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CHAPTER THIRTY

T he drive back to La Dimora was mostly done in silence, with a few angry looks my dad threw at Vince—who ignored them completely.

Wasn’t it beyond funny now that the roles were reversed? And had it only been a couple of days ago when I sat in my father’s office and begged him not to go through with that arranged marriage and threw daggers at Vince?

Well, if I had married Matt, I would probably be as miserable as I’d expected to be then. But right here, with Vince’s strong arm slung around me, the feeling of being exactly where I should be, of finally having found my place in life, was unlike anything.

And not even the situation with Zotov could touch that lowkey buzz of contentment. It was as if the baseline of my life was finally in tune, and everything else was just challenges to be figured out.

Together .

Vince helped me out of the car, then took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers.

Even the familiar surroundings felt different now, charged with a new energy that hummed between us. Somehow, the kidnapping had changed things between us again, deepening our connection in ways I was still trying to understand.

Maybe it was the realization that what we had was precious and could be gone in the blink of an eye. Or maybe it was the constant tension of Isa and Mira, still in Zotov’s hands.

As we entered, Piccolina completely lost it and even summersaulted in an attempt to reach us first.

Vince swept her up and calmed her down.

Dante, Hero, Peaches, and Goofy approached us, their faces a mix of relief and concern. Vince’s grip tightened slightly, and his body tensed beside me.

Dante hugged me—not that Vince let go of my hand—the opposite really—he shoved Picca into Dante’s arms, then barked, “Be careful.”

Dante took a step back, shook his head, and we shared a look. The next one in line was Hero whose eyes darted to Vince, then he shrugged and went in for a hug. “Glad to have you back, Sis.”

Vince growled, and I stared at him. “Really?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m ready to do almost anything for you, but I can’t change my whole personality.”

I cocked my head. “That means you will remain jealous of your brothers?”

He scoffed. “I’m not jealous; I just don’t want them touching what’s mine. ”

I sighed and shook my head. I should clock him over the head for his antiquated attitude. But in all honesty, I was too exhausted to fight, and if I was being perfectly honest, I was his. Utterly and irrevocably his. So why pretend? And if this was his way of showing that to the world—or his brothers—so be it.

“We’ve got some news,” Hero said.

If I hadn’t been glancing at Vince, I would’ve missed him clenching his jaw. I squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.

“What is it?” he asked, his voice low and controlled.

Peaches stepped forward. “We didn’t find any bugs. But the hacker was one of your IT guys. He was working for your father, as was your secretary; that’s why it took us so long to find him.”

The words settled in, and I could feel Vince stiffen beside me, his breath catching for just a moment before he regained his composure.

We hadn’t even talked about what had happened, so I only knew from what I’d overheard in the car that Alfredo Salvini was dead.

Did Vince kill him? And despite everything his father did, would Vince be okay? I mean, their relationship was as bad as it could’ve been, but it must hurt to learn you’re hated by your father so much that he was willing to sabotage his own company, just to get to you… Though, I guess, it wouldn’t top knowing he was trying to have you killed.

I looked at my father, who stood right next to Hawk. Given I had the best dad in the world, this level of betrayal seemed unfathomable .

“I’m not even surprised,” Vince said, his tone very matter-of-fact.

Goofy nodded. “He spilled everything. Seems your old man’s been doing this for a while.”

I watched Vince’s face, seeing nothing of the storm of emotions he was surely fighting hard to control. Then his eyes met mine, and in that moment, I saw a flash of vulnerability that made my heart ache.

A flash of vulnerability he deliberately let me see.

Without breaking eye contact with me, Vince spoke to his team. “I want this cleaned up. Airtight.”

“On it,” Peaches said.

“And if there’s even a spec of information out there about Jemma’s online endeavors, I want that erased, as well. Every trace, every mention. Make it disappear.”

The protectiveness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. Part of me wanted to argue, to insist I could handle myself, but I knew this wasn’t just about me anymore. This was his way of keeping me safe, of shielding me from the dangers that came with his world.

And then it hit me as if a garbage truck had just rear-ended me.

The hacking, Iset. What if Zotov had somehow figured it out? “Oh shit.”

Vince’s eyes snapped to mine, his full attention on me now. “Oh shit, what?”

I swallowed hard, knowing this revelation might change things. “Isabella and I…we were both…involved in those hacking activities. What if Zotov found out somehow? ”

The room fell silent, and I could feel the tension radiating off Vince. His jaw clenched, and I saw a flash of anger in his eyes. “You and Isabella?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.

I nodded and looked down at my feet, unable to meet his gaze.

“Isabella is a hacker?”

I nodded again. “Yes. We…we were working together. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Vince’s grip on my hand tightened, almost painfully. “Goddammit, Jemma,” he growled. “What happened to no more secrets?”

I flinched at his tone but stood my ground. “I know. And I wanted to tell you. But then, everything happened, and…” I fizzled out. I didn’t tell him the truth; there was no way around that fact. “I’m really sorry,” I whispered. “But I think this could be why Zotov is so interested in Isabella. He must have found out about Iset.”

“Iset.” Vince ran his free hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. He turned to Peaches and Goofy, who had been silently observing our exchange. “I want you to investigate every single thing that Iset”—he turned to me and glared at me—“has been involved in. I need to know exactly what we’re dealing with here.”

Peaches nodded solemnly. “On it.”

“And you and I,” he said, his voice low and threatening as he pulled me with him toward his office, “will have a little chat.”

I held my breath as Vince closed the office door behind us with a bang, his eyes blazing with anger.

I braced myself for the storm that was about to break .

“Do you still not trust me?”

I stared at him, my heart pounding. His question hung in the air between us, heavy with hurt and disappointment.

“Of course, I trust you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “It’s not about that.”

He took a step closer, his imposing frame looming over me. I instinctively backed up until I felt the bookshelf behind me. This situation felt eerily familiar—like that first confrontation in my father’s library.

But so much had changed since then.

“Then what is it about?” he demanded, his voice low and intense. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re still keeping secrets.”

I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to look away from his piercing gaze. “I was scared,” I admitted. “Scared of what you’d think. And I didn’t want to rat Isa out. If I’d known she was in danger… I thought I was protecting her by keeping quiet.”

His eyes softened slightly, but he didn’t back away. Instead, he touched my temple, then let his finger glide down my face and the side of my neck. “Who would’ve thought you and I were so similar?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Starting right now, protecting everyone is our job. Together.”

I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “I know that now. I’m sorry. I should have told you everything from the start.”

He sighed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “ Everything?” There was a teasing undertone in his voice. “Then would we be where we are if you confessed from the start?”

I cocked my head.

“I wouldn’t have even looked at you twice, and then I would’ve never fallen in love with you.”

Now, it was my turn to smile. “So, to sum it up, you’re secretly glad I hacked you, stole money from you, lied to you, and challenged you?”

He hesitated. “I wouldn’t go that far. But I can partly understand why you did what you did.” He reached out and gently cupped my face in his hands. “But from now on, there’s no more secrets, okay? Not between us. We’re stronger together but only if we’re honest with each other.”

I nodded and leaned into his touch. “No more secrets,” I agreed. “I promise.”

The intensity in his eyes faded, replaced by a warmth that made my heart skip. “Good,” he murmured, leaned in, and pressed his forehead against mine. “Because I can’t lose you, Jemma. Not now, not ever.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist, feeling the solid strength of his body against mine. “You won’t,” I whispered. “We’re in this together, remember?”

Vince pulled back slightly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Together,” he repeated, sealing the promise with a gentle kiss.

But before he could deepen the kiss, his phone rang.

He pulled his phone out and glanced at the screen, and his brow furrowed .

“Unknown caller,” he said, his voice tight. He put the call on speaker.

“Salvini,” Zotov’s voice crackled through the speaker, sounding irritated. “Your sisters are absolute pains in the ass, you know that?”

Vince and I exchanged bewildered looks. What was going on?

“And how do you even tell those two apart?” Zotov continued, his tone a mix of exasperation and genuine curiosity. “They’re driving me crazy.”

I watched Vince’s face, admiring how he kept his expression neutral despite the obvious fury and concern for his sisters. His jaw clenched, but he remained silent, refusing to give Zotov any information. “If they’re so annoying, you can just send them back to me. I’ve been dealing with them their whole lives.”

“No can do,” Zotov said, and it almost sounded like he regretted it.

Served him right. I hoped Iset and Mira gave him as much shit as possible.

“Get to the point, then,” Vince finally said, his voice cold and controlled. “What do you want?”

I could almost hear Zotov’s annoyance through the phone. There was a pause, and then he spoke again, his voice clipped. “Fine. Let’s get this show on the road. I’ll send coordinates for a meeting. Be there.”

The call ended abruptly, leaving us in stunned silence.

I looked at Vince, the barely contained storm of emotions behind his eyes—anger, worry, and determination—all warring for dominance .

Vince led me to one of the armchairs, sat down, pulled me onto his lap, wrapped me in his arms, and buried his nose against my neck.

I closed my eyes for a bit, enjoying the calm before the storm—his heartbeat against mine. And even though the tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife, somehow, the two of us as a team made it bearable.

He leaned back, stretched his neck, and sighed.

I laid my hand on his chest and watched his face as we both waited in silence for Zotov’s coordinates to arrive.

When the message finally came through, his jaw clenched, and he fixed his gaze on his phone screen.

I leaned in closer, and sure enough, the message was very short:

persuasion.scrambled.grabbed

And bring your grandfather’s favorite book.

What the hell? Was this Zotov’s kind of humor? Was he dicking us around?

Vince stared at the screen for a while until he suddenly exhaled, then dialed Dante and put him on speaker.

Dante picked up a second later. “Yo?”

“You told me a while ago about some kind of weird mapping system, where every spot in the world can be described with three words, remember?”

Dante hesitated. “Maybe?”

“I need you to find out”—Vince pulled up the message again—“where ‘persuasion, scrambled, grabbed’ leads to. ”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Dante said.

“Do I sound like I’m fucking kidding?”

Dante sighed, “Nope, you got it. Peaches knows about the system; it’s called ‘what3words’.”

I filed away that information to look up later since I’d never even heard of it before. It sounded very much like some weird spy shit. And I’d already had enough of that with the futuristic white pod Zotov held me captive in.

Dante whistled.

“What, where is it?”

Dante chuckled. “It’s Castello dei Pietra, Italy.”

“The Falcone’s villa in Calabria? Gabe’s villa?” Vince muttered, disbelief coloring his voice.

Vince’s eyes met mine, a mixture of confusion and anger swirling in their depths. Without a word, he ended the call and dialed Zotov’s number, putting the call on speaker.

“What kind of game are you playing?” Vince growled as soon as the line connected. “Gabe’s villa? Is this some kind of sick joke?”

I held my breath, waiting for Zotov’s response. When it came, his voice was cold and emotionless, sending a chill down my spine.

“No jokes, Salvini. If you want to see your sisters again, you’ll follow the instructions. It’s as simple as that. And don’t forget the book. I’ll contact you again once you’re there.”

The line went dead before Vince could reply.

I sat there, frozen, while Zotov’s words hung heavy in the air between us .

My mind raced with questions. Why Gabe’s villa? Was Gabe involved somehow? And what did this mean for Sophie and Cara who were there, and for Isabella and Mira? My pulse started to race. Italy. The one place I’d sworn I would never go back to.

I looked at Vince, at the storm of emotions playing across his face. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, knuckles white with tension.

Vince dialed again. “Everyone meet at the office,” he barked, then ended the call.

Vince stood, put me down on the chair, and marched up and down the office.

The others slowly filed in, and everyone focused on Vince. The tension in the room ratcheted up a notch.

When Vince stopped, I got up, crossed the room, stood right next to him, and took his hand, offering my support and presenting a united front as he briefed everyone on Zotov’s call and the instructions he’d sent.

When he finished, my dad looked troubled and Hawk looked pissed, as did Hero and Dante.

I turned sideways and didn’t expect to catch Vince looking at me with hesitation clearly visible in his dark eyes.

Was he torn between wanting to protect me and needing to save his sisters? Did he think I wouldn’t come with him?

I took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. “We have to go, asap,” I said firmly, looking directly into his eyes. “Together.”

He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me protectively .

I melted into his embrace, drew strength from our connection.

Somehow, he seemed to sense the fear that lingered beneath my determination. “Are you sure?” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear. “I know what happened in Italy is still…”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m sure.” I raised my chin and gave him a smile. “Isa and Mira need you, and I refuse to let you go alone. And I…I think I need to do this.”

Vince stared at me for a long time before he nodded. “Let’s prepare then.”

As the team bustled around us, preparing for our next steps, I felt a strange mix of anxiety and determination settling in my chest. The thought of returning to Italy terrified me, but with Vince by my side, I could face anything.

Facing my demons instead of running and hiding. Yes. That was what I’d do from now on.

Vince’s arms tightened around me. “I promise,” he said, his voice low and fierce, so nobody but me could hear them. “I will never let anything happen to you again. Not for as long as I breathe.”

I smiled up at him. “I’m glad, and, you know…same.”

He looked down at me, raised a single brow, lifted the corner of his mouth, and then kissed me.

Sealing our promise.

“Now, what’s your grandfather’s favorite book?” I asked when he pulled away.

He let go, walked toward one of the bookshelves, and didn’t even hesitate when he pulled an old red book off the shelf— an edition of Around the World in Eighty Days with a dark red cover, the font a golden embossed imprint, and a key with a circle stamped on the cover.

I froze as soon as I saw it. I’d seen this before. Vince froze, as well, pulled the metal card out of his pocket, and held it next to the cover.

The same symbol was on both the book and the piece of metal.

“Why is the same symbol of your grandfather’s favorite book on Ivan Zotov’s business card?” I whispered.

No idea why I whispered, but somehow, this felt like the sort of information that shouldn’t be mentioned out loud.

Vince shrugged his shoulders, took my hand, and squeezed. “No clue, but we’ll find out soon enough.”