Page 128 of Beneath the Shadows

I hold her tighter, the tension in her body feeding the storm building inside me. I’ve been more patient than I should’ve been. I gave Draco a warning—told him to stay away from her.

I never wanted this to escalate, never aimed to start a war, but he ignored my warning. Now, Draco Moretti is about to learn the cost of pushing me too far.

“I don’t know,” I say, running my fingers through her hair. “Let’s head downstairs. We can have the chef prepare something for dinner, and we’ll take it home.”

We slip downstairs to the back of the restaurant and find Enzo going over the books. He looks up as we approach.

“I didn’t expect to see you two here this evening,” he says, raising an eyebrow.

“It was an impromptu visit,” I reply, taking a seat and motioning for Alessia to sit beside me.

“Mrs. Luciano,” Enzo greets with a smooth tone, but his sharp eyes look between us. “Always a pleasure.”

Alessia nods slightly. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you’re here. We received another message.”

Before he can respond, Dante walks in. “We’ve got a problem,” he says but stops short when he notices Alessia.

“What is it?” I ask, my pulse quickening.

“There was a 911 call from the Moretti estate,” he continues, his tone clipped. “There was a situation.”

“What kind of situation?”

He looks to Alessia and then back to me. “Mrs. Moretti was found dead.”

Alessia’s hand grips mine tightly, her breath catching. “What?” she whispers.

“It’s an apparent suicide,” Dante adds, his eyes narrowing.

“Like hell it is,” I snap, struggling to keep my temper in check. “This has Draco written all over it.”

“According to the police, Moretti wasn’t there,” Dante continues. “He’s supposedly out of the country on business.”

“How’s that possible? We’ve had eyes on the house the whole time.”

Dante’s gaze shifts to Alessia. “I was hoping she could help us answer that.”

My senses go on high alert. “What are you implying?”

“Just that she grew up there,” Dante says, his voice measured. “Do you know if there are any secret exits or places where your father could slip away unnoticed?”

“I don’t… I… Um…” Alessia stumbles over her words.

Gently, I tilt her chin up. “Tesoro, look at me. I know this is hard, but we need your help. Were there any rooms your father kept locked? Any places you weren’t allowed to go?”

“There was one time, when I was a little girl and my parents were fighting,” she says blinking back tears. “I was trying to find some place to hide. Someplace I thought my father wouldn’t find me. I found a door that led to a cellar. I wasn’t able to hide for long. He found me,” she recounts, with horror reflected in her eyes. “He forbade me from ever going down there again. Then, he took his belt to me to make sure I didn’t forget.”

Dante and I exchange a quick glance. “A cellar could have a hidden way out.”

I turn back to Alessia, my voice soft. “You did good,tesoro.”

She nods, though her lips tremble slightly.

Enzo clears his throat, his expression unusually tense. “This is getting out of control. Nicoletta and Cecilia need to be sent to Italy—it’s the safest option.” His gaze shifts to Alessia. “She should go with them.”

Before I can respond, Alessia straightens beside me. “No,” she says firmly. “I’m not leaving. I refuse to run.”

---