Page 102 of Take Me Under

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I quickened my pace.I barely heard Anton behind me, calling my name again. I didn’t slow down. I reached the elevator, jabbing at the button repeatedly as if that would make it come faster. My chest was too tight, my thoughts spinning out of control.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. I stepped inside, pressing the button for the lobby. Just before the doors shut, I caught a glimpse of Anton stepping into the hall, pain and frustration etched across his face. He didn’t try to stop me, and for that, I was grateful. He had no right to investigate my life like I was some puzzle he needed to solve. I had no idea what to do with the things he’d told me, but I knew I couldn’t deal with them while under his watchful eye.

When I stepped outside, the crisp air bit at my arms. The temperature had dropped, making the evening cooler than normal for this time of year. I hadn’t thought to grab a jacket, but I didn’t care. I needed the walk to clear my mind. The streets of my neighborhood were familiar, giving me something to focus on besides the chaos Anton had just thrown into my lap.

However, the moment of peace was short-lived when the distant wail of sirens shattered the quiet. A fleet of fire trucks barreled down the street, their lights flashing against the darkening sky.

Then I saw it just up ahead. Thick plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, a dark stain against the horizon. My breath caught. It was coming from my mother’s neighborhood. My stomach clenched, a deep, instinctual dread curling in my gut.

My feet moved before my brain could catch up, my heart hammering against my ribs as I increased my pace until I was in a full jog. The closer I got, the heavier the smoke became, the acrid scent burning my nose. People were gathering, murmuring, pointing.

And then I saw the house.

No.

Flames licked at the roof, curling around the windows like ahungry beast. Firefighters swarmed the scene, shouting orders, battling the inferno with powerful streams of water. But it wasn’t enough. A strangled sound clawed its way out of my throat as I took off running.

My mother’s house was burning.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Anton

Ipaced the length of my hotel suite, jaw clenched, and my hands fisted at my sides. This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go. I shouldn’t have let her leave. I should have made her stay—made her listen long enough for me to explain. What had started out as a fact-finding mission to protect myself had turned into genuine worry for Serena’s safety. Now, I no longer cared about myself. It was all about her.

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. Her expression when she threw my concern back in my face before storming out flashed in my mind. Her leaving wouldn’t have bothered me a month ago. She would have been just another woman, and I’d had plenty walk away before.

But everything had changed. Serena wasn’t just another woman.

She’d gotten under my skin in more ways than I cared to admit. She had become my obsession, consuming my thoughtswith an intensity I hadn’t anticipated. She was fire and steel, sharp enough to cut when she felt threatened, yet soft in all the ways that mattered. I had made her feel threatened tonight, possibly shattering the fragile trust she’d placed in me.

I picked up the folder, flipping through it without really seeing it. Pages of information stared back at me—reports, photographs, timelines. My gaze landed on the serpent symbol. I traced the swirling lines with my finger as frustration coiled in my gut. Somehow, I knew everything led back to this. I just hadn’t pieced together the connection.

I tossed the folder back onto the desk.

“Dammit!”

I began to pace again, the walls of the suite making me feel too confined.

Sirens blared in the distance, faint but insistent. A single instance wouldn’t have caught my attention, but as I stood there, the sound repeated. More joined in. The sirens were different in Italy compared to New York City. Back home, they wailed with a high-pitched, undulating urgency. Here, they seemed to cut through the quiet streets like a relentless war cry.

I walked to the window, pushing aside the curtain to glance out. The street appeared quiet. Lights flickered against the darkened skyline, but nothing seemed out of place. But inside, my world turned to hell in the blink of an eye. Unease clawed at my chest, unsettling and persistent. I could still feel Serena’s cutting words.

“All that bullshit about wanting to get to know me was exactly that—bullshit. You already had everything you needed, didn’t you? I don’t care if you’re some mega rich billionaire. You had no right to invade my privacy like this!”

And then she’d run.

I hated seeing the icy betrayal in her ocean blue eyes when she looked at me, her words cold and heavy with feelings of betrayal. I may have deserved it, but I wasn’t the enemy here.While I had no proof that she was in imminent danger, something told me that Serena wasn’t safe. Call it instinct or intuition, but my gut feelings were never wrong. I needed to protect her—to make her understand.

“To hell with this,” I muttered to myself. I had to go after her.

I turned from the window and grabbed the suit jacket I’d left hanging over a chair. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I paused before dialing Zeke. As much as I was beginning to understand the need for constant security, I knew Serena didn’t care much for his hovering so I pocketed the phone. If I wanted her full attention, I would need to do this alone.

The night air was cool as I stepped outside. I fastened the two buttons on my jacket as I began the walk down the quiet street toward Serena’s mother’s house. My frustration with the situation burned hotter with each step, fueling the restless energy inside me.

The sirens grew louder, an urgent wail cutting through the otherwise still night. I hadn’t thought much of it when I’d first heard them from the hotel, but then I smelled the sharp, acrid bite of smoke curling through the air.

My pace quickened, the hairs on the back of my neck rising. Looking ahead, I noticed an orange glow in the sky. I began to jog when I realized it was coming from the direction of Serena’s mothers house.

---