Page 43 of Sworn to My Heart
“Alright, I’ll leave you boys to the hard work. I think Cora is waiting for me outside,” I say and walk out without waiting for a response. I’m not even sure if Cora has arrived yet, but I need to plan my way to join them tonight.
I scan the entryway and don’t see Cora; she should have been here by now. Perfect, this will give me time to plan what I need to do. I head toward the stairs and suddenly hear a distant shout, “Alin.” I turn around and see Cora sitting on the terrace, already on a sunbed near the pool.
I sigh and head upstairs to change into a swimsuit; it looks like I’ll have to postpone my plan for the evening. I run back down in an olive-green bikini and join Cora on the sunbeds. I move the sunbed she left for me a bit away from the water—I won’t take any risks around it anymore—and lie down close to her.
We spend the entire afternoon by the pool. The weather is hot, but the sun isn’t scorching, allowing us to stay outside longer. Luca’s cook, Palina, serves us a late lunch, and we finish the food in no time, not even realizing how hungry we were.
“Now are you going to tell me what’s been going on in that closed room?” Cora asks, trying to gather information. I don’t feel the need to hide it from her, but I still don’t tell her everything.
“They’re going to destroy some shipment tomorrow; it looks like it’s going to be something big,” I answer, trying to sound calm and confident but failing.
“Mariano will disappear for a few days again, and I’ll have to worry like crazy,” she says in frustration, covering her face with her hands.
“A few days?” I’m surprised by the new information.
“Yeah, sometimes, they have to disappear for a few days before they can come back home, until everything calms down after a big operation,” she sighs, leaving her face buried in her hands. The fear for tomorrow grows stronger in my chest due to Cora’s clear worries.
“If something happens to Luca... “ I whisper into the air, my face freezing at the thought. I won’t let anything happen to him;I’ve already decided to join them.
“Cora, come with me,” I request, and she immediately lifts her head, looking at me in confusion. I grab her arm and pull her back into the apartment without asking or providing any information, leading her to my room, as I’ve still never moved out of the guestroom. I lock the door behind us and quickly sit Cora down on my bed. She follows my direction and waits for an explanation. I ensure no one is outside the door, sit beside her, and and begin to explain.
“Cora, you’re the only person I trust. I need you to help me with a very important plan that must stay between us,” I say slowly, allowing her to absorb every word.
She nods immediately. “What’s this about?” she asks, her eyes still full of clear concern.
“I want to sneak to the location where the brothers will be tomorrow. I remember the map and the positions exactly. I can’t send them off like this; I’ll go crazy with worry, and I’m sure you will too. I need to protect them,” I declare, not hiding my intentions this time. I need her help, and if it means she discovers my secret so I can keep them safe, so be it.
“Are you crazy? Luca would lose his mind and his focus in the field! And I am not ready to send you off on a suicide mission!” she immediately rejects the idea.
“Cora, if I thought something would happen to me there or that I wouldn’t be able to help, I wouldn’t suggest it. As you said, there are things you don’t know about me, and I promise that if you help me, I’ll tell you everything. Right after they return safely,” I plead.
Cora is the only one I trust enough to help me with this.
She moves closer and looks into my eyes. “Alin, it’s enough torture that I won’t know if Mariano will come home to me. If I have to worry about you too, I’ll fall apart!” she says with atrembling voice, and I understand where she’s coming from. If she had asked this of me, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight, but she doesn’t have what I have, and I need her help.
“Cora, if you don’t help me, you know I’ll still do everything I can to get out of here. Wouldn’t you prefer to be informed and more at ease?” I use the last persuasion card I have up my sleeve and hope it works.
“Okay,” she sighs after a long, nerve-wracking minute and looks dissatisfied. It doesn’t matter to me; they will come back alive, and that’s what’s important.
“What do you need from me?” she asks, not looking into my eyes.
I shift my body slightly forward, moving closer to her, and a small, scheming smile appears on my face. I begin to pour out all the ideas that come to mind. Escaping from a secure, guarded building could be just as big a problem as breaking into one.
Without blinking, Cora rejects all my plans. She knows exactly how the guards will react and their response time. She decides to take matters into her own hands this time and devises a better plan for escaping them.
When we finish, she looks at me and pleads, “Alin, I don’t know what your plan is in the field, but please, all of you, come back safely.”
I immediately smile and assure her that everything would be okay.
I hope.
Alin
Luca’s men had been coming and going from the apartment all day, and I stay in my room, trying not to draw any attention. It’s already 6:30 PM, and according to Cora’s plan, I need to confirm their exact and final location, ensuring no changes had been made to the map from yesterday.
I descend to the first floor, scanning it cautiously. Finding no one around, I approach Luca’s office door. It’s shut, voices audible from inside. I cautiously grip the door handle, hoping it isn’t locked from within. My heart skips a beat when I hear the click of it opening.
Carefully, I enter the room. Luca, along with his two brothers and four unfamiliar men, turn their heads toward me.
