Page 76 of Dario DeLuca

I shake my head, my gaze never leaving the menacing figure. "I don't know, Gabby. But we can't let him know we've spotted him."

"What if he tries something?" Gabby's voice wavers, fear creeping into her tone.

I reach out, grasping her hand in a reassuring squeeze. "Renzo won’t let him, and Dario is aware. We just need to stay calm and wait for Dario to respond.”

Gabby nods, drawing in a shaky breath. "Okay. Okay, I trust you, Mia."

We continue, unfazed by the stranger’s presence or the building anxiety.

The vibration of my phone in my pocket startles me, and I fumble to retrieve it, my fingers clumsy with adrenaline. Dario's name flashes across the screen, a beacon of hope amid this unfolding nightmare.

"It's Dario," I whisper to Gabby, my voice barely audible above the din of the city.

Dario: Don’t draw attention. You’re going to get up and pay your tab as you normally would, and then you and Gabby are going to walk back to your studio.

I frantically shoot him a reply.

Me: Walk?!?!

The three dots of doom dance on the screen.

Dario: Yes. Renzo will trail you, but we need him to follow you. Please, Bella, remain calm and don’t let him know you’re on to him.

I take a deep breath, drop my phone in my purse, and smile.

“What did he say?” Gabby questions anxiously.

"We just need to stay calm and get out of here without drawing attention."

“Got it. We can do that.” Gabby closes her eyes for a second, and a stray tear falls.

I wipe it away and offer her a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be okay,” I comfort her even though I’m not even sure myself.

The flashback from the night that one guy tried to kidnap me and Dario stopped him dead in his tracks comes flooding back to my memory. I shake it off and toss out a fake laugh.

“Come on, girl, let's go to the studio. I haven’t been there in a while, and I miss it,” I say aloud, giving her clues about the next move.

We rise from our seats, our movements calculated and inconspicuous. I can feel the weight of the stranger's gaze on my back as we make our way inside to settle the bill, my heart pounding in my chest with every step.

As we approach the counter, I catch a glimpse of the man from the corner of my eye, passing by the windows with a purposeful stride. My sight follows him, a sense of dread settling in my stomach. I know, with a chilling certainty, this is only the beginning. I settle our bill, and we exit.

Stepping out onto the bustling sidewalk, I turn my head slightly to confirm his presence behind us, his footsteps echoing like a foreboding drumbeat. Gabby and I walk side by side, our pace steady and unhurried, our conversation light and carefree - a carefully crafted facade masking the tension that lingers in the air, thick and suffocating.

With each step, my heart races, pounding against my ribcage as if it might burst free at any moment. My senses are heightened, every sound amplified, every movement magnified. I strain to hear the stranger's breathing, to gauge the distance between us, but the disharmony of the city drowns out all else.

Beside me, Gabby's hand trembles ever so slightly, betraying the fear she tries to conceal. I give her a reassuring squeeze,a silent reminder that we're in this together and will make it through this unscathed.

As we navigate the crowded sidewalk, I notice Renzo in my peripheral vision, his presence a comforting weight. The knowledge that he's ready to react, to intervene if the situation escalates, brings a small measure of comfort to my frayed nerves.

We arrive outside my studio’s door. I put the key in the lock and turn, opening the door.

“Dario would be so mad if he knew I came here without his knowledge,” I say with a cheerful tone, keeping up the façade of being unbothered when in actuality, I’m about to lose my shit.

“Girl, he’ll get over it. Let’s go see if the equipment needs to be charged.”

We step inside with the stranger close behind.

THIRTY-ONE

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