Page 56 of Rosetti Family New York
Juliet’s face fills my mind, soft and terrified. It fuels me, and I step forward. My legs are wooden. My heart is a jackhammer.
“I need air.” My voice is smoke, thin and smothered in all the shouting. “I can’t think. Just—give me ten minutes.”
Leonardo glances at me, wild hazel meeting wild nerves. His focus slides off just as fast. “Fine. Don’t go far.” The immediate threat to me is gone, so he lets me wander farther from him.
“I won’t.” Lie number one. My hand moves fast, snake-quick into his pocket, and I steal his phone. The one with the Albanians’ contact details. The one that could get Juliet killed if Idon’t do this right. I’m shaking, a wreck of doubt and nerves. “I’ll be back soon,” I say, already moving away. Lie number two.
He doesn’t see me. Not really. No one does. I slip out of the room, out of the noise, and into the cold hall. My steps echo off marble and glass. I don’t have much time. I make it to the garage, breathless and terrified. A car sits there, keys in the ignition, waiting. I open the door and hesitate. They’ll know what I’ve done. They’ll chase me down, and Leonardo will never let me go. I think of Juliet again, her voice a soft, scared echo.
"I wish you didn’t have to do this for me."
My hands are clenched so tight they ache. I slam the door and start the engine. The sound bounces off the walls, and I expect the world to come crashing down.
It doesn’t. I’m out, speeding through the open gates and into the night. Manhattan blurs around me, lights and shadows and long streets stretching into the distance. I don’t know where I’m going, but I know what needs to be done.
My eyes flick to the rearview mirror. They’re behind me. Headlights, bright and accusatory, tearing after me. My pulse is everywhere—in my throat, my chest, my hands gripping the wheel. Leonardo stolen cell phone buzzes and Domenico’s name flashes up. I don’t answer. It’s probably Leonardo. I take a sharp turn, and another, and then I ditch the car. I walk fast, my legs moving too slow for my panic, heading toward the nearest club, which is not owned by the Rosettis. I need to lose the men on my tail.
The line is long, crowded. I blend in, invisible. My head is down. My heart is up, too high, a raw lump of anxiety in my throat. Leonardo’s men are close. I can feel it, feel them closing in, hunting me down like a pack of wolves. But I need to do this. For Juliet. For me. My breath catches as I search for anyone I can use, someone I can trust, anyone who can keep me hidden.
Then I see him. Enzo.
He’s one of Leonardo’s distant contacts. He sees me, and confusion lights up his face. I move before he can give me away, cutting through the crowd, right to him. He won’t be safe for long, but right now, he’s my only option.
“Pretend we’re together.” I’m desperate, breathless, the words falling out as a plea. “The Albanians are looking for me.” I can't tell him I'm running from Leonardo or he'll hand me over.
His brows shoot up. “Jesus, Eleanor.”
“Please,” I say, clutching his arm.
He doesn’t hesitate. He wraps an arm around me, shielding me, and my relief is as strong as my fear. We walk together, fast, like lovers sneaking away. Leonardo will kill me for this. He’ll kill me for leaving, for risking everything. For touching another man.
Inside the club, sound hits me like a punch. It’s too loud, too chaotic. Not loud enough to drown out my doubts. My panic. Enzo’s grip is strong, but I’m shaking out of it already. Running for the bathrooms, the phone clenched in my hand.
Leonardo will never forgive me. He’ll never forgive this.
I shove the door open and find the last number, the one the Albanians called from. I dial, hands slick with sweat and nerves.
A man picks up. I can hear the smile in his voice.“That was fast, Rosetti.”
“No, it’s me. Eleanor.”
“Ah, the pretty wife,” he says, sounding amused. “Are you calling to beg for your sister’s life? There’s really no need.” We both know that’s a lie. We both know what kind of man he is. He won’t give her up, not when he can use her to manipulate the Rosettis. “Just tell your husband to hand over the rubies and I will return your sister.”
I’ve played this game before. I know it too well. He won’t let Juliet go, not after he finds out how valuable she is, not with theleverage she gives him. He’ll see what she’s worth and what I’m willing to sacrifice for her. A powerful bargaining chip.
“I propose a deal.” I try to sound sure instead of shaking and desperate.
He chuckles, like my panic is an amusement. “Go on.”
“Juliet for me," I say, my voice cracking under the weight of it. "I come willingly. You let her go. I save my sister, and you get the more valuable hostage. Win-win.”
The line goes silent, stabbing into me with doubt. I can’t breathe. Can’t think. The world is disappearing into black around the edges. I hold my breath until it hurts, waiting for him to answer.
Finally, he says, “Agreed. Come alone.” He gives me an address, and then the line goes dead.
I’m trembling. My heart is a wild, caged thing, and I know what I have to do. I know Leonardo will hate me for this. But I’m saving Juliet, and that’s worth it. That’s everything.
I slip out of the club, into the night. Heading toward the devil’s den.
