Page 120 of Hidden Memories

Santi steps forward before I can even process it, his movements fast, controlled—but I feel the anger simmering beneath.

“Fucking hell,” he mutters, grabbing Gabriel’s tablet, scanning the details like he can force them to make sense. “The Mafia is in Echo Valley?”

Gabriel takes his tablet back, calm, the way only a man trained for war can be. “Apparently.”

Even with all I know now, hearing the word Mafia spoken so casually on this ranch—this place that feelslike a separate world from the one I left behind—sends a shiver through me.

I cross my arms, forcing myself steady. “Or it could be M and D?”

Gabriel nods, but his expression doesn’t change. “What matters is if M and D or the ’Ndrangheta are operating there, it could hold answers—or it could be a trap.”

A chill runs down my spine. “The warehouse is active?”

Anton’s tone is grim. “We’ve seen movement. Deliveries, odd hours. Whoever’s using it is careful, but they’re not invisible.”

Santi doesn’t hesitate. “Tell me where to be, and I’ll be there.”

My chest tightens even though I knew he’d say that. Because it’s who he is—the man who runs into the fire without looking back. The man who would burn for the people he loves.

But I refuse to be the woman left behind. I refuse to be a name whispered in worry, a thought pushed aside while the men handle things.

“I need to face this with you.” My pulse pounds.

The words settle between us, heavier than the morning air. Santi stiffens. Gabriel and Anton exchange a glance. And I don’t miss the subtle dismissal in it. The silent assumption that I shouldn’t be part of this conversation at all.

Gabriel remains neutral. “The FBI are also looped in. They’ll scope it out tomorrow. They have red tape and procedures.”

“Tomorrow?” One day too late if you ask me.

“FBI has procedures…” Gabriel glances at Anton. “We don’t.”

Anton adds, “We’ll go tonight. Quietly. No attention.”

And no space for argument.

I lift my chin. “If Santi is going, I want to be there, too.”

“No.” Santi’s voice is a wall. Unmovable. Uncompromising. He turns to me, dark eyes locking on to mine, their usual warmth buried under something fierce.

“No?” I echo, “This is my mess, Santi. People are risking their lives to fix it. I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

His jaw tightens, his stance shifting like he’s planting himself between me and the entire fucking world. “And what if something happens to you, Kat?” He hardly contains the emotion rising up his throat. “What about Theo?”

It hits like a knife to the ribs. Because he’s right. And I hate it.

Before I can respond, Anton steps in, final and firm. “Neither of you are going.” His tone doesn’t invite argument. “Gabriel and I have the training. You don’t. She doesn’t. End of story.”

The fight drains from me. Anton isn’t wrong. Even if it makes me feel small. Even if it burns.

Gabriel is matter-of-fact. “We don’t stop until we have answers. Until everyone gets to go back to normal.”

The word tastes foreign.Normal.I don’t even know what that is anymore.

Santi’s hand brushes mine—a silent offer of comfort. I don’t pull away.

But helplessness still settles over me. I hate this.

“We’ll keep you updated,” Anton says. “In the meantime, stay here. Keep an eye on Theo and try not to let the kid know anything is going on. That’s your job.”

---