Marco stared at me with narrowed eyes, and in the silence, I knew he was thinking something—that he had some idea just what Luc might or might not have agreed to—but he didn’t share those thoughts with me. And part of me was almost too afraid to ask what he knew.
“Is he on his way back?”
I shook my head. “He said they asked him to stay. That they’re having some kind of meeting to discuss what to recommend at tomorrow’s vote about Dante.”
“Merda. They’re still voting on Dante? He said that specifically?”
Felicity moved up at Marco’s side and looked from me to him. “They let him go. If they’re still voting on what to do with him, though—”
Marco’s jaw clenched down hard. “Then it means they really did let him loose here as a warning. They have no intention of freeing him now that they got what they wanted from Luc. They’ll come back for him in the morning.”
Felicity’s face paled. “Shit.”
Marco stared down at her, and some kind of silent communication passed between the two. Seconds later, Felicity bolted from the kitchen. “I’ll make the calls.”
I wasn’t sure what was happening. As Marco turned out of the kitchen with a variety of pill bottles in his hands, I trailed after him. “What’s going on? What did Felicity mean?”
He didn’t slow his pace. Moving into the hall, he headed for the stairs. “We’re getting Dante out of Italy.”
“What? He’s not in any condition to travel.”
“He doesn’t have a choice. They’ll kill him if he stays. I owe it to Luc to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
I stopped at the bottom of the staircase, looking after him, shock rippling through me. If Luc came back and found Dante gone—
Marco paused halfway up when he realized I wasn’t following and looked back at me. “Don’t worry. Fee’s done this a number of times. Her contacts are good. And Dante will get the help he needs away from all this, trust me. That’s why Luc called, Natalie. So I’d get the signal. Have faith.”
He disappeared up the stairs, and alone, my heart thumping hard against my ribs, I told myself to listen, that faith was all I needed. If I believed in Luc, everything would be okay.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more. More that Luc hadn’t said.
More that was happening in the shadows. More dangers lurking in the darkness, just waiting to destroy what little happiness we’d been able to find.
11
Natalie
Hours later, I was so stressed with worry, I felt as if I might crawl out of my own skin.
Felicity and Dante had left just after dusk. Marco had sedated Dante again—not enough to knock him out, but enough so he wouldn’t argue with the plan. I didn’t know where they were going.
I didn’t know if I’d ever see Dante again. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to tell Luc about his brother when he got home tonight. And because I’d promised Luc I’d stay put here on this estate where I was safe, I couldn’t even offer anyone else my help.
All I could do was hope and pray that Luc would come back to me safe and in one piece. And that when he did, he’d be the same strong and confident man who’d left me this morning, not in any way damaged or drained or broken by his House like Dante.
Luc’s words circled in my head again. “Believe in us no matter what happens. I love you. I will always love only you. Promise me you won’t forget that.” And just like every other time I’d thought about those words, a shiver rushed down my spine, because somewhere deep inside, I knew they hadn’t been uttered in passing.
He’d said them because he was scared. Because he knew something I didn’t. Because he was afraid something they did to him might cause me not to love him anymore.
That would never happen. Nothing his House could do would ever change the way I felt. But I also didn’t want to imagine what they might do to him, because every time I did, I made myself sick.
Unable to focus on the magazine I’d been staring at for the last hour as I lay in one of the big beds in Marco and Fee’s guest rooms, I tossed it on the mattress, moved to the balcony to tug the door closed that I’d opened earlier because I was so hot, and headed for the kitchen.
I wasn’t hungry, but I needed something to do with my hands so I’d stop picking at my fingers. I’d already chewed my pretty wedding nails down to my fingertips and chipped off the polish. If Luc didn’t get back soon, I was going to start in on the cuticles, which would only leave my fingers bloody and gross.
Since Marco had gone up to his room about an hour ago, and the staff was all in bed, I had free rein of the house. I really wanted to go down to the cottage to wait for Luc there, but Marco had insisted I stay in the main house—just to be safe. But I felt trapped here more than I did down there, and right now, I just wanted to pull on one of Luc’s shirts, to draw in his scent, and hold at least one part of him close to me as I waited.
A single light shone over the sink in the kitchen. I didn’t bother flipping any others on, just moved to the fridge, grabbed a water from the door, and leaned back against the counter in the dark as I slowly sipped and thought about Luc.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway. A shadowy figure passed by the kitchen. Realizing it was Marco, and not wanting him to think I was hiding, I said, “Hey.”
He jumped and jerked around to face me. Clutching something in his hand—a shirt or coat or jacket—he held the object up to his chest and sucked in a breath. “Merda. Natalie. I didn’t see you there.”
“Couldn’t sleep. Just getting a water.” Barefoot, the pajama bottoms dragging on the hardwood floor as I moved, I stepped past the fridge and flipped on the light.
Marco blinked and quickly shifted whatever was in his hand to his back. But alarm bells were already sounding in my head.
Eyes wide, I shot across the kitchen and grasped his forearm. “What is that?”
“It’s nothing.” He was stronger than me, and he shifted his arm back farther so I couldn’t see what he held, but I didn’t let go. I struggled with everything that was in me.
“Marco. Let me see what you ha—”
He finally relaxed his muscles, and when the black cape came into view, I quickly looked toward his other hand and spotted the white bauta mask hanging from his fingertips.
My gaze shot up to his face, and my heart raced so fast, I knew he had to hear it. “Tell me. What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” he said in a low voice. “I was just summoned to a gathering.”
Bile shot up my throat. “It’s about Luc, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. It could be.”
“Oh God.” I stumbled back and slapped a hand over my mouth, Luc’s words spinning in my head all over again.
“Natalie.” Hands closed over my shoulders, gripping me tight, drawing my attention. I looked up into Marco’s dark, very focused eyes. “Listen to me. I’ll know more once I get there. And I’ll do whatever I can to help Luc, but in the meantime, I need you to hold it together.”
I couldn’t think. I was having trouble breathing. What they’d done to Maricella, what they’d done to Dante, what they’d done to Vittoria… It all whirled through my mind like a vortex.