Chapter 173 The message
Alex's POV
The quiet in the safe house is disturbing .I pick up my tablet switching it on to watch one of Miranda videos in action once more . Luca is leaning on the far wall clenching a can of soda .Hugh still hasn't moved from the window rather he dragged a dining chair and positioned it there. He probably plans to sleep at that spot.The ladies are still seated at the table , translating some of the scripts we got from La Rosa's archived . Everyone seems to be focused on one thing or the other but the truth of the matter is our minds are on one thing:
Alessia , and her being in La Geneva alone
Lucy clears her throat breaking the silence "Any more suspicious movement?"
I shake my head "The coast is clear."
I wonder what happened to the Man that was pacing outside Miranda's apartment
His image is still burned into my mind
Angelica exhales "That got on your nerves didn't it?"
I tense "shouldn't that bother all of us ?"I ask
Hugh turns away from the window "Whoever that was couldn't have entered without Miranda's security clearance "
"True." Luca adds calmly.
I scowl at them choosing to not say anything
What if they are still lurking in the shadows
What if they decided to try their luck later
But I do not say any of my thoughts out loud
I watch Luca tentatively as he finally gulps down some of his soda. "Alex are you going to tell them?"
Lucy fixes her eyes on me "What do you want to tell us?"
I pause , wondering if I should tell them everything or just about the text message. I brace myself for the questions that I am about to be bombarded with and lean forward resting my elbows on my knees.
"I heard Alessia"
All of them turn to me going still even Luca as I hadn't told him this yet
Lucy recovers first "Do you mean you heard Alessias thoughts through your bond?"
I nod
Angelica stiffens her mouth agape for a moment "Alex how is that possible it's a -"
"Alessia has been hearing my thoughts since before we left la casa" I drop the bombshell casually as if I am talking about the weather "but I heard her for the first time today ,her glamour cracked."
Lucy pipes in "The pain shattered the last resistance?"
Hugh frowns running a hand around his stubble "when her glamour cracked was she in the coven?"
I nod "Not only was she in the coven but she seemed to be in the dungeon."
They all gasp in shock as realization and horror dawn's in varying degrees on their faces.
"So the disguise unravelled?"Hugh asks
"Briefly" I answer
"But why? How?" Luca queries moving closer to the sofa and settling near Angelica.
I flex my neck to reduce the knots of tension I feel building there."It wasn't a complete unravel."
Lucy leans forward "Can you explain please?"
I shut my eyes for a moment and I have a brief flash back of the moment .It felt like someone used a hammer to shatter the barrier .
"It was like the closed door had been shattered inside my head"
Hugh flinches "it was that bad?"
"Yes it was" I admit still feeling the residual headache that accompanied it.
Lucy watches me carefully "Tell us exactly what you saw "
I don't answer for a moment because even now the memories are so powerful it takes my breath away.
Taking a slow deep breath I begin "I saw prison walls."
Luca nods "The dungeon?"
Angekica lifts her brow in surprise "You saw the prison cells?"
"Yes I did "
Lucy's voice drops lower and becomes more accommodating like she is taming a grizzly bear
"What else?"
Perhaps I seem like one at this moment
I gulp hard this part will shock them to the core
"She was staring at a man , a prisoner"
The rooms falls so quiet you can hear the wind rustling outside.Hugh crosses his arms across his torso the window forgotten "What kind of man was he?"
"He was old, thin and guant ,like he hasn't seen sunlight in a decade."
Lucy's eyes widen with realisation "You recognised him didn't you ?You think-"
I cut her off with a wave of my hand "It is I know those signature green eyes anywhere."
Angelica gasps in disbelief "Her father ?Gabreal Sirrano?"
"In the flesh" I add silently
Hugh mumbles something under his breath "What a turn if events"
Lucy faces me again "Did you tell her who it is?"
"Yes I did" I whisper
Angelica tilts ger head "You called her ?"
I shake my head "She heard me loud and clear"
Now they are all stunned .Lucy reaches for a pen jotting something down ."The bond is now opened both ways."
"Yes" I say
Luca turns to me with a look close to pity "Was it very painful?"
"It was" I admit
Lucy drops the pen slowly "I wonder why the glamour cracked before she knew who he was."
Angelica answers immediately "I read in one of the journals that the mark flares up when close to a familiar. She felt the connection so the emotional stress made it crack."
I didn't even think of that , it makes a lot of sense . Seeing him bound like that after thinking he was dead at sea all these years.
Hugh shakes his head in amazement "In all my years as a Mage I have never heard a tale so magnificent." He starts counts in his fingers "Your mate starts hearing your thoughts just before we left la casa, We then assist her in sneaking into the most dangerous coven in Europe. Where she stumbles on her long lost father in the dungeon. And now you two can hear each others thoughts?"
"That pretty much sums it up"
Lucy sighs "Our mission just became more complicated."
Luca shakes his head "No it isn't" everyone looks at him as if he has grown two beads "It just became clearer ."
Angelica tilts ger head towards him "I don't understand."
"Well now we know for a fact the people we are extracting" Luca counts "Alessia,Gabreal Sirrano And the artifact La Rosa"
The room is quiet as I reach for my phone to check the hallway feed again . Her floor is quiet no one is pacing in front of 14c
Luca watches me quietly "Is there any movement?"
"Nothing."
Angelica folds her arms across her chest "Do you think the coven suspect something?"
"I don't."
They would have hurt her ,the thought makes me clench my fists tightly.
Lucy answers "If they had even a small doubt about Alessia they would have arrested her already."
La Geneva do not hesitate to hurt people
But the pacing istill seemed odd
Before I can add anything else a notification pops up on my phone and they all turn to me expectantly.
I open the phone and it's a message from an unknown number .But I already feel it in my soul
"It's Alessia"
My pulse speeds up
Fingers start shaking slightly as I open the message.
Only three lines
I read it once
Twice
They are all watching me expectantly
Lucy asks "What is it?"
I turn the screen to them so they can see Hugh getting up to have a better look.
"The lemons are ripe and ready for plucking.You should be here at 06:00 hours"
Hugh laughs "I was beginning to get bored of my view at the window"
Angelica checks her watch "We have about an hour"
Lucy stands up quickly " We are being summoned"
Luca finishes his soda and drops the can on the table " At the council chamber?"
I nod "Yes"
Angelica reaches for her coat on the side of the sofa "It's time for us to go."
Lucy picks her bag "As planned when we drop the camera I will sound proof the room."
Hugh flexes his shoulders standing beside the sofa "And I will drive and keep watch"
Luca turns to me finally "Alex are you ready for this?"
I reach for the black briefcase Padre had sent a few hours ago. Inside everything we need to carry out this last stage.
USB with camera disrupting software
And the La Rosa Replica
Lucy smiles thinly "that's the best part of it ,the fact that it will be replaced."
Pausing for a few minutes "They won't realise it's been swapped until we are halfway to Sicily."
I snap the briefcase shut "It's time to go."
"Alessia hold on" I whisper silently as we all step out of the safe house and head straight for La Geneva