I shake my head. You don't know her like I do. She's up to something, I know it.
"Fine, whatever." He grumbles, waving me off nonetheless. "I'll watch the cameras. Go check on your princess if it'll make you feel better."
Luca doesn't understand. He's a fine capo—gets the job done—but he's not striving to rise in the ranks anytime soon. He made capo so young because his older brother was diagnosedwith lung cancer, and his family needed to pay the medical bills. Vito offered a deal: let one brother go home to die, and the other would take his place. Luca does what's required of him, but that's about it.
I find Elena thumbing through a magazine on the couch while Gianna reads next to her. Tentatively, my eyes jump around the room, but aside from some disinterested soldiers posted outside the back door, the women are alone. "Where's Sofia?"
They set down their reading to give me inquisitive looks. Gianna tosses her book aside. "Isn't it your job to know that?"
Elena giggles before answering. "She's sleeping. She was starting to get a headache, so I gave her some water and told her to rest."
Something about their casual dismissal doesn't sit right with me. Unease settles in my stomach like a lead weight.
"She's been sleeping for three hours," I point out.
"She had a long night," Gianna says smoothly. "You know, plotting world domination and all that."
Elena snorts. "Relax, Dante. We're all trapped here together. Where's she going to go?"
Their easy confidence only makes me more suspicious. I know Sofia, and quiet compliance isn't in her nature. Neither is three-hour naps in the middle of the day.
"I'm going to check on her."
"I wouldn't," Elena calls after me. "She specifically said she didn't want to be disturbed."
Which is exactly why I need to check on her.
I walk down the hall toward the bedrooms, my footsteps quiet on the hardwood. Sofia's door is closed, which should be normal, but somehow feels ominous. I press my ear against it, listening for any sound of movement.
Nothing.
I knock softly. "Sofia?"
Silence.
Every instinct I've developed over fifteen years of working for Vito is screaming at me right now. I try the handle—unlocked. The door swings open to reveal an empty room, the bed still perfectly made from this morning.
"Fuck," I mutter, spinning around and heading back toward the main area. But instead of confronting Elena and Gianna, I take a different route, checking the bathroom, the kitchen, even the utility closet.
She's nowhere to be found.
That's when I notice it—the power flickering slightly, like someone's messing with the electrical system. In a safehouse like this, there are only a few places to access the main breaker.
The basement.
I take the stairs two at a time, my heart rate picking up as I move through the dim lower level. Sure enough, I can hear soft footsteps and the metallic sound of someone working with the electrical panel.
I position myself at the bottom of the basement stairs and wait.
Two minutes later, the power goes out completely.
In the darkness, I hear her quiet footsteps as she makes her way toward the stairs. I let her get halfway up before I move, my hand closing around her wrist.
"Going somewhere, princess?"
She gasps, trying to jerk away, but I'm already moving. In one fluid motion, I back her against the basement wall, my body caging her in. The emergency lighting kicks on, casting everything in a dim red glow.
"What part of 'no sneaking out' do you not understand?" I growl, planting one hand on either side of her head against the concrete wall.
