Page 132 of The Savage

‘Good.’ A soft kiss to my temple. ‘Let’s go back out. Before the wolves tear into something they shouldn’t.’

He doesn’t let go of my hand as we return to the living room.

To their credit, no one jokes and no one smirks.

The air is too thick, too dangerous.

Cesare is pacing, feral, his usual iron control cracked open at the edges.

‘My wife and son are here,’ he growls. ‘We make no more moves until they’re safely home. And then we finish this fucking bullshit.’

‘Home?’ Maddie’s voice cuts through the room like a blade. She crosses the room to stand in front of him, rubbing Nico’s back as he dozes on her shoulder. ‘And sit in Fallbrook tearing my hair out every hour you or Renzo or Rafa or Dante don’t answer your phones? Absolutely not. You don’t want us to stay in Ortigia? Fine. But you find us somewhere close where I can see you every night.’

Cesare grinds his teeth but he’s already lost the battle, even before he says, ‘Maddie⁠—’

‘No.’ Her voice is so soft it freezes him. ‘We stay together. All of us. We all leave or none of us leave.’

Sofiya crosses her arms. ‘She’s right. We’re not scattering like damn prey.’

Rafa yanks her close, kisses the top of her head, and something inside me clenches. I’m ashamed to register it as envy. Another sin on top of the many I’ll need to pray for.

‘Okay,’ he says. ‘We’ll sort a safe house. And then we’re hunting this fucker.’

Cesare scrubs a hand over his jaw, exhaling hard. Then nods once. ‘Fine. Let’s get that done.’

Everyone turns to me. And I feel the question before anyone asks it.

Will you run?

Will you hide?

Are you with us or will you try to return to a convent?

The truth rises, fragile and clear, and I shake my head. ‘I’m staying with Renzo.’

Maddie’s eyes soften. Sofiya’s eyes narrow slightly with calculating approval. Rafa tilts his head as if reassessing the ground beneath us.

Cesare… studies me for a long beat. Then nods. ‘Bene.’

Renzo slides his arm around my waist, anchoring me. ‘While you sort out the safe house, I’m taking her to Monza tomorrow,’ he says, already glaring away any objections before anyone dares to raise it. ‘Security detail already prepping. Life doesn’t stop for a weasel with a death wish.’

Dante snorts. ‘Show-off.’

Renzo lifts his chin. ‘You saw the way she looked at my racing video. Only a damn fool doesn’t cash in those gold-sprinkled brownie points.’

Heat crawls up my neck. I swat his arm. ‘I’m standing right here, Renzo.’

He grins like a devil granted absolution.

Rafa’s phone buzzes. He steps aside, then returns two minutes later. ‘I’ve got something,’ he announces. ‘Safehouse in Ragusa. It’s fortified. Off grid. If we’re relocating, it’s our best option.’

Renzo nods. ‘After Monza, we head straight there.’

‘Good,’ Cesare says. ‘The sooner the better.’

Plans spiral out – security rotations, transport routes, weapons inventory.

Sofiya and Rafa slip towards the hallway. ‘We’re going to do some more recon, see why this fucker is jonesing for a fight,’ Sofiya says, eyes glinting dangerously.