Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
But he smiles instead. Like he’s happy I’m searching him out. “Just got finished. You hungry?”
I touch my stomach. “Not particularly.” Should I tell him that I’ve been getting sick most mornings? He hasn’t noticed yet because he’s usually gone before I’m up. But can I keep it from him forever? “Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Anything you want.” He leans back. I admire his chest and his stomach. His lips pull into a crooked smile, and god, he’s too handsome.
“Do you have a panic room?”
I don’t know why the question spills out, but I say it before I can stop myself. My heart’s racing all over again, and my fingers feel tingly and numb. He frowns slightly and shakes his head.
“Never saw the need for one. Would you feel better if I did?”
“No,” I say quickly, much too quickly. “No, not at all. I’m kind of relieved. I mean, I hate those things.” I laugh awkwardly and wish I could fold myself inside out and disappear into the universe.
He’s studying me now. God, this was dumb. Luca isn’t stupid. He knows something’s going on. “You can talk about it, you know. If you want to tell me.”
I open my mouth, ready to make some joke or stupid comment to deflect, but I stop before I can. He looks so earnest, and suddenly I feel all that horror and sadness pressing up against my throat. What if I really did talk about it? Would that be so bad? I didn’t come down here for this, but maybe it’s a good first step. Let him see a piece of me I try to keep hidden. Let him inside, at least a little bit.
“I guess you kind of figured out I had a bad experience a while back.”
“You and your sister.”
I nod a little and sink down onto the floor. I sit cross-legged on a mat. He joins me, one hand on my knee.
“I was thirteen. Elisa was eleven…”
“What’s that noise?” Elisa stood in my doorway looking confused. She was clutching an old stuffy against her chest. A ratty teddy bear she hadn’t played with in years. Our rooms shared a door that we kept unlocked and open most of the time. “Is someone lighting off fireworks?”
More cracks and explosions from outside. Someone screams like they’re in pain, and I know what’s happening. I shouldn’t know, but I know, because I know what my family does. They try to hide it around the younger kids except I’m not that young anymore. I’m old enough to see and hear things I shouldn’t.
“Those are gunshots,” I say, jumping out of bed. “And I think they’re close.”
Elisa’s eyes go wide. She always was small and scared. I hurry over to her, not sure what we’re supposed to do, and pull her against me. We retreat back into my bed, and I hold her tight as the shooting gets louder and the screams get louder, and suddenly the whole house trembles as something explodes.
“What’s happening?” she whimpers.
I don’t answer. How can I explain? Dad’s enemies are trying to kill him. People are dying out there. I don’t want her to think about it.
But we aren’t safe.
“Come on.” I get out of bed and pull her with me. My heart’s racing. I feel sick. “We have to hurry.” I lead her out into the hall. She trails after me. Men run past, my father’s guards hurrying away. They’re yelling, and there are screams and crying from downstairs. The gunshots are louder now. Like the fireworks are going off right next to my ear.
“Fiorella! Elisa!” Marcus Putellas is suddenly there. He’s one of my father’s most trusted guards. Usually, he’s a total asshole, but right now I’m happy to see him. He grabs me by the arm. “Hurry, this way. Fucking run!”
He drags us down the hall. Elisa’s straight-out crying now. I’m trying hard not to cry too. Marcus kicks open a side door and pushes us into an empty bedroom. But he keeps going, rushing over to the closet, where he rips out clothes and pounds a code into a hidden panel.
A door beeps and the panic room opens. It’s black inside. The lighting doesn’t work yet.
“Get inside.” Marcus grabs me by the arm.
“Wait, no.” I shake my head, trying to back away. “Raf said it’s not finished. It only opens from the outside. He said it’s broken and we shouldn’t play near it anymore.”
“You wanna fucking die instead? Get the fuck inside.” Marcus throws me hard into the cramped hidden space. I hit the far wall, crying out. It hurts and I don’t know what’s happening. Elisa comes after, crying and clutching onto me as I struggle to sit on the floor, my head ringing and pounding. Marcus stands in the doorway, looking grim, as more gunshots go off. “We’ll get you soon.”