Page 28 of Iron Roses

“I took the liberty of editing Fontanesi’s cover names out of the Genoa manifest. The ones we stored in the bronze ledger…” He slows. “Are sealed. With me.”

We reach the far side of the study.

The wall should be whole. It isn’t.

The panel hangs open.

Lorenzo stops mid-step.

“Shit.”

I walk past him. The hallway beyond the hidden seam is cool, carved in stone. My footfalls echo down the spiral stairs. I see her before I finish the descent. She collapsed near the altar.

Her body curled just beside the stain in the marble. One arm limp, cheek pressed to the cold stone floor. She’s still breathing—but unevenly. Her skin is clammy.

Lorenzo’s steps scramble behind me.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck—”

I drop to one knee beside her.

She’s cold. Sweating. Eyes twitching beneath shut lids. The pulse at her neck is shallow.

I slide one arm beneath her knees, the other behind her back, and lift her without a word. Her head falls against my chest.

Lorenzo runs a hand through his hair. “How the hell did she even—”

We move. Back up the stairwell. The walls press in like stone ribs around us.

Lorenzo shuts the panel as we enter the study. The seam clicks closed behind us, sealing the secret away again.

He reaches for her.

“I’ll handle her—”

I turn slightly. My grip tightens.

Lorenzo stops. The message is clear.

He looks from her to me. His mouth opens. Closes. He straightens, hands raised.

“Right.” A beat. “I’ll give you space.”

Then two fingers raise from my side.

You can go now.

Lorenzo nods. It’s not agreement. It’s submission. The door closes behind him with a final click.

I carry her to the east wing. Through the corridor no one else walks. Into the private room no one enters. My room.

The mattress creaks as I lower her gently onto the bed.

She sinks into the pillows as if she belongs there. Her breath evens slightly. A soft exhale parts her lips.

I sit beside her. Her hair spills like shadow over the white linen. Her cheek is still flushed. Her mouth slightly open.

Almost like Giovanna. Almost.

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