Page 74 of Malevolent Secrets

“Yes. I hear she’s back.”

“Does that have anything to do with Massimo’s anger?”

“I don’t know.”

We settle into a silence and I try to process everything I’ve just heard. But it is a lot. I’m not sure who the bad person in this story is.

Mark is expecting me to call him back with updates, and I’m stuck in here with Maria while a war wages outside. But there’s one feeling that supersedes all the others. Worry. And not even for myself.

What is he doing? Where is he? Is he safe? Is he hurt?

“Maria, can I ask you something?” I say, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Of course,” she replies.

“Why did you stay loyal to Lorenzo after everything that happened with your husband?”

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts.

“Lorenzo is a complicated man. He’s done things I don’t agree with, but he’s also shown incredible kindness and loyalty. Remember when Julio betrayed him, Lorenzo could have destroyed my life. But he didn’t. He gave me and my daughter a chance at a new beginning. I owe him my loyalty for that.”

Her words resonate with me. Lorenzo is a man of contradictions, capable of both cruelty and compassion. It’s a difficult thing to reconcile, but it helps me understand him a bit better.

“Thank you for sharing that,” I say, appreciating her honesty.

“You’re welcome. Just remember, Daniella, people are rarely just one thing. Lorenzo is no exception.”

I open my mouth to talk, but I’m interrupted by a scream and then a gunshot.

Chapter Twenty-One

Daniella

Maria and I freeze, the sound of the gunshot echoing around us. My heart races, fear and adrenaline pumping through my veins.

That first gunshot is followed by what sounds like a thousand others in rapid succession. The screams increase as well and I feel like throwing up.

“Massimo,” Maria says with a foreboding that makes my skin crawl.

“Oh my God, are those—"

"We need to stay hidden," Maria whispers urgently, pulling me further into the room.

"I can’t just stay in here while people are dying out there," I protest, my voice shaking. "We need to call for help."

Maria shakes her head, her face pale. "My phone is dead. And yours?"

"It's in my bag, in the main room," I say, realization dawning on me. "We need to get it."

"That's too dangerous," Maria says, her eyes wide with fear.

“We can’t just sit here and do nothing. People are dying out there.”

“Daniella, listen to me. If you go out there and something happens to you, Lorenzo is going to make it rain fire and brimstone on everyone.”

I open my mouth to protest that he won’t, he doesn’t even care about me like that. But she shushes me.

“Please.”

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