Page 156 of Konstantin

But can I truly have it all?

“Are you listening to me?” Nate calls, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am. It’s just all too much.”

“I know, but look. You just lie low for a bit. I don’t even wanna know where you are, just in case. We’ll figure this out. Together.” The way he says it takes me back, reminding me of when I first started living with him.

He was always the strong one, the protector. I looked up to him then, wanted to be just like him.

“I’ve gotta go, Nate. I’ll be in touch if anything new comes up.”

“Love you, Em.”

“Love you.”

As soon as the call ends, I’m dialing Riley’s number, needing her to know what happened just in case.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Em! Oh, thank God!”

The urgency in her voice sends a chill down my spine. “What’s wrong?”

“I found something insane about Gerardo, and I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“What?” Panic surges, sharp and immediate.

“I found out Gerardo isn’t just helping the DeLucas. Heisa DeLuca.”

My head jerks back, confusion and disbelief swirling inside me. “I don’t understand.”

“His brother is actually Marco DeLuca. The boss. They’re brothers, Emilia.”

My lungs throb as I try to breathe, the words hanging in the air. “W-w-what?”

“Yeah. They have different last names because they have different fathers, but they’re brothers, and Gerardo’s just as deep in the organization as DeLuca himself.”

My body locks up, a surge of shock running through me. “Holy shit…”

“That’s not all,” Riley continues, her tone dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I intercepted some texts between Gerardo and DeLuca. They want you and Nate dead. I don’t know when, but they’re coming for him first.”

My breath stops. Everything goes still. My heart lurches painfully in my chest, and for a moment, all I can hear is the frantic pounding in my ears.

“I have to go. I’ll contact you when I can.”

“Be careful, Em. Please watch your back.”

I end the call and immediately dial Nate again. I need to warn him. I need to make sure he’s okay, even though part of me already knows he might not be.

When the phone rings, he answers immediately. “Hey, what’s up? You okay?”

“I need you to listen to me. Riley just found something. Gerardo’s brother is DeLuca, and they want you dead. They could be coming for you right now. Get the fuck out of there, do you hear me? Cut the fucking ankle monitor and run!”

“Wait, wha?—”

The sudden crash of something sends my blood pumping.

“Nate, what the hell was that?”