The rain had not stopped.
By the time the convoy approached the old district, dawn had surrendered to a low iron sky that pressed heavily over the city.
Water streamed down abandoned stone buildings, turning narrow streets into mirrors of shifting gray.
Elena watched it all through the armored glass.
Somewhere in these quiet blocks, men were searching for something they believed she possessed.
The thought did not frighten her anymore.
It sharpened her.
Across from her, Alessandro had not looked away once since they left the safe house.
Not openly.
But she felt it.
Measured glances.
Silent recalculations.
As though he were seeing her for the first time.
"You are too calm," he said finally.
"You are too observant."
"That calm will get you killed if it is mistaken for invulnerability."
"And panic would help me survive?"
A faint muscle moved in his jaw.
Luca, seated beside her, spoke without looking up from the tablet in his hand.
"They breached the townhouse forty minutes ago."
"Still inside?" Alessandro asked.
"No. Our watchers report two exits. They left in separate vehicles."
"Professionals," Alessandro muttered.
"Yes," Luca agreed. "And confident."
The convoy slowed.
Turned sharply.
Then stopped one street away from the townhouse.
Alessandro's voice dropped.
"We proceed carefully."
Before anyone could move, Elena spoke.
"No."
Both men looked at her immediately.
"We do not approach frightened owners returning to a broken home."
Alessandro's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do you have a better proposal?"
"Yes."
She held his gaze.
"They believe I am still hiding."
"Correct."
"Then let them keep believing it."
Luca's attention sharpened.
"You want to flush them out."
"I want them to expose themselves."
Alessandro studied her in silence.
The storm reflected faintly in his dark eyes.
"You are suggesting we use you as visible leverage."
"I am suggesting we stop reacting."
A long pause followed.
Then Luca spoke softly.
"You are learning very fast."
"I was always learning."
Alessandro's gaze did not leave her.
And in that moment something deeply unfamiliar moved through him.
Not irritation.
Not dominance.
Recognition.
Has she always been watching him this closely?
"Walk me through it," he said.
Elena leaned slightly forward.
"We enter openly. Minimal escort. No visible panic."
"That is reckless," Alessandro said.
"That is bait."
Silence.
Then Luca smiled faintly.
"Continue."
"They expect fear. Instead, we give them an opportunity."
Alessandro exhaled slowly.
"If this fails…"
"It will not."
The certainty in her voice unsettled him more than the plan itself.
He turned toward Luca.
"You are allowing this?"
"I am observing something you should have noticed years ago."
Alessandro's gaze darkened.
"And what is that?"
Luca's voice remained calm.
"She thinks like power."
The words settled heavily into the car.
Elena felt them, but did not react.
Now was not the moment for reaction.
Now was the moment for precision.
Alessandro gave a short order to the driver.
The convoy adjusted instantly.
Two vehicles peeled away, circling wider.
Theirs moved forward alone.
Predatory quiet replaced the earlier show of force.
When they stepped from the car, the rain had softened into a cold mist that clung to skin and fabric.
The townhouse door stood slightly ajar.
Elena noticed immediately.
"So subtle," Luca murmured.
"They want us to see it," Alessandro replied.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of disturbed dust and something metallic.
Drawers had been opened.
Not ransacked.
Searched.
Efficiently.
"They knew exactly where to look," Luca said.
Elena moved through the space slowly.
Her home.
Yet it no longer felt like hers.
Something deeper stirred as she approached the concealed panel leading to the private vault.
It hung open.
Her pulse slowed.
Not fear.
Focus.
Alessandro stepped beside her.
"They were thorough."
"Yes," she said quietly.
"But not thorough enough."
Both men turned toward her.
She crouched slightly, running her fingers along the interior edge of the vault.
Then she smiled.
Very faintly.
"What is it?" Luca asked.
"They did not find it."
Alessandro froze.
"You are certain?"
"Yes."
"Explain."
"I never trusted vaults."
The admission startled him.
"You trusted me with the drive," he said.
"I trusted proximity," she corrected.
A beat passed.
"After you gave it to me, something felt wrong."
"You never told me."
"You never asked."
The blade slid clean again.
She reached behind a narrow structural beam inside the vault.
Pressed once.
A hidden compartment released with a soft click.
From within it, she withdrew a small brushed metal drive.
Silence detonated.
For the first time in years, Alessandro looked genuinely shocked.
"You hid it yourself."
"Yes."
Luca let out a slow breath.
"You are far more dangerous than anyone anticipated."
Elena rose calmly, turning the drive in her fingers.
"This is why they are hunting me."
Before anyone could speak—
A sound cut through the house.
Soft.
Almost polite.
The front door is closing.
All three went still.
Footsteps followed.
Unhurried.
Confidence.
Someone was inside.
Luca's hand moved instantly toward the weapon beneath his jacket.
Alessandro did not move at all.
Which was somehow more frightening.
The footsteps stopped just beyond the hallway.
Then a man's voice drifted toward them.
Smooth.
Cultured.
Amused.
"I was beginning to wonder how long it would take you to realize the vault was a distraction."
Every nerve in Elena's body sharpened.
Alessandro stepped forward slightly.
Positioning himself between her and the voice without even thinking.
"Show yourself."
A soft chuckle answered.
"Still territorial, Moretti."
The man emerged slowly into view.
Tall.
Impeccably dressed.
Rain clinging lightly to his dark coat.
And smiling as though this were a social visit.
Elena felt the air leave her lungs.
She knew that face.
Older now.
But unmistakable.
"Titus Morelli," Alessandro said quietly.
"Hello, Alessandro."
Morelli's gaze shifted.
Landed on Elena.
Warm.
I'm interested.
Predatory.
"And you," he said softly…
"…are even more remarkable than I imagined."