Chapter 84

Aurora POV

As the door clicks shut behind me after Alek drops me back off at the mansion, the silence that falls over the foyer is suffocating. I exhale, shaking slightly. My hands tremble as I run them down the sides of my thighs, trying to ground myself, while heading back to my and Gianna’s shared room.

The guards don’t bother questioning me about where I’m going. It isn’t like they’ve seen me exploring anywhere else in this house.

I try to calm myself by the time I push the door open to the bedroom, not wanting to freak Gianna out by how anxious I’m feeling. I know by doing this—essentially selling my soul to Alek in exchange to free Gianna and I—I’ll be a changed person.

I’m not sure how ready I am for that transition to happen. It’s inevitable, of course, yet I’m still kind of sad about it.

Gianna stands up from the bed as soon as I enter through the doorway, hurrying over to me. “What happened? Where did he take you?”

I shut the door behind me, breathing out again. “We went to meet Dominic.”

Her eyes practically bug out of her head. “What? He’s here in Mexico?”

I nod, tugging her with me as I take us over to the bed. My legs feel like jelly by the time I finally sink down onto the mattress, a headache already pounding behind my eyes.

“Did Alek call him? How the hell did he find us?”

“I’m not sure,” I say. “But from what I gathered, they were in the process of making some deal before Dominic demanded to see me.”

Gianna’s eyes widen briefly again. “Really?”

“Yeah, but it’s not as romantic as it sounds. Dominic shut down the whole thing and basically told Alek to fuck off.”

“What did he want? Alek, I mean.”

“Fifty percent of the city,” Gianna whistles. “And a seat within the Guerrero syndicate.”

“Damn.”

My body falls back until it hits the mattress. I stare up at the ceiling for a long moment, letting the silence wash over us again. I’m so tired I could fall asleep, yet no matter how desperately I want it, my body refuses to relax long enough to allow me to drift off.

I won’t feel settled until I hear from Alek again.

“Did you tell him you were going to do it?”

I turn to face her. She’s sitting on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees, as she watches me closely. While it takes me a minute to understand what she’s talking about, it soon clicks and it has me sitting up again.

“Yes. He’s going to come up with a plan that will look believable to Dominic so I’m not seen as suspicious when I’m giving back to him. Especially after today with him refusing that deal. We need to make it look like I managed to escape.”

She sighs. “I’m worried… what if Dominic finds out? He’ll—Aurora, he’ll kill you.”

“Maybe… but he always did have a small soft spot for me.” I don’t say it with much conviction because deep down, I’m not so sure anymore.

Dominic Guerrero has always been a man who walks the line between obsession and brutality. And if I cross him, if he finds out I betrayed him, no matter the reason, I don’t know what he’ll do.

Gianna leans over and buries her face against my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I don’t know why Alek latched onto me. Maybe he saw me as an easy target to get to you in order to use against Dominic.”

“Don’t.” I wrap my arms around her tightly. “This isn’t your fault. None of it is.”

We sit there like that for a while, just holding each other. Her heartbeat thunders in her chest, matching mine. The same fear, the same desperation to be free from this nightmare.

Eventually, she pulls back and wipes her eyes. “So what happens next?”

I glance toward the window, then move to the nightstand, pulling open the drawer. Inside, tucked behind a bible no one’s ever touched, is the burner phone. I take it out and show it to her.

“I’ve been talking to your dad the past few days. Trying to update him on the situation. He says he’s trying to work on a plan on his end to get us back home. If this thing with Dominic fails, hopefully by then he’ll be able to get you out and home safely.”

Gianna blinks. “I’m surprised he’s trying to make one. I doubt Francesco is making it easy. He’s probably pissed hearing we slipped out from under the radar.”

“Probably but that’s not our problem to deal with right now. If we ever make it back home, that’s when we can figure out how we’re going to deal with the wrath. Until then, we need to focus on the here and now.”

Gianna stares at the phone. “You think the Carusos have enough pull to sway Alek if the situation with Dominic doesn’t go well?”

“Maybe. While my family isn’t the one Alek is interested in, it still has resources. Connections. People loyal to them. If anyone has a chance at getting us out of this without dying, it’s my father. And if not…” I trail off, then look at her with as much strength as I can fake. “It’s still better than doing nothing.”

She takes a deep breath, then another. “Okay. So what do I do when you leave?”

“You keep the burner,” I say, pressing it into her hand. “Text your dad and check in as much as you can. I suggest once I’m gone, you actually leave our room and hang around where the guards are. Whatever you overhear, you let Stefano know. Every move that’s made, every piece of information you can possibly gather. If something happens to me, he’ll at least know where to look.”

Her eyes go glassy again, but she nods. “Okay. I promise.”

I grip her hand tighter. “I’m serious, G. Whatever happens, don’t give up. If one of us makes it out of this alive, I’ll be happy.”

She’s terrified, I can tell.

I want to promise her that everything will be okay and I’ll make it back. That this whole plan will work.

But I can’t.

I’m not sure I believe it anymore myself.

Hopefully whatever plan Alek comes up with, it will end with my and Gianna’s eventual freedom.