He lets out a rough, pained laugh. “Right? I always figured he was a caveman who found a time machine and never looked back.”
“At least you could picture him in a car. I remember back in the day, whenever I saw him driving some luxury ride, I kept thinking, nothing suits that face and that attitude better than a wild horse, not an SUV.”
This time Tony laughs a little louder, but the movement rips a groan out of him. “You weren’t entirely wrong. Carlo’s always loved breaking wild horses. I think he used the same tricks on Emily. Tamed her. Leashed her.”
I shake my head. “No, I think he brainwashed her. What woman could possibly fall in love with a man like that?”
“And what if she isn’t in love with him? What if she’s just afraid?”
“No, my love. I know what a woman in love looks like. Trust me.”
Tony falls quiet for a beat, then squeezes my hand. “Why did you fall in love with me?” he asks, voice soft.
His question pulls a real smile from me and carries me back to that sunny afternoon.
I shift closer, voice warm. “I don’t know. Nobody ever really knows, do they? But from the first second I saw you, I wanted you. At first you were just a daydream. Then I kept adding to it, making you more real every day. In my head I traveled the world with you, loved you, lived with you.”
Tony lets out a slow exhale. “And after all the shitty things I did to you, I must have ruined that picture completely.”
“I won’t lie. You weren’t exactly the most lovable man at first. But you were already inside me, Tony. Woven into every part of me. You weren’t the man I thought you were, that’s true. But when I really got to know you, I realized you were even better than I’d imagined. The love I felt for you the second time was stronger, deeper than before. I don’t regret anything.”
“But I do,” he murmurs. “You’re here because of me.”
“Don’t. I’d rather die in the dark beside you than live in the light with someone like Carlo. You were everything I ever wanted. The only love I’ve ever known. I was lucky to live with you…and I’ll be lucky to die with you.”
Tony squeezes my hand, voice rough. “Even if I lived a thousand lives, I still wouldn’t deserve you. I was the lucky one.”
I prop myself up on one elbow and lean down until I find his lips. I kiss him anyway, tasting blood and not caring. He kisses me back with the last ounce of strength he has left.
Then, a faint sound reaches me, making me go still. It takes me a second to realize, it’s the sound of an engine.
I lift my head, my heart hammering. “Tony, do you hear that?”
His breath is shallow, his voice faint. “All I hear is ringing.”
As the sound grows closer, I sit up fully, my eyes widening in the darkness, straining to see anything. A few minutes later, a faint light flickers through the tunnel, growing stronger with every second until a motorcycle finally comes into view.
Tony stirs beside me, his voice barely above a whisper. “Help me sit up.”
I quickly move to support him, easing his back against the wall before settling beside him. My pulse pounds in my ears. I don’t know if this is another one of Carlo’s twisted games or if help has actually come.
A motorcycle screeches to a halt right in front of us, and the rider swings off. My vision hasn’t adjusted to the sudden brightness, so I instinctively wrap an arm around Tony, shielding him. But then, a familiar voice cuts through the dark, urgent and out of breath.
“Hurry up! We don’t have much time!”
My breath catches in my throat. “Rafael? Is that you?”
He slides an arm under Tony’s shoulders, carefully helping him up as he responds, “Yeah, it’s me. But save the joy for later, Lucia. In a few hours, this whole tunnel’s going up in flames.”
I help him lift Tony onto the motorcycle. It’s a struggle, but somehow, we manage. I climb on behind Tony, wrapping my arms around him while Rafael gets in front, making sure Tony doesn’t fall.
Just as Rafael revs the engine, Tony rasps out the question that lingers in my mind. “How did you find us?”
Rafael doesn’t miss a beat. “Emily.”
He twists the throttle and we roar into the dark
TWENTY-SIX
