Page 65 of Ruined

"Get dressed," I tell her. "We need to move."

Evelyn's hands shake as she pulls on her clothes. I've seen her defiant, seductive, even afraid—but this is different. This is pure terror, the kind that strips away everything else.

"If he hurts her..." She can't finish the sentence.

I cross the room and grip her shoulders. "I will find her, Evelyn. I promise you that."

Her eyes meet mine, desperate for something to believe in.

"How?"

I don't answer Evelyn's question. What can I say? That I'll tear the city apart? That I'll kill anyone who stands between us and her sister? Words mean nothing right now. Only action matters.

She watches me, waiting for something I can't give her. After a moment, she turns away and finishes dressing in silence, movements sharp with urgency.

I grab my gun from the nightstand drawer, checking the magazine before tucking it into my waistband. My knife goes into my boot. The weight of both is familiar, comforting in a way nothing else is.

"Let's go," I say, leading her out of the bedroom.

We move through the apartment in tense silence. The air between us has changed—no longer charged with desire but with fear and determination. The woman who played violin naked for me last night is gone. In her place stands someone ready to burn the world down to save her sister.

I can respect that.

The elevator takes us to the underground garage. I scan the space instinctively, checking for threats before guiding Evelyn forward with my hand at the small of her back.

"Which one?" she asks, looking at the row of vehicles.

I point to the black Audi with tinted windows. "That one. No one will see you inside."

She nods once, accepting this without argument. The fight has gone out of her, replaced by something more dangerous—resolve.

I unlock the car and open her door. As she slides in I pull out my phone and dial Damiano.

"We're on our way," I tell him when he answers. "Ivan's taken Jessica."

"You're bringing her here?" Damiano sounds surprised.

"I can't leave her alone and I can't sit around doing nothing while Ivan has her sister." I close my door and start the engine.

There's a pause on the line. I know what he's thinking—bringing Evelyn to the Feretti mansion is a risk.

"Fine," Damiano says finally. "I'll have security ready. Come through the east entrance."

"We'll be there in twenty."

I end the call and pull out of the garage, the Audi's engine purring beneath us. Beside me Evelyn stares straight ahead, her knuckles bloodless where she grips the door handle.

I guide the Audi through the wrought iron gates of the Feretti estate, tension radiating from Evelyn beside me. Her fingers haven't stopped moving since we left the apartment—twisting, tapping, a physical manifestation of her anxiety.

"We're here," I say, pulling up to the east entrance as instructed.

Evelyn stares at the mansion through the tinted windows.

Two guards approach as we exit the car. They nod at me, eyes lingering curiously on Evelyn before escorting us inside. The mansion's marble foyer gleams under crystal chandeliers, wealth and power etched into every surface.

"Noah?"

Lucrezia Feretti appears at the top of the grand staircase, her petite frame draped in a designer dress that can't hide the new hardness in her eyes. She descends quickly, studying Evelyn with open interest.

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