Page 138 of Beneath the Shadows

Please, let this be the way out.

I need to get us above ground so I can call an ambulance. The questions, the mess—all of it can wait. I’ll deal with the aftermath, clean it up, pay the right people to make sure it disappears. The only thing that matters is getting Alessia to a hospital and keeping her alive.

I can’t lose her. Not now. Not ever.

Up ahead, I finally spot what I’ve been searching for—the familiar steps leading back up. The way out. My legs burn with every step as I climb, her limp body growing heavier in my arms as my own strength begins to fade. But I push through it. I have no choice.

When I reach the surface, gasping for air, I glance down at my phone—still no signal in this damn building. I clutch Alessia tighter and push through the door, finally bursting into the open air. The second I’m outside, the signal bar flickers to life. I quickly dial for help, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

The phone rings once, twice, before a calm voice answers, “911, what’s your emergency?”

“My wife,” I gasp, barely able to force the words out. “She’s hurt—bad. I need an ambulance. Now.”

“Stay calm, sir,” the dispatcher replies. “Where are you located?”

I rattle off the address, my voice trembling as I glance down at Alessia’s pale face, her breath so shallow it’s nearly undetectable. “She’s not... she’s barely breathing. You need to hurry.”

“Help is on the way,” the dispatcher reassures, but it’s not fast enough. Time is slipping through my fingers like sand.

I disconnect the call, the sound of the dispatcher’s voice lingering in my mind like a hollow echo. My legs buckle beneath me, and I drop to my knees, cradling Alessia’s limp body in my arms. The cold ground presses against me as I rock her gently, willing her to keep breathing.

My phone buzzes again. It’s Dante.

“Where are you?” he asks.

“I’m outside. In the parking lot,” I choke out, my throat tight, every word a struggle. “I’m waiting for an ambulance. She’s barely breathing.” My voice cracks, raw with fear. “I can’t even see her chest move. She’s slipping away and I can’t do a god damn thing to stop it.”

“You will not fucking lose her,” Dante growls, his voice harsh but laced with an urgency that mirrors my own panic. “She’s strong, Antonio. You hear me? You hold on to her. Don’t let her go. The ambulance is coming, and they’ll do everything they can.” His voice softens, just a fraction. “You’re not losing her, Anton. Not like this.”

I press a trembling hand to her cold cheek. “I never should’ve let her out of my sight. This is all my fault.”

“You did everything you could. The only thing that matters right now is getting her through this. Focus on that.”

I close my eyes, sucking in a deep breath, trying to push back the suffocating panic. “Where are you?”

“I’ve got Draco,” he says, his voice tight with barely restrained fury. “I shot him, but the bastard’s still breathing. What do you want me to do?”

I glance down at Alessia, her skin pale as death. A surge of fury burns through me, white-hot. “Make him suffer, Dante,” I growl, my voice low and lethal. “Make sure he suffers and then burns in hell.”

“He will.”

The line goes dead.

I hold Alessia closer, my voice barely a whisper as I lean in. “Help is on the way. Stay with me. Please,Tesoro,stay with me.”

Dante

I’ve known Antonio long enough to recognize when he’s lying.Old business.He got a message from Draco, but he’s not going to tell me what it was. Instead of arguing with him and wasting time, I let him walk away. But the second his back is turned I grab my gear and follow. If he thinks I’m going to let my best friend, my brother, handle this alone, he’s dead wrong.

I tail him, keeping my distance as he heads toward the docks to an abandoned warehouse. The place reeks of a trap, but I hold back and watch him disappear inside. My instincts scream at me to follow, but I know Antonio. He’s got his own game to play, and if I storm in too early, I’ll ruin it.

Once he’s disappeared, I slip in behind him and find a yellowed paper on the floor, the hand-scrawled note barely legible. With my gun drawn, I move deeper, down the narrow steps that lead into twisting tunnels beneath the city.

Voices drift up ahead. I slink through the damp passageways, trying to stay hidden in the shadows. Every step is a calculated risk, and the deeper I go, the more distinct the voices become. I’m close.

Suddenly, behind me, the unmistakable sound of footsteps. My pulse spikes. Someone else is here and they’re close. Ducking around a corner, I press my back against the cold, slick stone wall, hoping to vanish into the darkness.

Crack!

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