Page 49 of Broken Mafia Bride (His to Break #2)

With that thought in mind, I hurry down the uneven stairs. The air down here is even worse than upstairs, stiff and musky, and breathing is a struggle. I pull in as much air into my lungs as I can and barrel on. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness.

The bunker has five hallways branching out from the staircase. I have no idea which one I’m supposed to take. Searching through each of them will take too long, and I have no doubt I’ll be discovered if I go in blind.

Damn it.

I consider calling Matteo again, but he did say he doesn’t have eyes down here.

If something changed, he’d have called to let me know.

I take a deep breath and head toward the second passageway.

The same instincts that have kept me alive this long—and fueled my belief that Giulia was still out there, alive—are urging me forward.

I move carefully down the hall. There are several doors on each side, and I take my time unlocking each one, searching for any signs of life. With every door I open, my hope wanes a little more.

If they’re not down here, then where the hell are they? Matteo said there’s been no sign of movement on the grounds. Which means they have to be somewhere—in this house, or down here.

“I need to take a piss,” a man’s frustrated voice reaches me.

I duck behind a stack of wooden barrels in the corner, pressing my back to the side of the stack and peeking through a gap between two kegs. Ahead are two of Lucio’s guards. I take note of the guns tucked into the holsters at their hips.

“What do you mean, you wanna take a piss?” the other one grouses. “It’s been like five minutes since the last one. You have the bladder of a damn toddler.”

“Get off my ass. You’re acting like you’re the boss or something,” he snaps. “We’re just wasting our damn time here. Nobody’s come down anyway. Boss has the girl and her kid. Who’s gonna come steal them away, huh?”

“Don’t be a fool.”

“You’re the fool,” he laughs snidely. “You afraid of what that little bitch in there’s gonna do to you? Scared she’ll break free and kick you in the balls with her pointy shoes?”

My eyes widen—it has to be Giulia they’re talking about. I narrow my gaze on the heavy metal door they’re standing in front of while screwing the silencer onto my gun. The last thing I need is for all the guards in this place to come swarming down here at the sound of a gunshot.

“Fine. Do whatever you want,” the second guy says. “I don’t care.”

I wait until the first guy starts heading toward me, then aim from behind the barrel stack and shoot. A hole appears between his eyes, and he crumples to the floor.

The other guard stares, wide-eyed. It takes him too long to realize what’s happening. By the time he reaches for his gun, I’ve already aimed at his neck and fired clean through his carotid.

“Urgh,” he groans, dropping with a thud. I spot the key to the door hooked to his belt. I grab it at once and quickly unlock the door.

“Giulia,” I call desperately, rushing into the dark room.

A muffled voice calls back.

The figure kneeling in the center of the room is a bound woman with long, dark hair. The resemblance between Giulia and her twin has never been more evident than it is in this moment.

“Caterina?” I ask, dropping to my knees and pulling the knife from my ankle to cut through the thick tape wrapped too tightly around her wrists and ankles.

“Can you stand?”

She shakes her head.

“Sorry,” I mutter, ripping the duct tape from her mouth.

She gasps sharply, sucking in air like she’s been drowning.

“Oh my god,” she croaks, voice raw. “Those bastards.”

“What happened? Where’s Giulia? Do you know where they took her?” I ask, barely keeping the panic out of my voice.

“I don’t know.” Her voice breaks. There’s apology laced in every word. “I don’t know anything anymore. I don’t even know who I am.”

She grips my arm, eyes wide and desperate.

“You have to go. Find Giulia. I’ll get myself to safety.”

She tries to stand, teeth gritted in concentration, but as soon as she puts her full weight on her feet, a pained howl escapes her mouth and she crumples to the floor, gasping, her face contorted with pain.

“I have to get you out of here,” I tell her. “I don’t know what Lucio is planning, and there’s no way I’m leaving you behind to fall victim to whatever plot he’s cooking up next.”

“It’ll waste too much time,” she says, shaking her head stubbornly.

She’s right. I don’t know if there’s enough time to get her out of the cellar and back to the house and still come back for Giulia and our kid—but I have to make it work.

“Damn it, Cat,” I bark. “You’re not just my cousin’s wife anymore—you’re Giulia’s sister. She’ll never forgive me if I leave you here. So, for the love of god, quit being so stubborn, and let’s get out of here. We’ve already wasted enough time arguing about this.”

She gives me a sour look. “I can see why Giulia likes you.”

I pull out the burner phone and type a quick message to Matteo, then slip the phone back into my pocket. I reach for Valentina, slipping one of my arms around her while she drapes hers over my shoulder.

“Are you sure you can…” My words trail off when Val glances over my shoulder, her eyes going wide.

“Look out!” she cries, but it’s too late. I’m still reaching for my gun when something comes crashing down on the side of my head.