Lupo out there, unprotected, felt like abandoning one of the few genuinely good things tethered to their cursed family. If he were targeted, that would put his niece and her family at risk too.
The thought of Falcone thugs dragging the old priest out of his niece's house, using him as leverage, or the baby… He couldn't allow it.
Rodrigo pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped Lupo's number, and put the phone to his ear.
The phone rang twice before Lupo answered. "Rodrigo? Is everything all right?"
"Father," Rodrigo replied. "We have a situation here. Security lockdown."
A pause. "Lockdown? At the villa? What's happened?"
"The short version? Sicilians are coming for Giana," Rodrigo replied. The priest knew Giana and why Rodrigo was about to go to war for her.
"I see," Lupo replied quietly.
"It's not safe for you to travel openly, or to stay where you are, if your location becomes known. It might be best if you return with an escort."
Rodrigo could almost hear the wheels turning in Lupo's sharp mind. He wasn't a fool. He knew the nature of the family he served.
"Emilia is exhausted, and little Marco…" Lupo's voice trailed off, thick with concern.
"I understand," Rodrigo said, the words feeling inadequate. "But you being linked to us will put Emilia and the child at greater risk. Falcone won't hesitate to use them to get to you."
A heavy sigh crackled down the line. "You are right, of course. I don't have a car suitable for a discreet return. And public transport…"
"I'll come myself," Rodrigo said, the decision forming even as he spoke the words.
He needed to get away from the lingering scent of paint and sex and Giana's shocked eyes. He needed space to breathe, to think, to wrestle the monster back into its cage before it consumed him and everything he was trying to build.
"I'll be there in ninety minutes if you want to meet in front of the Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico."
"Rodrigo, that's not necessary—" Lupo began, but Rodrigo cut him off gently.
"It is for my peace of mind. Wait for me." He ended the call before Lupo could protest further, lowering the phone.
"You're going to Siena? Now?" Dario asked, incredulous. "With Falcone sharpening his knives?"
"Lupo is family," Rodrigo stated flatly. Not by blood, but by decades of quiet affection in a house starved of it. "I won't leave him exposed. Leo, you have command. Keep on top of Luca. I want everything he knows about this 'old man' before I get back."
Leo nodded, his face serious. "Understood."
Rodrigo's gaze shifted to the hallway leading east toward the studio. The image of Giana, trembling, her eyes wide and dark in the aftermath, slammed into him.
He needed distance from that, desperately, but letting her out of his sight… The instinct to lock her in a tower warred with the fragile trust he was trying to build.
He looked back at Leo, the conflict a physical ache in his chest. "Giana's still in the studio. Painting, I hope. Don't disturb her, but keep an eye on her, and if she needs lunch or anythingelse…" He trailed off, unsure what she could possibly need that he hadn't already provided.
