Chapter 31: The Call
The farmhouse stayed quiet for two more days after Elena sent the video. No new messages. No cars on the dirt road. No shadows moving in the trees. Matteo’s men patrolled in shifts, but the tension eased just enough for everyone to breathe.
Elena spent the mornings in the kitchen again. Cooking simple things—pancakes one day, scrambled eggs the next. The guys ate like they hadn’t seen food in weeks. Luca always stole extra bacon. Nico ate slow, watching her move around like it was the best show he’d ever seen. Matteo just watched her. Always watching.
She felt their eyes more now. Not hungry like before. Something steadier. Like they were memorizing her in the daylight.
That afternoon she sat on the porch swing. Sun warm on her face. Bare feet on the wood. One of M
