Page 28 of Obsidian Devotion

Sofia

Istareatthethirdpregnancy test in my trembling hands, the two pink lines staring back at me.

Pregnant.

The word echoes in my mind, bouncing off the walls of my tiny bathroom like a ricocheting bullet.

I’m pregnant with Lorenzo Bellanti's child.

My stomach lurches, and I grip the edge of the sink, breathing deeply through my nose. This wasn't part of the plan. None of this was part of the plan.

I was supposed to infiltrate, gather intelligence, and help dismantle the organization that tortured and killed my brother. I wasn't supposed to end up carrying the enemy's child.

I wasn't supposed to care for him.

The pregnancy test feels like a ticking bomb in my hand. With shaking fingers, I wrap it in toilet paper and bury it deep in the bathroom trash.

I can’t deal with it right now.

Through the bathroom door, I hear a sharp knock at my apartment entrance. My pulse jumps into my throat as I quickly wash my hands, smoothing my hair in the mirror.

"Coming!" I call, my voice steadier than I feel.

When I open the door, Carlos stands there, his face unsmiling beneath his salt-and-pepper beard.

"You look terrible," he grunts, pushing past me into the apartment.

"Thanks. always the charmer." I close the door, instinctively touching my stomach before catching myself. "I wasn't expecting you."

Carlos's eyes scan the apartment, ever vigilant, ever suspicious. "Clearly. You should always be expecting me. Orhim."

The way he says'him'leaves no doubt about who he means. "Especially after what happened with the weapons deal."

Pride flickers briefly in his eyes, and I hate how much I still crave his approval.

"Lorenzo was furious," I say, sitting on the arm of my sofa. "The whole family was. I heard Matteo had to beg the Vietnamese official to reconsider."

"Good." Carlos paces the small living room, hands clasped behind his back. "That was just the beginning. I have more news."

The way he says it sends a chill down my spine. I know that tone. It's the one he used when he first showed me proof of Luciano's death, when he laid out his plan for me to infiltrate the Bellanti organization.

"What news?" I ask, though part of me doesn't want to know.

"Gabriel," he says simply.

My blood runs cold. "What about him?"

Carlos stops pacing, turns to face me fully. "Lorenzo has him. In the basement of that club."

"How do you know this?" My voice sounds distant.

"I have my sources. The same ones who told me about the weapons deal." Carlos steps closer, his eyes boring into mine. "Sofia, this is our chance. Gabriel knows everything—shipment routes, offshore accounts, names of corrupt officials. If he testifies, the entire Bellanti empire crumbles."

"And if Lorenzo kills him before that can happen..." I let the sentence hang in the air between us.

"Exactly." Carlos's hand lands on my shoulder, heavy with expectation. "You need to get him out. Tonight."

My laugh sounds brittle even to my own ears. "Are you insane? The basement is guarded. Lorenzo doesn't trust anyone with prisoners except his most loyal men."

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