"I escaped."
His heart stopped. "What?" he asked.
"Only for a little while." Her breathing came in short, frightened bursts. "I stole a phone."
Tears stung Dante's eyes. He hadn't cried since the day their parents died. "Sis.”
"They know where I am," she said. His stomach dropped. "They're coming."
"Tell me where you are,” Dante shouted.
"I don't know,” she whispered. Sophia sounded panicked. "They moved me again."
He forced himself to stay calm. "Listen to me."
"I'm trying."
"Look around and tell me what you see,” he ordered.
"I—” Metal clanged somewhere near her, and a train horn echoed in the distance. If he wasn’t mistaken, he also heard church bells ringing. Dante's head snapped toward the satellite image still displayed across the room. She had to be at the abandoned church.
"Sofia,” he breathed, staring at the screen.
"I'm scared,” she sobbed.
"I know,” he said, trying to soothe her.
"I don't want to die." His chest physically hurt at the thought of her dying.
"You won't." He was making her a promise that he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep unless they found her. Footsteps echoed through her phone, and voices shouted in the background.
"Dante—" The line filled with static, and he knew that she was gone.
"Sofia!" he shouted. "I'm sorry." He knew that his apology wouldn’t ever reach her ears, but he had to say it nonetheless. His sister deserved at least that for his inability to keep her safe.
"Dante?" Lark breathed. He looked up to find that everyone in the room was staring at him. His face must have given everything away.
Rocco crossed the room first. "What happened?"
He handed over the phone. "My sister called."
Rocco's expression hardened. "What about her?"
"She’s being held by Santos, and she said that she escaped and stole a phone to call me. It’s why I’ve been working for him all these years.” Lark gasped softly. "She called me, and I can’t do anything to help her." His voice broke.
Avery immediately took the phone. "Can we trace it?"
The technician was already working. "Trying."
Dante paced as he tried to remember every detail from their call. "I heard a train."
"What else can you remember?” Rocco asked.
"The sound of metal clanking in the background,” Dante said, closing his eyes. “And I heard bells.”
Everyone stopped around him. "What kind of bells?" Avery asked.
"They sounded like church bells," he said.
