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My baby brother.
The thought nearly breaks me. It nearly makes me stop, turn around, try something stupid and desperate.
But the child growing inside me changes everything. I can't save Tony if I'm dead. Can't protect either of them by martyring myself.
The exit is ahead—freedom, escape, safety. My tires hit the highway entrance and I slam my foot to the floor, the engine protesting. In my rearview mirror, I see them sprinting toward their vehicles. See the gun raised again.
"I'll come back," I promise, voice cracking as tears blur my vision. "I'll find you. I'll fix this."
The words taste like ash and desperation. Because we both know there's only one way to fix this. Only one person is powerful enough to take on the Fioris.
If he doesn't kill me himself first.
The highway stretches ahead, endless. Behind me, cars follow.
I drive faster, hands on the wheel, mind racing with plans and prayers and promises I don't know if I can keep.
* * *
I drive for twenty minutes before my hands stop shaking enough to pull over. The shoulder of the highway feels exposed, but I need to think. Need to plan. Need to figure out how the hell they found us so fast.
More importantly, I need to reach Tony.
My finger hovers over his contact, fear making my stomach roll. I swallow hard before I hit dial.
One ring. Two.
"Hello, Ava."
The voice that answers isn't Tony's. It's older, cultured, with that particular Fiori family accent that haunted my childhood.
"Where's my brother?"
"Safe. For now." A pause, perfectly calculated to maximize my terror. "Though his continued well-being depends entirely on your cooperation."
I press my forehead against the steering wheel, trying to breathe through the panic threatening to choke me. "Let me talk to him."
"I'm afraid Tony's a bit...indisposed at the moment."
The implication makes bile rise in my throat. "If you hurt him?—"
"That depends entirely on you,piccola." The old nickname feels like acid on my skin. "Return to the diner. Tell us everything you know about Rega's operation. Then you and your brother can leave—no harm, no foul."
Lies. All lies. The Fioris don't let people walk away. Ever.
But Tony...
"How do I know he's alive?" My voice cracks despite my best efforts.
There's movement on the other end, then Tony's voice, slurred but unmistakable: "Ava? Don't...don't come back. They want to…"
The sound of flesh hitting flesh makes me flinch.
"One hour," the Fiori voice returns, smooth as silk. "Or we start sending pieces of him back to Chicago. I wonder how Stefano would react to that? Finding out his pregnant girlfriend got her brother killed?"
How do they know?
The call ends before I can respond.