Page 177 of Inside the Sun

"Hey! Where are you taking him?" I shout, but Matteo grabs the black harness Anzo makes me wear and yanks me up, nearly dragging me because I can’t stand on my own.

He half-hauls me along, but this time we’re not going upstairs.

He drags me into a different room, much bigger than the black room.

It’s dark inside, murky, but I can still see… cages. Matteo knows exactly where he’s going. We push deeper into the shadows. A moment later, I hear a metallic clang; it’s a cage door opening. A hard shove, and I’m thrown inside.

Terror grips me. Paralyzing fear for what’s going to happen. To me. To Summer. If Anzo suspects even a fraction of what Summer’s capable of… will he try to exploit it during his attack?

But my body, bruised, electrocuted, exhausted, finally gives out.

I sink into the dark.

RAGNAR

It feels like someone plugged me into a live socket and keeps electrocuting me at random. Ever since Sun and I closed the Bond yesterday… the way I feel him, even from a distance, is unreal. Like we’re short-circuited, wired directly into each other.

I know Sun is in pain. And I can’t do a damn thing about it.

Circling the garden, I pretend to work, but really I’m just hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But he doesn’t show.

Summer doesn’t either. And my nerves are strung so tight, they buzz like an over-tuned string on an old instrument.

In the afternoon, I spot Mauro leaving the passageway. I follow him, managing to catch up before he steps into the kitchen.

When he sees me, he glances left and right, nervous. Not like him.

His face is tense, his eyes dart all over the place.

I pull out my phone and type:

"Is everything okay? I know something big is coming."

He replies:"I’m not part of it."

"Do you know what’s going on with Sun and Summer?"

Mauro just shakes his head, barely, and says,"I just know he took them to a room where there are no cameras that I can access."

"Can you find out? I’ve got a really bad feeling."

He hesitates, scratches his chin, then takes my phone. He types something with quick, impatient moves.

"You need to get out of here! I knew you came here to help your brothers. So I convinced Roberto to hire you. I wanted to give you a chance. But things are getting worse, you’re in danger. I’m not the only one watching you. Someone else is monitoring the surveillance feeds. Things are about to get really wild. You might end up a prime suspect."

I stare at the message for a second, and suddenly it all makes sense. That’s why I got the job at mafia estates, even though I never should’ve been cleared for it, not with my foggy background!

So it was Mauro… And now I know I need to take his warning seriously.

I type back:

"I appreciate it. And know this: I didn’t come here to hurt your family, or fight the mafia, or rat you out to the FBI. I only want to get my brothers and Sun out!"

He studies the screen for a moment, then types back:

"I don’t care if you want to hurt them. I wouldn’t stop you."

"Really? What about Luca? Eliano?"

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