Page 86 of Ruined

I dismount and stalk toward the gate. "Last chance."

The guards draw their weapons.

"Mr. Rivera, please. We're just following orders."

"Fuck your orders." I grip the bars of the gate, considering my options. I could take both men but it would cost precious time. Time Evelyn doesn't have.

"Noah!" Damiano's voice calls from behind me.

I turn to see him striding down the driveway, Enzo at his side.

"Call off your dogs," I snarl. "Now."

"So you can get yourself killed? No."

"She went to Ivan," I say, my voice cracking. "She fucking went to him, Damiano."

"I understand," Damiano cuts me off, his voice level but intense. "Believe me, I fucking understand."

Something in his tone makes me pause. I look at him—really look at him—and see the recognition in his eyes.

"This is exactly what I would do for Zoe," he continues, stepping closer. "If someone took her I'd burn the whole fucking city down. But going into the lion's den alone isn't the best fucking idea, Noah."

I release the gate, turning to face him fully. "I can handle myself."

"Against Ivan and how many of his men? Twenty? Thirty?" Enzo interjects, his face grim. "You're good but you're not immortal."

"We will act fast," Damiano promises, his hand landing heavy on my shoulder. "But we'll act smart. And for fuck's sake, not alone."

My jaw clenches. Every instinct screams at me to go now, to get to her before Ivan can hurt her. But the rational part of my brain—the part that's kept me alive this long—knows they're right.

"She went there to trade herself," I say, my voice rough. "For her sister. For her friend."

"And you think Ivan will honor that?" Enzo asks. "You know better."

I do know better. Ivan will take Evelyn and still kill Jessica and Michael. Then he'll kill Evelyn too, once he's done with her. The thought makes bile rise in my throat.

I watch as Damiano pulls out his phone, his movements precise. He punches in a number, waiting only seconds before speaking.

"Alessio, red code. Get everyone." His voice is ice cold, the tone of a man ready for war. "Twenty minutes."

He hangs up, turning back to me. "We move as soon as Alessio brings the men."

I pace near the gate, unable to stand still. Every second feels like an eternity. Evelyn's face keeps flashing through my mind—her smile when she played violin, her eyes when she looked at me this morning, the way she felt in my arms. The thought of Ivan touching her makes me want to rip through the iron with my bare hands.

"Noah." Enzo's voice cuts through my thoughts. "We'll get her back."

I don't respond. Words feel useless right now.

The sound of an engine draws my attention. A black SUV speeds up the private road, skidding to a halt near us. Matteo jumps out, his face grim.

"I fucked up," he says, approaching me with his hands slightly raised. "You can hit me if that helps. I deserve it."

I stare at him, the anger I expected to feel strangely absent. "It wouldn't change anything."

"She locked me in the bedroom," Matteo explains, glancing at Damiano and Enzo. "By the time I broke the door down, she was gone."

"She must have memorized my door code," I say, the realization hitting me like a gut punch. "I wasn't careful enough. She was watching when I entered it."

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