He closed his eyes and sighed. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
“There’s a very strong possibility you might not get out.”
“And if that happens, Cato won’t stop until he figures out a way to get me back.”
“But you would have to live with…you know.”
Being raped. Every day. For who knows how long. “I would much rather suffer that than let Cato be tortured—a million times over. Sex is just sex. I’ll close my eyes and think about my daughter. I’ll trick Damien into becoming infatuated with me so he’ll treat me well. And then maybe I can find my own escape. All I know is…doing nothing isn’t an option. I can’t leave Cato there.”
He still grappled with this heavy burden. If he let me go and I didn’t escape, Cato would never forgive him. His phone rang at that moment, and he answered without looking at the screen. “You didn’t make it?” he asked. “Alright. Head back.” He hung up.
I already knew what security had told him.
He lifted his gaze and looked at me again. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you, Siena.”
Saying goodbye to my daughter was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.
I held her close to my chest and rocked her back and forth, feeling her warmth in my arms. She smelled like baby shampoo and laundry detergent. I ran my fingers over her small hands, and I kissed each one, wanting to treasure how she felt before I left—possibly for good. “Martina, I love you so much.” I kissed her forehead. “But I love your father too…and I have to save him. He’ll be home soon, and he’ll take care of you.” Tears fell down my cheeks as I gripped her tightly, unable to say goodbye to the most important thing in my life.
Giovanni cried too, knowing how hard this was for me. “I’ll take care of her, Miss Siena. Don’t worry.”
I handed her back to Giovanni and cried harder. “Tell Cato I love him.”
“Of course, Miss Siena.” He wrapped his arm around me and hugged me. “You’re a smart and strong woman. If anyone can make it out of there, it’s you.”
“Thank you. I’ll remember that…” I looked at my daughter one last time before I turned away and walked out of the house. Tears kept falling down my cheeks as I got into the passenger’s seat of the car.
Bates looked at me from behind the steering wheel. “You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”
I couldn’t live with myself if I left Cato to suffer. It would haunt me every single day. I knew he was suffering that very moment, and the longer I waited, the weaker he became. Even if they didn’t kill him right away, the injuries themselves might. “Yes.”
Bates hit the gas, and we left the estate.
The drive to Florence seemed to last a lifetime.
We didn’t speak the entire way.
There was nothing to say, not when we were both thinking about Cato at the exact same time.
We entered the city and drove through the streets until we approached their building. Like always, it was dark and seemed abandoned. They hid in plain sight, which made them more difficult to target.
Bates pulled up to the curb. “I have a few men who will pick up Cato when he steps outside. I’ll wait for you here since this car isn’t conspicuous. This is your last chance, Siena. I strongly discourage you from doing this.”
“No matter how small the odds are, I have to try.” I looked into his eyes, seeing the genuine concern on his face. “I love him so much. I can’t even describe it. I would give up my life for his in a heartbeat. There’s no fear. There’s no hesitation. Regardless of what Damien does to me, I’ll be relieved Cato is free.”
He sighed. “If this doesn’t work, Cato and I will figure out a way to get you back. And if that means Cato has to give up everything…I’m sure he’ll do it.”
“I know he will.”
He continued to look at me, the emotion written all over his face. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for not believing you. I’m sorry…for everything. You’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my brother.”
“You were just trying to protect him.”
“But there was nothing to protect him from.” He rested his hand on mine. “Good luck.” He gave me a gentle squeeze before he pulled his hand away.
I opened the door and prepared to step out. “I forgive you, Bates.” I shut the door behind me and walked around the corner to the secret entrance. I’d passed through it before, and I did the same procedure now.
The camera examined my features, recognized me, and allowed me to step inside.
Two men armed with rifles studied me. The one on the left spoke. “Siena Russo, why are you here?”