Page 74 of Fierce Hearts

This wasn't what I wanted. He'd hurt my cousins, or the Ferences would go after my family, including the children. We had to fix this.

"Now," Canzio continued. His voice remained even, but authority radiated from every syllable. "This engagement is indeed terminated. I suggest everyone enjoy the excellent food and beverages provided by the Ference family while we resolve this... misunderstanding. Am I safe to believe neither family will act until we have a joint meeting?" Canzio looked between Ernesto and Pietro.

"Of course," Pietro said, but I knew he was only agreeing out of knowledge of what the Donatis would do if he broke his word. As far as I knew, Pietro was at least a man of his word, unlike my uncle.

"Yes," Ernesto ground out when Canzio wouldn't look away from him.

"Good, if I hear that anything has happened, anything at all because of this, well, I'll be stepping in," Canzio said carefully. "So I suggest you both take time to cool off. We will meet in a week. I will set the location and inform you both."

The tension in the room was palpable as guests began to murmur among themselves. Juan's father nodded stiffly to Canzio before turning to address his guests, attempting to salvage what remained of the evening.

Gray's arm was around my waist as he guided me to the exit, Leo and Meredith with us, and Canzio taking up the rear.

He truly was an honorable man, but my mind was a mess, my stomach knotted.

What had we just done? And who was going to pay the price for this?

How were we going to stop the war I wanted to avoid?

CHAPTER19

GRAYSON

"Get in," Leo ordered, opening the back door of a sleek black SUV.

I guided Sofia inside, sliding in beside her while Meredith took the other side. Leo shut the door and moved to the front passenger seat, speaking quietly into his phone as Jackson took the driver's seat and started the engine.

Sofia trembled against me, her breathing shallow and quick. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"It's okay," I whispered against her hair. "You're safe now."

"No." She shook her head, her voice breaking. "No, it's not okay."

Leo turned in his seat to face us. "Roman's driving my father. We're heading to a safe-house just outside the city."

"How do you think they'll take this?" I asked.

"Neither one of the families will risk bringing the Donatis down on them, they won't act right away." Leo's expression was masked, but I knew what this all meant. Canzio had made himself a target for the families to buy us time. Time we needed to get more information to bring Ernesto down. From what I knew, the Ferences feared the Donatis, more than the Savocas, who had more of a reach thanks to their larger organization and dealings. But we were still bigger, and had more resources at our disposal.

Sofia pulled away from me slightly, her jaw hardening as she shook her head. "I shouldn't have let you all do this. I should have?—"

"Don't," I cut her off, pulling her close and kissing her temple. "Don't say that."

"You don't understand," she insisted as she buried her head into my shoulder. "I'm scared of what happens next, Gray. This isn't just about me. There are people—my cousins, the women in my family—they'll suffer for this."

The car glided down the long concrete drive lined with oak trees that obscured the night sky overhead, leaving behind the Sharville estate and the chaos we'd created.

"Sofia," Meredith reached across to take her friend's hand. "Everything will be okay, I'm sure Canzio and Leo thought of all of this."

"You can't know that." Sofia's voice hardened. "You don't know what Ernesto is capable of. And the Ferences." She turned to Leo. "This will cause issues between the families. I'm grateful for what you've done, but I'm terrified for the Donati family for stepping in the way you have. And my own family is now at more risk, this is what I wanted to avoid."

"We can handle ourselves, Sofia. As for your family, my father made himself clear. And we've been keeping an eye on both the families ever since they left Ironstone, we believe we know how they'll respond to this. Attacking their own will not be the first thing they'll consider. Not at a time like this. Is it possible your female family members may take a small blow, possibly, but the Savocas can't risk losing a single member now, so they won't put lives on the line. They may not have the same morals as we do, but they know their women are the ones who provide them with their future, their children. This was a calculated risk." Leo stared hard at Sofia until she nodded, then he turned back in his seat.

The car fell silent as Jackson navigated through the darkened farmland back to the city. After about forty minutes, we pulled up to a modern house nestled among trees, set back from the road with a long, winding driveway.

"We're here," Jackson announced unnecessarily.

He exited and checked the perimeter before letting us out of the car. The house was larger than it appeared from the driveway, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a sleek design that seemed at odds with its secluded location.

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