Tony steps outside, but a few seconds later, he pops his head back in, his face twisted with barely contained fury.
“Stay here,” he orders.
I scramble off the bed and rush toward him. “What happened, Tony? Did someone hear us?”
The pristine white marble floors of the hallway are stained crimson with spilled wine from a shattered bottle. Tony glances at the mess briefly before walking away with Rafael, his voice calm but clipped.
“No. I’ll have someone clean it up.”
Then he disappears around the corner, leaving me standing in the doorway, my heart pounding harder than ever.
THIRTEEN
Tony
The sound of shattering glass yanks me out of Lucia’s lips. Before coming here, I made sure no one would come to this wing. Clearly, someone did.
I head toward the door, my hand resting on the handle, when Rafael calls out to me. I step out, and the first thing that catches my attention is the broken wine bottle, red wine staining the white marble.
“I caught Emily right outside the door,” Rafael says.
Shit. I squeeze my eyes shut, and rake my fingers through my hair. “Did she hear us?”
“Not sure, but probably. She ran the second she saw me.”
“Why didn’t you stop her, you idiot?”
“Carlo came through the gate with a whole army of his men a few minutes ago. I was afraid the girl would start screaming and draw his dogs’ attention. She’s probably in her room crying her eyes out now.”
Damn it. This is the last thing I needed.
I peek back into the room and tell Lucia to stay put. Then, I rush to the other wing, but the sight of Emily’s empty room sends a chill through my body.
If she’s not crying in her room, she’s probably outside, right in front of Carlo and his men. All it would take is one word, and Carlo would bury me, Lucia, and my unborn child in a deep grave by tonight.
I pace the room, trying to think, but there’s no fucking way out. I could take Lucia through the hidden tunnel behind the library, but Carlo likely knows about it and might be waiting at the other end with an army. He doesn’t know that I know about the tunnel, though. My father showed me every escape route from the estate in case of an attack back when he was alive.
There’s no other option but to trust my luck and pray Emily doesn’t open her big mouth and screw us all.
With Rafael by my side, I walk to the estate’s main entrance, my steps steady despite the chaos brewing inside me. In the distance, I see Carlo riding toward us on horseback. He’s shirtless except for that ridiculous Roman-armor tattoo covering his chest, and in his thick arms is my fake, fucking girlfriend.
Her face is swollen and red from crying, mascara streaking down her cheeks. She’s wearing a white men’s shirt over her own clothes, and I have no idea why.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I lock my gaze on them.
When Carlo digs his heels into the horse’s sides, spurring it into a gallop toward me, I know he’s seen me. If he’s figured out what’s going on, there’s a good chance he’ll run me down until I’m nothing but a smear on the ground.
My insides churn, but I don’t move an inch.
The horse charges at me, its speed breathtaking, and stops abruptly just a hair’s breadth from my face as Carlo yanks on the reins.
As I watch Carlo’s face flushed with anger, I plaster a fake, carefree smile on my face. “Carlo, long time no see.”
He doesn’t let go of that dimwitted girl in his arms. “Not long enough if you ask me. You were supposed to visit your mother only when I was away.”
I spread my arms wide, keeping my tone light. “And yet here I am. Ready to forgive and forget. For the sake of family.”
He releases the girl, letting her stumble to the side, and dismounts his horse. In two long strides, he’s close enough to invade my personal space, but I hold my ground.
