Page 19 of Ruined By Capture

"Explain." It's not a request.

I choose my words carefully. "Leonardo has a good heart, deep down. But he's loyal to our father above all else." The admission hurts more than I expected. "After our mother died something changed in him. He became... harder. More like Antonio."

Alessio nods, his expression unreadable.

"I was scared," I continue. "Scared that if I told him what I’d discovered he’d tell our father. And then..." I don't finish the sentence. I don't need to.

"You don't trust your own brother to protect you from your father?" There's no judgment in his voice, just clinical curiosity.

"Would you?" I challenge.

Something flickers across his face—understanding, perhaps. He doesn't respond but his silence is confirmation enough.

I gather my courage and ask the question that's been haunting me since I woke up: "Are you going to kill me?"

I study her face when she asks whether I'm going to kill her. The question itself doesn't surprise me but hearing it from her lips makes something twist in my gut.

She thinks I'd kill a woman. Just like that.

The thought sits uncomfortably in my chest. Yes, I've put bullets in men who deserved them. I've ordered hits and broken bones and made examples of those who crossed the Ferettis. But a woman? Never. Some lines you don't cross, even in our world.

Her eyes hold mine, waiting for reassurance I'm not sure how to give. The anxiety behind her composure is real. She genuinely believes I might end her life if she becomes inconvenient.

What kind of men has she been surrounded by all her life?

"If I wanted you dead, Melania, you wouldn't have woken up this morning."

It's not the comfort she's looking for but it's the truth. I watch as she analyses my statement, the subtle shift in her shoulders, the slight release of tension around her eyes.

The Ferettis have rules. Lines we don't cross. Women and children are untouchable—always have been, always will be. It's what separates us from animals like Raymond Stone. But she doesn't know that. How could she?

I take another sip of coffee, studying her over the rim. She's different this morning—still defiant, still calculating, but there's something else there too. A vulnerability she's trying desperately to hide.

The original plan—to use her as leverage against Antonio—has shifted with this new information about the trafficking operation. She's become an asset rather than just a bargaining chip.

But looking at her now, I'm not sure I can think of her as either.

I clear my throat, suddenly needing to be anywhere but in this room with her.

"I'll be back later," I say, scanning her from head to toe one last time. The black outfit she wore for her escape hugs her curves in ways that make it hard to maintain my professional distance.

I don't wait for her response before turning and walking out, making sure to lock the door behind me. In the hall I take a deep breath as I consider our conversation. Something about her pulls at me—maybe it's the way she refuses to show fear, or how her mind works three steps ahead. Either way, I need distance to clear my head.

The control room is quiet when I enter, my phone buzzes with a text from Noah. Damiano put him on information-gathering duty inside the Lombardi organization. His message is brief but valuable—he's managed to place someone close to Leonardo, Melania's brother.

I'm still scrolling through Noah's intel when the phone rings. Damiano.

"Yeah," I answer, keeping my eyes on the security feed.

"Antonio and Raymond have joined forces," Damiano says without preamble. "Raymond's pulled every government string he has. They're monitoring and digging up records at trainstations, airports, bus terminals—anything that could get her out of the city." Damiano's voice is clipped. "He's got customs agents, police, even traffic cameras searching facial recognition."

"Good thing we kept her off grid then." I say.

"For now. But we need to move carefully. With the resources they're throwing at this, one mistake and we're fucked."

"What's the next move?" I ask.

"You need to make her show you the evidence she claims she has on that drive," Damiano says, his voice hardening. "We need to see exactly what we're dealing with."

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