Page 27 of Of Lies and Shadows

Itwas the one thing I’d overheard, and it was enough to buy me more time. Enough to appease Don Salvatore.

But it felt horrible because, God help me, I’m growing attached. To this house. To those children. To…him.

And that scares the hell out of me. The more attached I become, the more likely I am to slip. To say the wrong thing. To tell him the truth.

And he’d never forgive me. Why would he? I’m terrified.

Because if my father finds out what I’m feeling, he might just order my death to spare himself the dishonor. And then what? I’ll be hated on both sides.

Lately, I’ve been staring at the pizza flyer in my drawer more and more, the one Bruno gave me. The one with the number to call if I ever wanted to disappear.

But every time I reach for it, I see Lucia’s smile. Alessio’s cheeky grin. And I melt.

Today, though, is the mandatory catch-up.

So I take the burner phone, slip it into a waterproof pouch, and step into the shower. I let the water run hot as I dial, my heart pounding louder than the spray.

The moment it connects, I hear his voice. “You better have something for me, Francesca.” It’s cold. Impatient.

“You’ve been there almost two months. Don Salvatore is not amused.”

“I gave you something,” I snap. “The company, Gordo Overseas. That’s what you wanted.”

“Yes, and it was useful. But it’s not enough. Not after two months in his house.”

“Father, I?—”

“Give us the kids.”

I freeze. The heat of the water suddenly feels like ice against my skin.

“Excuse me?”

“The children,” he repeats casually. “They’ll start school soon. They’ll be out in the world. Vulnerable. We can grab one, make him talk.”

“No,” I say, my voice shaking. “Absolutely not. If anything happens to those children—if you touch a single hair on their heads—I’ll tell Dante everything. And more.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Then his voice is low and venomous.

“Is that a threat, figlia? Dante, now, is it? Have you already spread your legs for him? Maybe that’s your plan—fuck him for secrets.”

“I’ll get you something today,” I snap, my heart splitting between shame and fury. “But you leave the kids out of it.”

I end the call, drop the burner onto the sink, and lean against the tile. My legs shake, and my chest is tight. His words echo louder than the pounding water, wrapping around my ribs like a vise.

I dry off and dress quickly, slipping back into Alice-like armor.

Lucia finds me first. She peeks into my room, her hair a halo of sleep-frizz and her crown from yesterday still slightly crooked. “Can we play hide and seek before breakfast?”

I nod, swallowing the storm brewing inside me. “You hide first.”

She squeals and darts off down the hall, her giggle echoing like wind chimes through the corridor. Alessiojoins in immediately, shouting out rules that don’t make a lick of sense but somehow still govern the chaos. I let their laughter settle around me like a balm, a reminder of exactly what’s at stake and who I’m really trying to protect.

But there’s something else I need to do now. A different kind of seeking. Not for hidden treasure or dragons but for leverage. Something I can use to appease my father and Don Salvatore, at least for a little while.

I’m painfully aware that whatever I find today will only be a temporary reprieve, a bandage over a wound that’s already festering. And I know, with bone-deep certainty, that if I don’t use the number on that damn pizza flyer soon, I might not live long enough to regret it.

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