Aria's fingers tightened around the phone.
David's voice in her ear was calm, almost lazy, like he had all the time in the world.
She didn't.
Her eyes stayed locked on the three red dots across the night. They didn't move. Didn't waver. One sat perfectly on Nico's window. One on Nino's. The last one glowed faintly against her own chest, just below her collarbone.
Her voice shook out of fear . "If you hurt them..."
"That's the point, Aria," David interrupted. "I don't want to hurt them. But you're giving me no choice."
"You're sick."
He gave a short, quiet laugh. "Maybe. But I'm also right. You have one hour. Meet me at the south edge of the property with no guards, no weapons and you all live. Stay here… and the lights go out for everyone."
Her pulse pounded in her ears. "Luca will kill you."
"He can try," David said softly. "But by the time he finds me, you'll already be gone."
Click. The line went dead.
Aria stood there, frozen, still staring at the dots. Her knees felt weak, but she forced herself to close the curtains and turn away.
Her mind spun. Should she tell Matteo? He'd send the guards, but what if David was ready for that? What if the moment they moved, those dots turned into bullets?
Nico and Nino were still in bed, snuggled under their blankets, dreaming like the world outside wasn't falling apart. She moved quickly to their side, her hands brushing over them like she could shield them just by touching them.
"Mommy?" Nico's eyes blinked open sleepily. "What's wrong?"
She forced a smile. "Nothing, baby. Go back to sleep."
He frowned like he didn't believe her but yawned and closed his eyes again.
Her heart ached.
Thirty minutes left.
She paced the room, the phone in her hand like it weighed a hundred pounds.
If she told Matteo, Luca would know within seconds. And Luca… Luca would go straight for blood.
David wasn't bluffing. She'd seen what he could do. How easily he could slip into a place no one thought he could reach.
But leaving with him?
That wasn't living. That was trading one cage for another.
She thought about the little black device still hidden in her drawer.
Insurance, David had called it.
What if it really held something? Proof Luca was lying? Would that make running any less impossible?
She shook her head. This wasn't the time.
Twenty minutes left.
Matteo appeared in the doorway, his gun at his side. "You should be resting. Luca's orders."
She swallowed hard. "Where is he?"
"Out with Enzo. Setting up for tonight."
"What's happening tonight?"
Matteo's mouth tightened. "Nothing you need to worry about."
"Matteo, please...."
"Aria," he said sharply, then his tone softened. "The best thing you can do for them right now is stay put."
She nodded slowly, hiding the way her fingers curled tighter around the phone.
When he left, she exhaled shakily.
Fifteen minutes left.
Her thoughts twisted into knots. Every minute she stayed meant the dots could vanish or they could fire.
Her stomach churned.
She looked at the twins one last time and made her choice.
Ten minutes left.
She scribbled a note on the back of an old receipt from her pocket: Stay upstairs. Don't open the door. I'll be back. She tucked it under Nico's blanket where he'd see it if he woke.
Her hand shook as she slipped the phone into her pocket and eased out of the room. She moved fast but quiet down the hall, avoiding the guards where she could.
The south edge of the property was the farthest from the main house. Beyond the gardens, past the old stone wall, the land dipped toward the woods. It was the blind spot in Luca's security, the one he thought no one knew about.
David knew.
Five minutes left.
Her breath fogged in the cold night air as she slipped through the shadow of the wall. She could still turn back. She could run to Matteo right now and tell him everything.
But if David was telling the truth, the moment she did, her boys were dead.
Her legs carried her forward.
One minute left.
She saw him leaning against a black SUV at the edge of the trees, dressed in dark clothes that made him blend into the night. He looked calm, like this was just another meeting.
"Right on time," he said with a smirk.
"Where are the snipers?" she demanded.
He tilted his head. "Gone. For now."
Her fists clenched. "You expect me to believe....."
"Aria," he cut in, stepping closer. "You made the right choice. Now get in the car."
Her stomach twisted. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere Luca will never find you."
Her heart pounded. "And the boys?"
"They'll be fine. For now. When you're ready, I'll bring them to you."
She shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving without them."
His smile faded. "You don't have a choice."
She took a step back. "Yes. I do."
Her hand slid into her coat pocket, fingers curling around the small pepper spray canister she'd taken from the kitchen drawer.
David's eyes narrowed. "What are you...."
She sprayed it hard into his face.
He staggered back, cursing, wiping at his eyes. "Aria!"
She turned and ran, her lungs burning, her feet flying over the grass. She didn't stop until she saw the lights of the house again.
She burst into the hallway and froze.
Matteo was on the floor, blood pooling under him.
Her scream tore through the air.
"Aria!" He coughed, struggling to speak. "Upstairs… now…"
She didn't think, she just ran. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she reached the twins' room.
The beds were empty.
The window was open.
A faint breeze whispered through the curtains.
And on Nico's pillow sat a small black playing card of the king of spades.
On the back, in neat, cold handwriting, it read:
"One hour is over."