Chapter 73

Chapter 73
Sofia's POV

Rain poured harder, mixing with gunfire. The sound was everywhere—echoing off the trees, the river, even the pounding in my chest. Luca’s arm stayed locked around me, his body shielding mine as bullets cut through the air.

“Stay down!” he shouted.

“I’m trying!” I yelled back, clutching his coat.

Alessandro fired from behind a fallen tree. “We can’t win this fight head-on!”

Luca’s jaw clenched. “We’re not dying here!”

A bullet tore through the mud beside us, spraying dirt over my face. My hands shook, but I kept my grip on Luca. He glanced at me—eyes dark, jaw tight—but there was something softer under it. Fear. Not for himself. For me.

“On my mark, we run,” he said.

“To where?” I asked.

“The river,” he said simply. “It’s the only way out.”

I looked at the rushing water below us, dark and wild. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe,” he said, loading his gun again. “But I’m not letting them take you.”

Before I could argue, Alessandro shouted, “Now!”

Luca pulled me up and we ran. The ground was slick, the air heavy with smoke. I could hear shouting behind us, the enemy closing in. Alessandro and Diego fired back-to-back, covering us as we slid down the slope toward the riverbank.

A bullet grazed my arm. I stumbled, gasping. “Luca!”

He caught me before I hit the ground. “I’ve got you. Keep moving!”

We reached the edge of the river. The water was fierce, roaring with rain. Alessandro was right behind us, firing toward the treeline. “They’re circling! We’ve got seconds!”

“Jump!” Luca shouted.

Alessandro gave a short nod and dove in first, disappearing into the current. Luca grabbed my hand.

“Sofia—trust me,” he said.

“I always do,” I breathed.

He smiled, small but real. Then he wrapped his arms around me and leaped.

Cold water swallowed us whole. The current was brutal, dragging us under. I clung to him, lungs screaming. He kicked hard, fighting the pull, pushing us up until we broke the surface, gasping for air.

“Hold on!” he shouted.

“I’m not letting go!”

We let the current carry us. The sound of gunfire faded behind us, replaced by the rush of the river and the pounding of our hearts. My wound burned, but Luca’s grip never loosened.

After what felt like forever, the water slowed. We washed up against the riverbank, coughing and soaked. Alessandro pulled himself out a few meters away, clutching his shoulder.

“We made it,” Luca said, breathless.

“Barely,” Alessandro muttered. “They’ll track us.”

Luca turned to me. “You okay?”

“I think so,” I said, wincing as I touched my arm. “I’ve been worse.”

He brushed wet hair from my face, eyes scanning me like he didn’t believe my answer. “You’re bleeding again.”

“I’ll live,” I said, trying to sound brave.

He gave a shaky laugh. “You always say that.”

I met his gaze. “Because it’s always true.”

For a second, the world went quiet. Just him and me, breathing the same air. Then Alessandro cleared his throat. “Hate to break up the moment, but we need shelter.”

Luca helped me up, keeping his arm tight around my waist. “There’s a farmhouse north of here. Old safe house. We can reach it before dawn.”

We started moving through the forest. My legs ached, but I didn’t complain. Luca’s warmth beside me was enough to keep me going. He kept glancing down at me like he couldn’t stop checking if I was still breathing.

“Stop looking at me like that,” I said quietly.

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like I’m about to disappear.”

He smiled faintly. “You almost did.”

“I’m tougher than I look.”

He squeezed my hand. “I know. That’s what scares me.”

The path was dark and muddy. Alessandro scouted ahead, moving quiet and fast despite his injury. We passed broken fences and old trees until the outline of the farmhouse appeared through the fog. It looked abandoned—cracked walls, shattered windows—but it was standing, and that was enough.

Luca pushed the door open. “We’ll rest here.”

He helped me inside and found an old sofa covered in dust. I sank onto it, exhausted. Luca knelt in front of me, checking my wound again.

“I said I’m fine,” I murmured.

“You said that last time too,” he replied, ripping his sleeve to wrap my arm. “You scare me more than the bullets do.”

I smiled weakly. “That’s a first.”

He looked up, his expression softening. “Don’t joke about that.”

The room was silent except for our breathing. The storm outside began to fade, the rain turning to a whisper. For the first time in hours, I felt still.

“Luca,” I said quietly, “back there—you meant what you said, didn’t you?”

He didn’t pretend not to understand. “Yeah,” he said simply. “Every word.”

“You’d really die for me?”

He reached up, brushing my cheek with his thumb. “I’d rather live with you.”

My chest tightened. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because it makes it harder to let go.”

He frowned. “Who said anything about letting go?”

Before I could answer, Alessandro’s voice came from the doorway. “We’ve got a problem.”

Luca stood, instantly alert. “What is it?”

Alessandro pointed toward the treeline. “They found the river trail. We’ve got minutes.”

Luca cursed under his breath. “They don’t quit.”

“Not when the prize is her,” Alessandro said grimly.

Luca turned to me. “You can walk?”

I nodded. “I can fight too.”

He smiled, even now. “That’s my girl.”

He grabbed his gun, checked the clip, and looked at Alessandro. “We hold them off here.”

Alessandro smirked. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Outside, branches cracked and voices rose. Shadows moved through the trees. Luca crouched beside me, his eyes steady.

“If anything happens, you run,” he said.

“Not a chance.”

“I mean it, Sofia.”

“So do I,” I said. “If you stay, I stay.”

He looked at me for a long moment, then sighed. “You’re impossible.”

“Good thing you like that about me,” I said.

He laughed softly, shaking his head. “Yeah, I do.”

The first gunshot shattered the window. Luca pulled me down behind the sofa as glass rained around us. Alessandro returned fire, shouting something I couldn’t hear over the noise. My heart hammered, but my fear wasn’t for myself—it was for him.

“Luca!” I shouted over the chaos. “They’re coming from the side!”

He moved fast, firing back through the broken window. The smell of gunpowder filled the air. I crawled beside him, grabbing his arm.

“Don’t you dare get hit again,” I said.

He gave me a quick grin. “You too.”

We fought through the night, side by side. Each shot felt closer. Each breath sharper. But somehow, we were still standing.

Then, just as the shooting slowed, I heard footsteps behind us. A voice I thought we’d left behind.

“Did you really think you could run from me forever?”

The man stepped through the doorway, gun raised, rain dripping from his coat. His soldiers fanned out behind him.

Luca turned, pulling me behind him. “It’s over,” he growled.

The man smiled coldly. “You’re right.”

And before anyone could react, he aimed—not at Luca, not at me—but at Alessandro.

The gun fired.

I screamed as Alessandro fell, blood spreading across his chest. Luca froze, eyes wide with shock.

The man lowered his weapon, smiling at me. “Your turn, Sofia.”

Luca stepped in front of me, his voice shaking with fury. “You’ll have to kill me first.”

The man’s smile widened. “That’s the idea.”