"Are you insane?" I shout across the gap.
She looks up at me, and for a moment, I see something vulnerable flash across her face. Fear, maybe, or the realizationof what she just did. But then her jaw sets and she turns away, heading for the parking garage stairs.
I'm not losing her now.
I back up, take a running leap, and sail across the gap. My landing is more controlled than hers, years of training and experience keeping me upright as I hit the concrete and roll to absorb the impact.
Sofia's already halfway down the stairs when I reach them. I can hear her footsteps echoing in the stairwell, quick and light, and I know she's pushing herself as hard as she can.
"Sofia, enough!" My voice bounces off the concrete walls. "You're going to get yourself killed!"
"Better than the alternative!" she calls back, and there's something raw in her voice that makes my chest tighten.
She bursts out of the stairwell onto the second floor of the garage, and I'm right behind her. The space is dimly lit and full of parked cars, creating a maze of shadows and hiding spots. Perfect for someone trying to evade capture.
I catch a glimpse of her dark hair disappearing behind a row of SUVs and follow, my footsteps loud on the concrete. She's moving erratically now, ducking between cars, using the vehicles as cover.
"This isn't a game anymore, Sofia," I call out, trying to keep my voice calm despite the adrenaline coursing through my system. "Whatever you think you heard?—"
"I heard enough!" Her voice comes from somewhere to my left, but when I move toward it, she's already gone. "Three weeks, Dante. Three weeks until they come for me whether Vito agrees or not."
Fuck. She did hear everything.
"We'll figure something out?—"
"No, you won't." There's a clatter of something metallic hitting the ground—keys, maybe—and I realize she's trying tohotwire a car. "You'll hand me over because it's the only option left. Because I'm just a bargaining chip."
I follow the sound and find her crouched next to a sedan, the driver's door open, her hands working frantically under the dashboard. Her face is streaked with dirt and sweat, and there are tears she's trying to blink away.
"Sofia—"
"Stay back!" She looks up at me, and the desperation in her eyes makes me pause. "I'm not going to marry some Costello psychopath. I'm not going to be handed over like property. I'd rather die first."
"Don't say that." I take a step closer, hands raised in what I hope is a non-threatening gesture. "Don't even think it."
"Why not? What do I have to live for? A life where every decision is made for me? Where I'm locked up for my own protection until someone decides I'm more valuable as a sacrifice?"
Another step closer. She's still working on the wires, but her hands are shaking now.
"You have plenty to live for," I say quietly. "You're brilliant, and stubborn, and infuriating, and?—"
"And trapped." The engine turns over, and triumph flashes across her face. "Not anymore."
She slides into the driver's seat, but I'm already moving. I grab the door before she can close it, wedging myself into the opening.
"Get out of the car, Sofia."
"No."
"Get out of the car, or I'm getting in with you."
"You wouldn't?—"
I slide into the passenger seat and pull the door shut behind me. "Try me."
For a moment, we just stare at each other. She's breathing hard, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles are white. I can see the moment she's considering just hitting the gas anyway, taking us both for a ride.
"You can't keep doing this," I say softly. "Running away isn't going to solve anything."
