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I consider it for a moment before finally nodding. “Okay. I’d appreciate that.”

“Good.” She points toward the tray. “But before we go anywhere, you need to eat.”

I glance at the snack. “But I just finished the sandwich you made me not too long ago.”

“That was over an hour ago. You need to eat as much as you can. Remember, you’re eating for two now.”

“Yeah.” I sit down and reach for a snack, forcing myself to eat even though my nerves have already stolen most of my appetite.

By the time I’m ready to leave, Sofía is already waiting for me downstairs. She has her coat on and her purse tucked beneath one arm.

“The driver is waiting,” she says.

I glance toward the entrance, then back at her. “But I thought we agreed we were going alone.”

She gives me a look that says she already knew I’d bring this up. “There is no way the guards are going to let us leave this estate unprotected. Not after everything that’s happened. They won’t take that chance.”

My shoulders drop. “Then what are we supposed to do?”

“We’ll go to the restaurant as planned.” She lowers her voice. “But text Luca and tell him to meet you at the back entrance instead. Once we get there, you can slip away for a few minutes, talk to him, and come back before anyone realizes you’re gone.”

I hesitate, but the idea makes sense. “Okay. I’ll do that.”

I pull out my phone and quickly type a message to Luca, telling him about the change of location and asking him to meet me at the back of the restaurant.

“I’ve sent it.”

She nods, but as she adjusts her purse, something catches my eye.

“Wait, is that a gun?”

She glances down at her purse, then back at me as if the answer should be obvious. “Yes.”

My eyes widen. “Sofía.”

“We’re meeting a man without Roman’s guards around us. We can’t be too careful.”

“I know.” I shake my head. “He wouldn’t hurt a hair on my head. He came all the way to Chicago because he thinks I’m in trouble. He wants to help me.”

She gives me a skeptical look. “I understand that,” she says, “but we can’t be too sure.”

I sigh. “Guess you’re right.”

She reaches for the door, and the moment it swings open, a deafening gunshot tears through the air.

I scream and instinctively drop to the floor. Sofía falls beside me, her hands bracing against the ground as another burst of gunfire erupts outside.

“What the hell was that?” I whisper, my heart slamming against my ribs.

Sofía doesn’t answer. She peers toward the entrance, and I follow her gaze, and my blood runs cold.

The guard who normally stands at the door is sprawled across the ground outside. A dark stain spreads across his shirt, and several other guards lie scattered across the driveway, some motionless, others struggling to move.

Then I see the vehicles. A black SUV speeds through the gates, followed by another. Men pour out, weapons raised, firing toward our security team. They’re not Roman’s men.

“Get back inside!” Sofía shouts.

I scramble backward as bullets tear through the air. She grabs my arm, pulling me toward the doorway.