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I nodded, swallowing the lump of anxiety that had lodged itself in my throat. “I will.”
We moved further into the ballroom, and as the minutes ticked by, I began to relax, thinking that perhaps Raffaele’s plan might not unfold as quickly as I thought it would. But just as I started to calm down, the lights flickered, once, twice, and then went out completely, plunging the room into sudden darkness.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd, followed by murmurs of confusion and the clinking of glasses as people fumbled to steady themselves. The only light in the entire room was the faint glowof emergency exit signs. I blinked several times, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dim glow.
“Stay close,” Massimo ordered, his hand tightening on my arm as the ballroom erupted into chaos. People were already beginning to panic, their voices rising in frantic whispers as they tried to make their way through the darkness.
Massimo pulled out his phone, the screen putting out a soft light. “Enzo, we’ve got a situation,” he spoke quickly into the phone, his tone sharp. “Find out what’s happening with the power and secure the place immediately.”
I strained to hear Enzo’s response, but Massimo’s focus was already shifting, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. His body was tense as he calmly assessed the situation, ready to act on a moment’s notice.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed movement near one of the emergency exits—a group of men, dressed in black, slipping through the door. They were too coordinated to be ordinary guests, and the way they moved suggested they knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going.
“Massimo,” I whispered, nodding toward the exit. “Over there.”
He followed my gaze, his expression darkening as he spotted the men. “Stay here,” he ordered, his voice firm. “I’m going after them.”
“No,” I said quickly, grabbing his arm. “I’m coming with you.”
Massimo hesitated, and I squeezed his arm. My gaze met his and I leveled him with a firm look that said that I could handle it. He nodded as if he understood, his grip on my hand tightening as heled us through the crowd, moving swiftly toward the door where the men had disappeared.
We pushed through the door and emerged into a dark service hallway. The air was cool back here and I could hear the faint murmur of generators kicking in somewhere in the building, but the lights remained off, casting long shadows that danced along the walls like tree limbs in the breeze.
The group of men was further down the hallway, their footsteps echoing as they moved quickly toward a set of loading docks at the back of the building. Massimo and I followed at a distance, our footsteps muffled by the carpet as we tried to stay hidden.
I didn’t know what I was about to get into, but I was going to find out.
CHAPTER 18
Massimo
They weren’t messing with any shipments back here.
I tightened my grip on Sofia’s arm, leading her forward all while watching to see what the men were doing by the loading docks. Her breath was quick and shallow, and I could feel the pulse in her wrist racing under my fingers. My own heartbeat thudded loudly in my chest as I watched the group of men. I squinted, my eyes trying to adjust to the faint light, and then I saw it—one of the men crouched down near a column, his hands busy with something small and metallic.
A detonator.
Shit.
I felt a surge of adrenaline shoot through me. They were planting explosives. This wasn’t just a power play; it was a goddamn declaration of war.
“Stay behind me,” I whispered to Sofia, pressing her back against the wall. Her eyes were wide, but she nodded. I edged forward, careful to keep in the shadows. The men were too absorbed in their task to notice us—for now.
I could make out the shapes more clearly now. There were three of them, all dressed in black, their faces obscured by hoods. One was attaching explosives to the base of a structural column, another was handling wires, and the third kept lookout.
The lookout’s gaze swept in our direction, and I pulled Sofia back just in time, flattening us against the wall.
“We have to get everyone out,” Sofia whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I know,” I said through gritted teeth.
Sofia looked around, her eyes searching for something, and then her eyes narrowed as she found something. “There,” she whispered, pointing to a red lever mounted on the wall a few feet away. “If we pull that, it will set off the alarm.”
I nodded, impressed by her quick thinking. “Good idea. I’ll cover you. Be quick and stay low.”
She nodded, determination flaring in her eyes. She took a deep breath, then darted toward the alarm, moving swiftly and silently. I kept my eyes on the men, ready to move if they so much as turned in our direction.
I would have killed every single one of them if they even looked at her.