Page 178 of Inside the Sun

"They’ll be safe. But Rocco’s a psychopath. And Anzo’s a lost cause. He forgot how to be human because no one ever treated him like one. I’m telling you this to warn you, someone is watching the camera feeds very closely. There are strange logs. You need to get out now. Very soon, it might be too late."

"Very soon?"

"Yep. It’ll be ugly. You shouldn’t be here. I warned you."

"I can’t disappear for at least four more days."

Mauro shrugs, steps back, then turns and, as usual, abruptly walks off.

For some time now, I've known that Mauro is not at all loyal to Anzo. And Luca is the same case. But Eliano? What about Ennio? Are either of them in any way connected to Anzo's operation?

If the attack succeeds, Anzo might be in a good mood. But if it fails… it could be a disaster. Maybe also for these three brothers?

Why does Mauro seem sure it’ll be the second, dangerous outcome? What does he know? What hashedone?

Or if it’s not him, does he know someone else who’s planning to sabotage it?

I don’t want to keep guessing. My brain’s already boiling over. I head back to my garden work, fully aware that if Anzo is watching me for any reason, my time here might be running out fast!

The more I think about it, the more seriously I take Mauro’s warning. Damn it. Maybe I just need to disappear for a few days and come back on the day Snow said would be safe?

Yep, seems like a good idea. So I head to the gazebo and sit down to check a few things online. Then I make the call to my parents.

My dad picks up, and I go straight in:

"Pack your bags and get to the airport. There’s a flight to Oslo tonight at 8 pm. Then you can catch one to Reykjavík. You need to be on it. It’s starting."

"Are you going to be safe? Have you thought this through?" Dad’s voice trembles slightly.

"If they want to kill me, they’ll have to work for it. I’m not going down easy, Dad."

Dad gets quiet. I know it’s hard for him to know that in a few days we'll all be in great danger, but he also understands that there's no other way.

"Okay, son. We’ve had our bags packed for a week now. We’ve been waiting for your signal."

"From now on, only the code I gave you matters. Anything I send has to include the agreed phrase. If my phone gets compromised, someone could pretend to be me. If there’s no code, it’s not me. No exceptions, Dad."

"Got it."

"I’ll only contact you from a burner phone. I’ll send the number to the email address I gave you."

"Understood, son. We’ll switch phones when we land. Good luck! Bring Summer to safety!"

For a second, I think about telling him I found my True Mate, but that information would only make things harder. Knowing that if someone kills Sun, they kill me too… that’s not something they need to carry.

"I’ll do everything I can, Dad. Stay strong. Ragnar out."

I hang up.

Then I make my next call, to Hunter.

He sounds a little buzzed, as usual, but not enough to not recognize who's calling.

"How’s your end coming along?" he asks, dragging his words a little.

"I’m getting ready to get Summer out of here in a few days," I say.

"What about Sun?"

---