Page 75 of Mine Again (Mafia Bride #2)

Chapter Seventy-Four

Luca

T he door swings inward on a whisper of hinges.

Moonlight from a full sky spills through a narrow window at the far end, silvering the edges of the room. I flick a hidden switch, bringing up a low amber glow, dim enough not to show from outside but bright enough to see where we’re going.

The air is stale, so I cross to the balcony door and ease it open. A rock wall looms a few feet away, too steep for anybody to climb without gear. Any neighbors would be out front, but every house in this area is deserted.

Isa closes the door behind her with deliberate movements, bolts sliding back into place with a solid thud.

“If we need to get out, there’s a panel in the wall, same as on the other side. You just have to push in the release pins.”

I show her exactly where to press. She nods, her gaze sweeping the space.

A narrow strip of kitchen runs along one wall with a single rust-stained sink. The bathroom is smaller still, nothing more than a toilet and a cracked mirror. In the far corner, a bed sits under a stiff tarpaulin, its edges weighted with dust. Beside it, a crooked table leans toward a single chair.

Isa sinks into it while I pull the tarp from the bed. Dust streams curl upward in the moonlight.

“We’re here. Now what?” she asks. The pale light catches in her hair, making her look even prettier.

“You get some rest while I find a way to bury Hale.”

I point toward the wooden wardrobe in the corner.

“You’re going in a wardrobe to do that?” she asks, frowning.

“There’s a hidden door behind a false backing. Come, I’ll show you.”

“So you’re changing the theme from Bond to Narnia?” she teases.

“It’s still very Bond,” I counter.

When she’s next to me, I slide the panel aside to reveal the triple-padlocked steel door.

“Where does it go?” she asks.

“Narnia, obviously,” I deadpan, but she doesn’t laugh. Too exhausted for banter, she just widens her eyes at me.

“To the underground reinforced cellar. No one knows it’s there.”

She leans forward, peering at the long chute and metal ladder disappearing into the dark. A shiver runs through her.

“So there’s no access to it from the ground floor?”

“No, it’s another measure to make it harder to find, should anyone go looking for it.”

Her gaze lingers on the shadows below, then lifts to me. “You need to eat something before you disappear down that rabbit hole.”

Before I can protest, she’s already unzipping one of our bags and taking out some of the food we bought in Gibraltar. My stomach growls at the sight.

“Explain to me what’s down there and why you couldn’t have it on the island,” she says.

“Tools I need if Hale ever pulls a stunt like this. Part of me expected it,” I say, sitting down on the chair and pulling Isa onto my lap. “It was only a matter of time.”

I tear a piece from the crusty loaf and dip it into a small tin of olive oil. The first bite hits exactly where I need it. I rarely eat bread, but this is worth breaking the rule for.

I tear another piece and hold it up to Isa’s mouth. She hesitates for a moment, then leans in and takes it. Her shoulders ease, a quiet signal of trust in a place where neither of us can afford to relax.

“I needed a place far from home to store these tools. They’re more like weapons, powerful ones. In the wrong hands, they could do real damage.”

She feeds me some more bread and waits for me to continue.

“This node isn’t connected to anything. No internet, no signal. It remains offline until I power it up. Here, I can analyze his attack without detection. It’s not just an archive; it’s a vault, a weapon.”

“And the thing we picked up earlier?” she asks.

“The tower unit plugs in with the rest of the tools in the cellar. Think of it as the brain. The cellar is where I keep the knives.”

Her brow creases. “What are you hoping to find?”

“A fingerprint. Every breach leaves one. I can match Delaware’s to the markers I’ve archived from Hale over the years, all without touching the open internet. No trail. No risk of it propagating.”

I take another bite of the delicious bread before continuing.

“Every time our systems crossed, I kept a copy of his code. If I find one of his embedded markers in the breach, it proves two things. It was not my attack, and I can trace exactly how Hale got access to something only I or my clients should have had.”

Her eyes narrow. “So we’ll know if someone handed it to him.”

“Or if he stole it. Either way, it gives me leverage.”

“And how will you use this leverage?”

“Either give it to the authorities so they can hunt him or use it to bait him. It depends on his next move. But I have to find it first.”

I meet her eyes. “I have to go fully offline. It could take an hour, maybe four, or even twelve. There’s no way to know until I find what we need to put this back on Hale.”

I kiss the side of her neck and feed her more bread.

“I won’t see or hear anything while I’m under. And I’ll need my full focus. So please stay behind this locked door so I don’t worry. In here you’re safe. But if anything does happen, come and get me.”

I lift her from my lap and set her gently on her feet, then cross to my bag. Pulling out a compact pistol, I check the safety and place it on the table beside her chair.

She stares at the gun, her expression hardening.

“Luca, you know I don’t like—”

“This is a last resort, farfalla , and for my peace of mind. I know you hate using guns, but I can’t leave you up here unable to protect yourself. If someone tries that door, aim center mass and shoot. No warnings.”

Her eyes flick to the weapon, then back to me. I hold her gaze.

“Use it only if you have to. Call for me first if you can. I’ll get back up here as fast as possible.”

She exhales audibly and steps into me without a word, her arms looping around my neck. Her mouth finds mine in a kiss that lingers.

I hold her close, breathing in the scent that’s unmistakably Isa, and press one last kiss to her lips before stepping toward the hidden door.

I grab the duffel with the tower unit and heft it over my shoulder before pulling the panel aside.

Her gaze follows me until the panel shuts between us.

The room falls away behind me as I start down the ladder, the chill of the metal seeping into my palms. Each step lands with a hollow echo in the shaft below.

Every step feels like a countdown.