CHAPTER 6
1061 Words
Chapter 6
Sienna’s Pov
My legs burned as I ran down the narrow servant stairs at the back of the mansion. Luca’s kiss still tingled on my lips. The USB drive dug into my palm inside my pocket. Gunshots cracked behind me. I wanted to turn back, but his words echoed in my head: Go. I need you safe.
I slipped out a side door into the cold night air. Security lights flashed across the garden. My heart hammered so loud I could barely hear my own breathing. Noah. Luca. Both are in danger because of this mess. Because of me.
A black SUV waited near the back gate like Luca had promised. I jumped in, hands shaking as I started the engine. Marco’s number was already programmed in. I called him while speeding away from the mansion.
“Mrs. Vale?” a deep voice answered.
“It’s Sienna. Luca said to call you. The house is under attack. Victor has Noah.”
“Stay on the main road. I’m sending a team to meet you. Head to the safe house coordinates I just texted.”
I glanced at my phone. The map showed an old warehouse district by the river. I drove fast, checking the rearview mirror every few seconds. No one followed. Yet.
The safe house was a plain brick building that looked abandoned. Marco, a tall man with a scar on his cheek, met me at the door with two other guards. They led me inside to a surprisingly comfortable room with computers, a small kitchen, and a bedroom.
“Luca will come,” Marco said firmly. “He always does.”
I sank onto the couch, knees weak. Hours passed. I stared at the USB drive, then at my phone. No calls. No messages. What if Luca was dead? What if Victor had them both?
Around 3 AM, the door burst open. Luca stumbled in, shirt torn and bloody at the shoulder. His eyes found mine immediately.
“Luca!” I jumped up and ran to him.
He caught me in his arms, pulling me tight against his chest. His heart beat hard under my cheek. “You’re safe,” he whispered into my hair. “Thank God.”
“You’re hurt,” I said, pulling back to look at the wound. It was a graze, but it looked painful.
Marco brought a first aid kit. I made Luca sit while I cleaned it. My hands were gentle on his skin. He watched me the whole time, something soft in those steel eyes that used to be so cold.
“Why did you stay behind?” I asked quietly as I wrapped the bandage. “I told you we fight together.”
“Because if they caught you…” He touched my chin, tilting my face up. “I couldn’t live with that, Sienna. Not anymore.”
Our eyes locked. The air felt thick. All the fear, the lies, the danger—it melted into this one moment. I leaned in first this time. Our lips met softly, then deeper. His hand slid to the back of my neck, holding me like I might disappear. It wasn’t the quick, desperate kiss from the mansion. This one was real. Slow. Full of everything we hadn’t said.
When we pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his. “I was so scared for you.”
“I know.” His thumb brushed my cheek. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this. But I’m not sorry you’re here with me.”
I helped him to the bedroom. He lay down carefully while I curled beside him, careful of his shoulder. For the first time since the wedding, it didn’t feel fake. His fingers traced circles on my arm.
“Tell me about the real Luca,” I whispered. “Not the revenge part. The part before all this.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I had a normal life once. My sister Isabella and I… we were happy. Poor, but happy. Then Victor destroyed my father. Took everything. I became someone else to survive. Cold. Alone.”
“You’re not alone now,” I said, lacing my fingers with his.
He squeezed my hand. “You make me want to be better, Sienna. Not just for revenge. For you. For the future after, this is over.”
My heart fluttered. I turned to face him fully. “I’m still angry about the lies. But I see you, Luca. The real you. And… I’m falling for him. Even when it’s dangerous.”
He kissed me again, longer this time. His good arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. The kiss grew heated—his lips moving against mine with need, with relief. I tangled my fingers in his dark hair. For a few minutes, the world outside disappeared. Just us. This is just this fragile thing growing between us.
When we broke apart, breathing heavy, he smiled—a real one that reached his eyes. “One year was never going to be enough. Not with you.”
I smiled back, even though tears stung my eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. We still have Victor. And the real Damian. And Noah…”
His face grew serious. “Marco’s men are tracking Noah. We’ll get him back. I swear.”
We talked until the sky lightened outside the small window. He told me about growing up with Isabella and how she played piano in their tiny apartment. I told him about my parents and how losing them made me chase truth so hard. We didn’t solve everything. But we held each other like it mattered.
By morning, Marco knocked with news. “We have a lead on Noah. Vescovi’s warehouse. But Victor’s men are watching it.”
Luca sat up, wincing. “We move tonight.”
I grabbed his hand. “Together this time. No more sending me away.”
He looked at me for a long moment, then nodded. “Together.”
As we prepared, he pulled me aside one more time. “Whatever happens, Sienna… you’ve changed everything. I love you. Not the plan. Not the revenge. You.”
My breath caught. I kissed him softly. “I love you too, Luca Moretti. Now let’s go save my brother and end this.”
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