Chapter 8: Shadows
Two days later, trouble found us.
I was closing the bakery when a black SUV pulled up across the street. Two men in dark suits got out. They didn’t look like locals. They stood there for several minutes, watching the bakery.
I felt a cold sense of dread.
Luca had been careful not to bring his old life into our town, but I knew it was only a matter of time before someone from Chicago came looking for him.
I quickly locked the door and went upstairs. The twins were playing in the living room. I tried to act normal, but my hands were shaking as I locked the windows.
Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
I looked through the peephole.
It was Luca.
I opened the door. He stepped inside quickly and locked it behind him.
“They found me,” he said without preamble. “Two of my father’s men are here. They’ve been watching the bakery since this morning.”
My blood ran cold.
“Did they see the twins?” I asked.
Luca’s jaw tightened.
“I don’t think so. But they will if they stay long enough.”
I felt panic rising in my chest. I had spent three years hiding. I had built a safe life for my children. And now, because of Luca, that safety was being threatened.
“You need to leave,” I said, my voice shaking. “Right now. Take them with you if you have to, but get them away from here.”
Luca stepped closer.
“I’m not leaving you and the children unprotected,” he said firmly. “Not with those men here.”
“Then what do you suggest?” I snapped. “Because I’m not letting my kids anywhere near whatever dangerous world you come from.”
Luca was quiet for a moment. Then he said something I didn’t expect.
“I’ll handle it,” he said. “Tonight. They won’t come back after that.”
I stared at him.
“What are you going to do?”
Luca’s expression hardened.
“Whatever I have to.”
I grabbed his arm.
“Don’t,” I said. “Don’t bring that violence here. Not around Lena and Leo.”
Luca looked down at my hand on his arm, then back at my face.
“I won’t let anything happen to them,” he said quietly. “Or to you. Even if you still hate me.”
I let go of his arm.
“I don’t hate you,” I admitted, surprising even myself. “I just don’t trust you yet.”
Luca nodded.
“That’s fair,” he said. “But right now, I need you to trust me enough to let me protect you.”
I looked toward the living room where the twins were playing.
After a long moment, I nodded.
“Fine,” I said. “But if you do anything that puts them in danger, I will take them and disappear again. And this time, you’ll never find us.”
Luca met my eyes.
“I understand,” he said.
That night, Luca left the apartment around midnight. He came back three hours later with a split lip and bruised knuckles. He didn’t tell me what happened, and I didn’t ask.
May you like
But the black SUV was gone by morning.
And for the first time, I allowed myself to feel a small sense of safety because of him.
