Page 239 of The One
I turn away, hiding my relief.
Placing a gentle hand on Mari’s back, I urge her forward again.
“Does my family know?” she asks as we descend the stairs to the second level.
“Yes. Your mother was informed yesterday when his body was recovered.”
Mari exhales slowly. “I better go to see her right away.”
I nod. “Of course.” Turning to Rom, I say, “Arrange for a team to take Mari anywhere she wants to go. Coordinate with Santino about her permanent guards and report back with names.”
“Will do. Santino is waiting in your office. There’s a lot to go over.”
I sigh, already hating this day. Just hours ago, we were wrapped in the perfection of our secluded escape. Now reality crashes back with full force.
“Oh, and Sofia Molinaro escaped.”
Mari and I both snap our heads toward him. This time, our surprise isn’t an act.
“What do you mean Sofia escaped?” Mari asks.
Rom shifts uncomfortably. “Looks like she took advantage of the chaos. With Tiero gone and you guys away, she probably figured no one would come looking for her.”
“But how did she get out?” I press.
Mari exhales knowingly. “A guard helped her, right?”
Rom nods. “Yeah. Davide is missing too.”
I arch a brow at my wife, who scrunches her nose.
“She seduced him,” Mari says, unsurprised. “Last time I saw her, he was walking out of her room.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, my voice harsher than I intended. “I made it clear no men were allowed near her.”
I knew Mari spent time with Sofia, but I let it slide, understanding her need to talk to someone her own age. But not telling me my guards were going against my orders?
“I’m sorry, Teo,” Mari replies quickly, and I immediately regret my tone when I see her expression.
She’s clearly blaming herself. “With everything that was going on with Tiero, it totally slipped my mind.”
I reach for her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.
Rom just shrugs. “What do you want to do about it?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, recalling Antonio’s dying words.
‘You will never win. You haven’t seen the last of the Molinaros.’
He couldn’t have meant Sofia. How couldshepossibly pose a threat? He must have been talking about Marcelo, the youngest Molinaro son. But he’s only fourteen and has escaped to Chicago. I’ll have to keep an eye on him.
“Mateo?” Rom prompts when I don’t answer. “Are we going after her?”
I shake my head. “No, we have bigger fish to fry. I was going to let her go anyway. After her father’s death, there wasn’t much point in keeping her, but Tiero thought it was premature. Anyway, it’s one less thing to deal with.”
“True. No shortage of problems,” Rom mutters.
I stop walking and lift an eyebrow at him. He gets the hint and takes a step back. “Right. I’ll go organize Mari’s ride.”
