Chapter 63

Chapter 63
Sofia's POV

The flood dragged me into blackness. Water slammed me against stone, spinning me through the dark. My chest burned, lungs clawing for air, but every time I fought upward, another wave shoved me under.

This is it. I’m going to drown.

Then—hands. Rough, hard, dragging me up. My head broke the surface, and I gasped, choking.

“Got her!” a voice barked. Not Luca. Not Diego. Not Alessandro.

Two men in black hauled me into a smaller boat rocking in the tunnel. My body collapsed on the floorboards, coughing seawater, vision blurring.

“Hold her down!” one snapped.

A boot pinned my shoulder. Cold metal clicked by my ear.

“She’s breathing,” the other said. “Good. The boss wants her alive.”

I twisted, panic surging. “No! Let me go!”

“Quiet,” the man hissed, pressing the gun harder to my head. “Or you’ll wish you drowned.”

The boat roared forward, cutting through the collapsing cave. Behind us, gunfire and explosions echoed, distant but fierce. I heard Luca’s voice—faint, desperate—shouting my name.

“SOFIA!”

My chest tore at the sound. “LUCA!” I screamed back, my voice breaking—before a hand slammed over my mouth.

“Shut it,” the guard snarled.

The boat shot into open sea, leaving the cave and the war behind.

They blindfolded me, rough fabric tied tight. My wrists bound behind me, ankles lashed. The engine hummed steady, salt air cold against my face. Every bump on the waves jolted me.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, my voice raw.

No answer. Just silence, except for the sea.

Minutes stretched into hours—or maybe it was only one. Time blurred with fear.

Finally, the engine cut. Boots thudded. Hands yanked me upright.

“Move.”

I stumbled onto solid ground—stone under my feet. The blindfold yanked free.

Moonlight hit my face.

I blinked hard, taking in the sight.

We stood on another shore, jagged cliffs looming overhead. A compound rose at the top—iron gates, floodlights, guards patrolling with rifles. Not the Moretti estate. Not Rafael’s ship. Somewhere else entirely.

One man shoved me forward. “Up.”

I staggered up the stone path, my wrists aching, every step dragging. At the gates, a keypad beeped. The metal doors slid open.

The compound inside was all shadows and steel—towers, cameras, men in black everywhere. Not a home. A fortress.

And waiting in the courtyard—another figure.

He stepped forward, tall, sharp, eyes like ice. He smiled faintly as his men pushed me to my knees.

“Welcome,” he said smoothly. “I was hoping Rafael would deliver you, but I see he failed. That makes you mine now.”

“Who are you?” I demanded, my throat raw.

“Marco Vitale,” he said, his name rolling like thunder. “Head of the Vitale family. Your father’s oldest rival.”

The words sliced. My stomach dropped.

“You—” I choked. “You hated him.”

“Of course I did,” Marco said casually. “But you? You’re useful.”

“I’m not your pawn,” I spat.

He chuckled. “You all keep saying that. Yet here you are.”

I thrashed against the ropes. “Luca will come for me. Alessandro too. They’ll burn this place to the ground.”

His smile widened. “Good. That’s exactly what I want.”

Hours blurred. They locked me in a stark room—bare walls, steel bars across the single window. Guards at the door, rifles slung.

I sat on the narrow bed, wrists raw from the ropes, head pounding. Every sound outside made me flinch—the clank of boots, the buzz of radios, the faint crash of waves against the cliffs.

Then—the door creaked.

Marco stepped in. Alone.

“Comfortable?” he asked, his tone mocking.

I glared. “What do you want from me?”

“Leverage,” he said simply. “The Morettis will come for you. Rafael will too. When they do, they’ll bleed each other dry, and I’ll take what’s left.”

“You think I’ll let you use me for that?”

“You don’t have a choice.” He stepped closer, his shadow stretching across me. “But don’t worry. I don’t want you dead. Not yet.”

I shoved back against the wall, trembling but defiant. “You’ll regret touching me.”

Marco’s smile was cold. “You have fire. I like that. But fire burns out quick in a cage.”

He reached down, brushing his fingers along my jaw. I jerked away, disgusted.

His eyes hardened. “Still loyal to him, are you? Luca?”

My breath caught.

He chuckled darkly. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you watch him fall before I end this little game.”

He turned and left, the door slamming behind him.

The night dragged. Sleep wouldn’t come. Every minute felt like an hour.

At dawn, shouts echoed through the compound. Boots thundered. Radios crackled.

I rushed to the barred window, straining to see.

Down below—chaos. Guards shouting, alarms blaring. Floodlights swept across the cliffs.

And then—I saw them.

Three figures scaling the rock face, wet, bleeding, furious.

Luca. Diego. Alessandro.

My heart surged. “They came—”

The guards spotted them. “Intruders!” Gunfire cracked.

“No!” I screamed, pounding the bars. “Run!”

But Luca didn’t run. He fired back, his face set in grim fury. Diego tore up the rocks like a wild animal, every shot precise. Alessandro moved with calm precision, barking orders.

They reached the wall. Explosions ripped as they blasted through the gate.

The compound erupted.

Men shouted. Bullets flew. Smoke filled the air.

My heart raced, my body trembling with hope and terror.

“They came,” I whispered, tears burning. “They came for me.”

The door slammed open. A guard yanked me back from the window. “Move!”

“No—let me go!”

He dragged me into the hall. Alarms wailed, boots pounding all around. Gunfire rattled the compound.

We turned a corner—straight into Marco.

He grabbed me from the guard, yanking me close. “Time to go.”

“No!” I thrashed, screaming. “LUCA!”

He pressed a gun to my side. “Call for him. Do it.”

I froze.

“Call him,” Marco ordered again, his eyes glinting. “Lure him in.”

I shook my head. “I won’t—”

He slammed me against the wall, the gun digging harder. “Or I’ll put a bullet in you right now.”

My chest heaved. My voice broke. “Luca!” I screamed. “Help me!”

Gunfire erupted closer. Luca’s voice answered, raw and desperate. “SOFIA!”

Marco’s smile sharpened. “Good. Now the game begins.”

He yanked me down another hall, dragging me toward a back exit. Guards fell in line around us.

Behind us, the compound shook with battle. Smoke filled the air.

I clawed at Marco’s grip. “You’ll never win. They’ll tear this place apart!”

He leaned close, his whisper burning against my ear. “Then I’ll take you with me before it falls.”

We burst into the open courtyard. Luca, Diego, and Alessandro were already there, guns blazing, cutting down guards.

“Sofia!” Luca shouted, his eyes wild.

“Let her go!” Alessandro barked, his aim locked on Marco.

Marco laughed, dragging me tight against him, the gun pressed to my ribs. “One step closer, and she dies!”

The three brothers froze, weapons raised, fury in their eyes.

“Drop them,” Marco ordered.

“Not happening,” Luca growled.

The standoff stretched tight, every breath heavy, every second dangerous.

The floodlights flickered. Smoke choked the air. Guards shouted at the edges, waiting for orders.

Marco pressed the barrel harder into me. “She chooses now. Me—or you.”

“No!” I screamed. “I won’t choose!”

“Then watch them die,” he said coldly.

The air snapped, every trigger tense.

And then—a gunshot.

But not from Luca. Not from Alessandro. Not from Diego.

From behind.

The guard at the wall crumpled, blood spraying. Another fell. Then another.

The brothers spun.

Through the smoke, another wave of soldiers surged—different uniforms, different crest.

Rafael’s men.

The courtyard exploded into chaos.

Marco cursed, dragging me back as bullets tore the air. Luca roared, charging forward. Diego ripped a rifle from a guard, firing wild. Alessandro shouted commands, pulling them into formation.

I screamed as Marco shoved me toward a waiting car. “No—LUCA!”

The last thing I saw was Luca’s face, twisted with fury and desperation, before the door slammed shut and the car tore away into the night.