Page 244 of Untamed

Not when someone got close enough to take her once.

I shove the phone back into my pocket and descend the stairs, every step measured. Every breath controlled. I can’t afford cracks now.

Dante’s waiting by the gate. His eyes flick up when he sees me, already falling into step beside me as I pass.

“She settled?”

“For now.” My voice is low. Cold. “But I want the perimeter doubled. No blind spots. No rotation gaps. Pull everyone from the east wall and shift them to the villa.”

He nods without question.

“What about the safehouse?” he asks.

“One hour.”

I don’t stop walking. “Sweep it twice. No one in or out without my say. When it’s ready, we move her.”

“Do we tell her?”

A pause.

“No.”

Dante doesn’t push.

But just before we reach the SUV, I stop. I turn to face him, fully.

“You’re staying with her.”

His brows pinch. “I thought?—”

“Not up for debate.” I cut him off. “She doesn’t leave your sight. Not for a second. If anything happens?—”

I lock eyes with him. “—you protect her with your life.”

A beat of silence then Dante nods, his mouth setting into a hard line.

“Always. You know that.”

But then, quieter, grudging: “I don’t like that you’re going without me.”

“I don’t either.”

I glance toward the treeline. “But this doesn’t wait. If someone inside gave Jordyn up, I’m going to rip their spine out and feed it to their boss.”

He huffs, but doesn’t argue.

“Bring me something to shoot when you're done,” he mutters.

I offer a ghost of a smile. “If I find what I’m looking for, I’ll bring you a dozen.”

“Ares,” Dante says, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. His grip isn’t just caution, it’s loyalty, tension threaded through flesh and bone. “Take Vincenzo with you. He’s solid. You can trust him. I need to know you back is covered, fratello.”

“Ho la tua ragazza. Tu pensa a restare vivo.”I’ve got your girl. You focus on staying alive.

I meet his gaze, and lick my lips before I speak again. “Se mi succede qualcosa… sai cosa devi fare.”

If anything happens to me… you know what you need to do.

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