Discouraged but not defeated, I leave the bathroom and wander down the hall, poking my head into each cracked door to see which room my bag was tossed in. When I find it, Elena lies on her stomach on the bed, feet kicked in the air, while Gianna sits by the window. They both look up when I enter.
"So, Sofia," Gianna pulls the curtains closed and turns around with a grin. "What's the escape plan?"
"What?"
"We're going to help you get the fuck out of here." Elena states matter-of-factly, a grin mirroring Gianna's stretching across her lips as she sits up.
"Why?" I question. "What's in it for you?"
"Does there have to be something in it for us?" Elena counters. "I'm pissed our names were thrown into the ring."
Gianna nods. "It's all bullshit. From what I've heard, there haven't been any discussions of finding other virgins. Everyone is only focused on you, Sofia. The demands started with thethree of us, and between the three of us—we're going to get you out of this."
Uneasy gratitude fills me as my eyes flicker between the two women. I want to trust them. I want to accept their help, but accepting their help makes them complicit and destroys any claim they might have to plausible deniability. Ignoring the uncertainty bubbling in my stomach, I move to the edge of my bed. "What do you have in mind?"
Gianna starts. "I don't think tonight will be smart, but under protocol, Dante is only going to keep us here for two days—three days tops. I think we surveil today, plot tonight, and execute tomorrow."
I nod, motioning for her to continue.
"I'll work on drawing a map, but I think our best chance will be during the changing of the guard. They won't be at their posts all night, and there should be a few moments where Dante and Enzo rely on the main security system to monitor the property."
"Aren't there cameras?" I ask. "If they see me on the cameras, they're going to catch me even if there aren't any soldiers outside."
Elena shakes her head. "Normally yes, but not if we cut the power."
Gianna snaps, pointing at Elena. "Exactly. We have about ninety seconds before the generator kicks in for backup power. There's going to be at least one car parked outside. We'll cut the power, create a diversion, I'll open the gate, you'll get to the car and be gone before the sun comes up."
"You know the code to the gate?"
"Comes with the Rosso name."
Nodding slowly, Gianna's plan whirls through my brain like well-oiled gears. "What happens when they realize I'm gone?"
"How fast can you drive? Are we talking they find out in five minutes or five hours?"
"Elena," Gianna groans. "That is the opposite of building her confidence."
"What?" Elena gets defensive, throwing her hands up. "I'm just being realistic."
Gianna sighs and moves across the room to rest a hand on my arm. "Let us worry about that. You just focus on getting in the car and getting through the gates."
For the first time since this nightmare began, I'm not planning an escape alone. The thought should be comforting, but all I can think about is what will happen to Elena and Gianna when Dante realizes they helped me.
What will happen to all of them when I'm gone and the Costellos come looking for their prize.
But I push that thought away. I can't save everyone, but maybe I can save myself.
CHAPTER 18
Dante
It's beentwenty-four hours since we arrived at the safehouse, and Sofia is too quiet, too cooperative with the orders given to her. Her attempts at not being suspicious, not drawing attention to herself, do exactly that.
"Is this really necessary?" Luca rests his boots on the corner of the desk, agitated that I'm making him watch the security cameras during the perimeter soldier change.
"She's up to something."
"Dude, that girl is getting to your head. The only one who has any sense of where we are is Gianna, and she knows better than to tell the others. Sofia's too timid to run blindly into the middle of nowhere."
