Page 58 of The Seventh Circle
"Family dinner tomorrow night at home. Father insists you bring Sophia—he's eager to discuss new wedding dates." His voice dropped further. "Oh, and Romano has returned from Ostia. He seems... troubled. Perhaps you should check on your loyal soldier."
He moved ahead to open the door for us, playing the attentive cousin perfectly. I watched him chatting with Don Vitelli, laughing at the appropriate moments, every inch the respectable family representative.
All while systematically destroying any chance Antonio and I had for escape.
14
LORENZO
Iarrived at Villa San Michele well before our agreed time, pacing the cracked marble floors of what had once been the grand entrance hall. Each footstep echoed through the empty space like a clock counting down the moments we had left. The afternoon light slanted through broken windows, illuminating dust motes that swirled in my wake.
Paolo knew. Perhaps not everything, but enough.
When I heard Antonio's footsteps approaching, my heart leapt into my throat—a mix of fear and desperate relief. He appeared in the doorway, silhouetted against the setting sun. One look at his face and I knew something was wrong.
"Tonio," I whispered, closing the distance between us.
He came to me without hesitation, his embrace fierce. "They're watching my family's building," he murmured against my neck. "Two men I've never seen before. Not Torrino's."
"Paolo's," I confirmed, pullingback to look at him. "He knows about us. Not everything perhaps, but he suspects enough. He's talked to my father about my 'distraction,' frozen my accounts at the bank, and dropped hints to the Vitellis about my 'inappropriate attachment.'"
Antonio's face hardened. "He approached me three days ago, asking where my loyalties lay—with you or with the family."
"As if those were different things," I said bitterly.
"To him, they are." Antonio moved deeper into the villa, his restless energy matching my own. "You already know he reassigned me to work with him directly. Says he needs someone with my particular skills for special work in Ostia."
"To separate us." I ran a hand through my hair. "My father insists I bring Sophia to dinner tomorrow night. He wants to move the wedding date forward."
Antonio stopped his pacing. "How soon?"
"I don't know yet. Soon enough that we need to change our plans, now that our escape route is blocked off."
The silence between us was heavy with understanding. Our carefully constructed escape—the workshop in Milano, the apartment for Antonio's family, the train tickets and new identities—all of it was being systematically dismantled by Paolo.
"Your family," I said suddenly. "The men watching them—have they approached Enzo or your parents?"
"Not yet. But it's only a matter of time." Antonio leaned against a marble column. "Papa still doesn't want to leave Roma. He says his doctor is here, his friends, the church they've attended for decades..."
"We need to get them out now," I insisted.
"And go where? Without your money—"
"I have cash," I interrupted. "Not as much as we planned, but enough to get your family to Milano and established there.I've kept it hidden in books in my room, small amounts that wouldn't be missed. Old habit from childhood."
Antonio shook his head. "And what about us? Paolo will never let you simply disappear. The moment you fail to appear at dinner tomorrow night, he'll tell your father everything."
"Let him," I said, the words surprising even me.
Antonio stared at me. "You can't mean that."
"Why not? What's the worst that could happen? My father disowns me? Cuts me off? Paolo's already ensured that." I approached him, taking his hands in mine. "If we can't escape quietly, perhaps we escape boldly."
"Your father would hunt us down," Antonio countered. "The Benedetto reach extends far beyond Roma. We'd never be safe."
"Then we go further than we planned. Not Milano—Venice, then a ship. America, perhaps."
"With what money? On what papers?" Antonio's voice was gentle but firm. "Lorenzo, your father could have us killed for this. You know that."
