Chapter 68

Chapter 68
Sofia's POV

The river swallowed us whole.

The icy current ripped me under, spinning me through the black. My scream dissolved in bubbles. I clutched Luca’s limp body tight against me, my arms burning as the water dragged us down.

Up—where’s up?

My chest screamed for air. My grip slipped. “No!” I choked into the dark, kicking wildly.

A strong hand grabbed my arm. Diego. He yanked us upward with a roar of effort.

We broke the surface. I gasped hard, dragging in air that burned my lungs. Luca’s head lolled against my shoulder, pale in the moonlight.

“Hold him!” Diego shouted, spitting water. “Don’t let go!”

“I’m not!” I screamed back, choking on spray.

Alessandro surfaced beside us, waves crashing against his face. His voice was calm, even here. “The current will take us downstream. Let it. Don’t fight.”

“I can’t—”

“You can,” Alessandro snapped. “Stay above water.”

Bullets hissed into the river from above, soldiers firing blindly down the cliff. Splashes exploded all around us.

Diego cursed. “They’re trying to fish us out like targets!”

“Dive when I say!” Alessandro barked. “Deep!”

Another volley whined past.

“Now!” he shouted.

We plunged under. Cold darkness crushed in. My chest burned, my arms aching from holding Luca.

We surfaced again, swept farther down. The gunfire was fading. The cliff grew distant.

“They’re losing us,” Diego panted.

“Good,” Alessandro muttered, eyes scanning the shore. “Stay low. Keep moving.”

The river carried us for what felt like forever, throwing us against rocks, dragging us into whirlpools, spitting us back out.

By the time we finally crashed against a shallow bank, my body was shaking, lungs raw, arms numb from clutching Luca.

Diego hauled himself out first, dragging me up by the arm. Alessandro staggered behind, still carrying his pistol even though his body shook with exhaustion.

I collapsed onto the mud, pulling Luca into my lap. His face was ghost-white, his lips parted, breaths faint.

“No,” I whispered, panic flooding me. “He’s too cold. He’s—”

Alessandro crouched beside us, pressing his hand against Luca’s chest. “He’s still here.”

“Barely,” Diego growled. He tore his soaked shirt into strips, wrapping them around the wound again. His hands shook, but his eyes burned. “We need shelter. Now.”

Alessandro nodded. “There’s an old mill near here. Two miles downstream. If it’s still standing, we use it.”

Two miles. With Luca like this? My chest caved. “He won’t make it.”

“He has to,” Alessandro said flatly.

I looked down at Luca, cradling his face in my hands. “Stay with me. Please.”

His lashes flickered, just once, then stilled again.

Diego’s voice broke through, low but fierce. “If he dies, Sofia…” He stopped himself, jaw clenching.

Alessandro rose sharply. “He’s not dying tonight. Move.”

We stumbled through the forest, dripping, shivering, half-dead. Diego scouted ahead, rifle raised, every step braced for pursuit. Alessandro carried Luca most of the way, his jaw tight with effort.

I followed close, whispering in Luca’s ear. “You’re strong. You’re not leaving me. Do you hear me?”

But he didn’t answer.

At last, the mill appeared through the trees—half-collapsed stone walls, a roof sagging but intact, the wheel broken and silent.

We slipped inside. The air was damp, but at least it was shelter.

Alessandro laid Luca on a pile of old sacks. Diego lit a small fire in the hearth with trembling hands.

I knelt, pressing my palms against Luca’s chest, willing warmth back into him. “He’s so cold.”

Alessandro crouched beside me. “We need heat. Strip the wet clothes.”

My face burned, but I obeyed, tugging his soaked shirt and jacket off, wrapping him in the driest rags I could find.

Alessandro draped his own coat over Luca. Diego added another layer from his bag.

The fire crackled, faint but steady.

Luca stirred, a faint groan leaving his lips. His hand twitched weakly.

I caught it instantly. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

His eyes fluttered half-open. “Sofia…”

Tears filled mine. “Don’t talk. Just breathe.”

But he managed a faint smile before his eyes slid shut again.

I pressed my forehead to his. “Stay with me.”

Hours blurred. The storm outside raged, thunder rolling through the valley.

Diego paced near the door, restless, checking his rifle every few minutes. Alessandro sat silent, sharpening his knife, eyes never leaving the window slit.

“They’ll come,” Diego muttered. “Both sides. They won’t stop.”

“Let them,” Alessandro said quietly. “We’ll be ready.”

I looked up from Luca, exhaustion dragging me down. “How? We can’t fight an army in here.”

Alessandro’s gaze met mine, sharp and unyielding. “Then we don’t fight. We vanish before they arrive.”

Diego scoffed. “With him bleeding out? He can’t walk.”

“Then we carry him,” Alessandro replied coldly.

Diego’s fists clenched. “You think I’ll just let him slow us down?”

“Slow us down?” I snapped, rising. “He’s your brother!”

Diego’s jaw flexed, his eyes dark. “And if carrying him kills you too, Sofia? If we all die because you can’t let go?”

My chest twisted. “I’ll never let go.”

Silence cut sharp between us.

Alessandro finally spoke, voice low. “Neither will I. He’s not dying tonight.”

For once, Diego didn’t argue.

The fire burned low. I held Luca’s hand, my head resting against his chest. His heartbeat was faint but steady.

Then—crunches outside. Boots. Dozens.

I stiffened. “They’re here.”

Alessandro was already at the window, peering into the dark. His face didn’t change, but his grip tightened on the pistol. “Rafael’s crest. At least twenty men.”

Diego cursed. “They found us.”

Rafael’s voice carried through the storm, amplified by a bullhorn. Calm. Mocking.

“Little dove, how many times will you run before you realize? You’re mine. Hand yourself over, and I’ll let the brothers crawl away. Resist, and I burn the mill with you inside.”

My stomach churned. “He’s lying.”

“Of course he is,” Alessandro muttered.

Diego spat toward the door. “Let him try.”

The walls shook as a spotlight swept over the mill, blinding and harsh. Shadows of soldiers moved closer, rifles raised.

Luca stirred faintly, whispering something I couldn’t catch.

I bent close. “What, Luca? Say it.”

His lips moved again, breath weak. “…don’t… trust… him.”

Tears pricked my eyes. “I won’t.”

Outside, Rafael shouted again. “Last chance, Sofia. Step out, or they all die.”

Alessandro’s voice was calm, sharp. “We’ll never hand you over.”

But Diego’s eyes burned into mine, desperate. “If it saves him—if it saves Luca—”

“No!” I snapped.

Another explosion shook the mill, dust raining from the ceiling. Soldiers shouted, moving in.

Alessandro grabbed my arm. “We run. Now.”

Diego roared, slamming his rifle against the wall. “There’s nowhere to run!”

The doors buckled under heavy blows.

Luca groaned again, his hand gripping mine weakly. “Sofia…”

“I’m here,” I sobbed. “I’m not leaving you.”

The door cracked. Shouts echoed.

And then—gunfire erupted outside. Not at us. At them.

Screams split the night. The sound of another army tearing into Rafael’s men.

Marco.

Alessandro cursed. “Two armies again.”

Diego’s eyes widened. “We’re caught in the middle.”

The door burst open, smoke and fire flooding the room.

Rafael’s soldiers crashed in from one side. Marco’s from the other.

And at the center of it all—I was still clutching Luca, blood soaking my hands, as both sides stormed the mill.