Page 13 of Ruined By Blood
The silence stretches between us, thick with all the things I won't say and all the dangers he doesn't know are already hunting me.
CHAPTER 6
Iclose the door on my way out of Sienna's room, my frustration boiling over. The woman is stubborn to the point of self-destruction. She's clearly terrified, but refusing help even when it's handed to her on a silver platter.
I stride down the hallway, my footsteps echoing against marble as I make my way to Damiano's office. Noah steps aside when he sees my expression, smart enough not to engage.
I push open the heavy wooden door to find my brother still seated behind his desk, phone in hand.
"She's not talking," I announce, dropping into the leather chair across from him. "Sterling's daughter is too fucking scared to give us anything useful."
Damiano ends his call without ceremony and leans back, studying me with that calculating gaze that's dissected men far more intimidating than I am.
"And you're surprised?" He raises an eyebrow. "If Henry Sterling is half the monster our intel suggests, she's been living in hell."
"I need a different approach."
The solution strikes me suddenly, so obvious I'm annoyed I didn't think of it immediately. "Lucrezia. We need Lucrezia."
Damiano's expression hardens instantly. "No. Absolutely not."
"Listen to me," I lean forward, hands flat on his desk. "They're close in age. Lucrezia has a way with people—look how quickly she bonded with Zoe."
"That was different."
"Was it?" I challenge. "Zoe came here as an enemy, and Lucrezia saw through all that bullshit instantly. Now they're practically sisters."
I can see Damiano considering it, his jaw working as he weighs the options.
"Sienna's traumatized, but she's not going to open up to either of us. We're exactly the kind of men she's been running from." I lower my voice. "Lucrezia understands trauma. She knows what it's like to feel powerless."
Damiano's eyes flash dangerously. "Careful, Enzo."
"I'm not suggesting we use our sister's pain," I clarify. "I'm saying she has a compassion neither of us can offer. Sienna needs that right now."
Silence hangs between us as Damiano weighs my proposal. I know he's thinking of Lucrezia's fragile recovery, the nightmares that still wake her screaming.
"Sienna Sterling is the daughter of one of the mostdangerous human traffickers in the country," I press. "If he's looking for her, we need to know exactly what we're dealing with. And she's not going to tell us."
Damiano sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't like involving Lucrezia in family business."
"This isn't business. This is a woman who needs help, and our sister might be the only one who can reach her."
I leave Damiano's office with his reluctant approval and make my way toward Lucrezia's wing of the house. My footsteps slow as I approach her door. Since the attack, these visits have become a delicate dance of knowing when to push and when to back off.
I knock softly. "Luce? It's me."
Silence stretches long enough that I wonder if she's sleeping, then her quiet voice filters through. "Come in."
I push the door open to find my sister curled in the window seat, staring out at the rain that's started to fall. The room is a mess of half-finished sketches and abandoned projects. Her once vibrant art studio corner sits covered in a thin layer of dust.
"Hey." I step carefully around a pile of books on the floor. "Bad day?"
Lucrezia shrugs, not turning from the window. "Not bad. Not good. Just... a day."
I sit across from her, giving her space. It kills me to see her like this—my vibrant, fiery little sister reduced to someone who startles at shadows.
"We have a guest staying with us," I begin carefully. "A woman named Sienna."
