Page 29 of Wicked Bloodlines

“Yes.” The word came out harsher than I meant it to. “I do.” And I found I believed myself. Which was a good thing because Dario had always known when I was lying.

Dario nodded once, then looked at Sofia for a long moment. “Wedding or no wedding, Matteo’s claimed you so you’re a Luca. Maria as well. That means, even if he wasn’t working against us, your father is now ours to deal with simply because he’s hurting you.” A pause. “Are we clear?”

“My sister doesn’t have long. I have to give him something, or he will hurt her.”

“Leave that to us, Sofia.” Dario gave her a small, kind smile and I relaxed. All of us have each other’s backs. Always. But I hadn’t realized until that moment how much it mattered to me that Dario back me up on this and not try to treat Sofia with suspicion, even when it might have been the prudent thing to do. Sofia wasn’t hard and ruthless like us, and I thought Dario recognized that in her as well.

I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a locket. Gold, heavy, the Luca crest engraved on the front. The heavy, ornate piece had been a gift from my grandmother and one I had always intended on giving my bride. Since this marriage had been arranged to forge an alliance, I hadn’t expected to give it to my wife, but it felt right giving it to Sofia.

“Turn around,” I said.

She did. I clasped the chain around her neck, my fingers brushing the warm skin at her nape. The locket settled against her sternum, gleaming against the black turtleneck.

“It has a GPS tracker,” I told her. “I’m not trying to control you or put you on a short leash. You are free to go wherever you want as long as you have protection. This is another layer of security. It’s waterproof, so I don’t expect you to take it off. Do you understand?”

She touched the locket with her fingertips. “I understand.”

“Good.” I leaned in, despite knowing we had an audience, and kissed the side of her neck gently. It was partly to encourage her and partly because I couldn’t seem to help myself.

“Maria,” Alessandro mused as he typed. “Nothing on her, but…” His gaze narrowed at the screen. “But there’s a property on the south side owned by Marchesi. It’s a funeral home that hasn’t functioned since 2018, but city camera footage shows recent activity going into the place.”

“How recent?” Dario asked.

Alessandro glanced up from his laptop. “Six hours ago. I caught a couple of images of a young woman getting out of the SUV entering the property.” He shook his head. “Impossible to make a positive identification from this distance with only one camera angle.” He addressed Sofia. “Does Maria usually stay at Marchesi’s villa?”

“Yes. Except when Cesare thinks he’ll have to use her as hard leverage to get me to do something. He’s taken her away from the house once before when I balked at doing something he asked.”

Alessandro looked back at Dario. “Good bet she’s there. If not, she’s at the villa and if he’s serious about hurting the girl if Sofia defies him, he’ll take into account Sofia might have friends in his household and move Maria where he knows she’s locked down tight.”

“The funeral home,” Sofia whispered. “He mentioned it once. He said it was where he stored things no one needed to see.”

“That’s where she is,” Vittorio said. “Allesandro’s right. He’ll want her where he has her locked down.”

Dario stood. The movement was smooth, controlled, the kind that made men step back without being told to. “Gabriel, can you get something planned to go in a couple of hours?”

“Yeah. I can take a couple of my men. I’d like to have three hours, though. The more I can study the layout with Alessandro and double check everything.”

“You have it,” Dario said. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

My brothers scattered. Gabriel was already halfway to the door, pulling his phone from his pocket. Vittorio followed. Alessandro closed his laptop and stood, pausing to place a hand on Sofia’s shoulder as he passed. A gesture so unexpected she nearly flinched.

“Welcome to the family,” he said quietly. Then he was gone.

Dario remained behind the desk, his gaze on Sofia. “Get some rest, Sofia. I know it’s a lot to ask of men you thought of as enemies, but trust us to bring your sister home to you. Let us prove we’re not like your father.”

Sofia sniffled once before meeting my brother’s gaze. “I know you’re not. Everyone here’s been nothing but kind to me. Matteo has been more than kind.”

“He’s doing his job if you trusted him enough to give him this.” Dario smiled. “We’ve got your back, little sister.”

Sofia let out a small sob before nodding her head several times. “Thank you, Dario.” She turned to me. “Matteo. I’m so sorry to bring this to you, but thank you so much for going after my sister.”

“Come on, honey. Let’s get some rest while we can.” I guided Sofia out of the study. The hallway stretched empty before us, the villa waking up around us. Men moved around the place, preparing for battle as my brothers raised the call to arms.

Sofia walked beside me without speaking. When we reached the door to my suite, I pulled her inside and guided her back through the living room to my bedroom. I knew she rested on the verge of shattering and wanted to get her settled so she could have whatever breakdown she needed. No matter what happened in the next few hours, she would need a clear head.

I guided her to the edge of the bed. She sat without being told. Her breathing came in shallow, quick pants. I sat beside her, taking her face in my hands and resting my forehead against hers.

She rested her hands on my forearms. I thought she might push me away but she clung to me. I held her that way for a long time, letting her draw as much strength from me as she needed.