16. Fiamma

SIXTEEN

Fiamma

The silence in the suite is suffocating. The faint crackle of the fire or the occasional pop of wood burning does nothing to warm me. I stare into the flames, my mind reeling, my heart breaking.

Arianna. My friend—no, not my friend. Never my friend. A plant. A weapon Marco used to get to me. The betrayal cuts deep, sharper than any blade, and it feels like the world has shifted beneath me. How could I have been so blind?

I curl my knees up to my chest, hugging them as I try to process it all. The ache in my chest spreads, tightening with every breath. I trusted her. I told her everything. We laughed together, spent late nights sharing secrets, and all the while, she was playing me. I was just a pawn in their game. The realization is a punch to the gut.

Luca sits down beside me, his presence comforting. He doesn't say anything at first, just lets me sit there in my own storm of emotions. He knows me enough by now to know I need time to think before I can speak.

Finally, I break the silence. "Why me?" My voice is barely above a whisper. "Why did they target me? I'm not even in the life. I'm not directly involved with the family. I'm not one of them."

Luca shifts beside me, sighing as he runs a hand through his hair. "You may not be in the life, Fiamma, but you're close to it. You're close to them—Adrian, Massimo, Elio. That's enough. They saw you as the weak link."

I swallow, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. "So, because I'm not as guarded I guess they thought I'd be easy to get to." I shake my head, my voice trembling. "I never thought I'd be the one to bring down my family."

"You didn't bring anyone down," Luca says firmly. "People tried to use you to do so. There's a difference."

My hands tighten around my legs as I think back to all those moments with Arianna. The times she nudged me toward Marco, telling me I should just have fun, live a little, stop overthinking everything. I thought she was just being a good friend, pushing me to loosen up, but now I see it for what it was.

"Arianna was the one who kept suggesting Marco," I say, my voice shaky with the memory. "She kept telling me I shouldn't let a little family feud in the past hold me back, that he was a good time. I thought she was just being a friend. Trying to get me to have some fun. Marco was so easy to get along with, always so ready to spoil me."

Luca says nothing, letting me speak as I work through the pain. I feel the anger rising, hot and fierce, burning through the hurt. "It all makes sense now. The way she pushed me toward him, how he was always so ready to swoop in and make things easy. It was all part of the plan, wasn't it?"

Luca nods, his eyes hard. "Most likely. They used you because they thought you wouldn't see it coming. Marco saw you as an easy mark, and Arianna made sure you'd fall for it."

I stare at the flames, the heat of the fire doing nothing to thaw the ice that's settled in my veins. My mind spins with every conversation I've ever had with Arianna, every laugh we shared, every moment that now feels tainted by betrayal.

"I feel so used," I whisper. "Like nothing about our friendship was real."

Luca places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. "That's what they do. People like Marco… like Arianna. They find your weaknesses, your vulnerabilities, and they exploit them. You're strong, Fia. You'll get through this and be better for it."

I turn to look at him, my throat tight with emotion. "Am I? Because right now, I don't feel strong at all. I feel like I let them get too close, like I was stupid to trust her."

"You weren't stupid," he says, his voice steady. "You were human. You wanted to believe that she cared about you, because that's what friends are supposed to do. You didn't do anything wrong."

The tears I've been holding back finally slip down my cheeks. I swipe at them angrily, frustrated with myself for feeling this way. But it hurts. It hurts more than I ever thought it could. I trusted her, and she betrayed me in the worst way.

"I don't know how to get past this," I admit, my voice breaking. "How do I move on from something like this?"

Luca pulls me into his arms, holding me tight. "You don't have to get past it right away," he murmurs. "You just have to take it one day at a time. And you're not alone. I'm here. Your family's here. We'll get through it."

I rest my head against his chest, the steady beat of his heart a small comfort in the chaos swirling inside me. Then I close my eyes, letting myself breathe him in, feeling a moment of safety in his arms. But even as I find solace in Luca's embrace, the betrayal still lingers like a shadow, reminding me that nothing will ever be the same.

As I lean into Luca's chest, my breath finally starting to steady, the soft buzz of my phone vibrates against my side. I tense, instinctively pulling away to reach for it. I glance at the screen, and the name that lights up makes my heart drop: Arianna.

"What is it?" Luca asks, sensing the shift in me.

My hand shakes as I open the message. Arianna's words blink back at me like poison on the screen.

What in the world was all that craziness today? Are you ok? Luca seems a little unhinged. We might need to get you away from him. Want me to come get you?

The words blur as my pulse races. I turn the phone toward Luca, showing him the text. His eyes harden as he reads it, and a slow, dark anger settles over his features .

"She's trying to turn you against me," Luca says, his voice low and controlled. "She thinks she can still manipulate you."

I stare at the message, my mind spinning. Arianna was just pretending to be my friend this whole time, and even now, she's playing her part, trying to make me doubt Luca. She's still trying to use me.

"What do we do?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, as if saying it any louder will make this whole nightmare more real.

Luca's jaw clenches, his mind already working, calculating. He looks at me, his dark eyes locking onto mine with fierce intensity. "We use her trust in you to lure her in. Do to her what she did to you."

I blink, trying to absorb the weight of his words. "You want to set her up?"

He nods, his expression cold and unrelenting. "We set up a meeting. Make her think you're still on her side. We'll take her somewhere… discreet. Then we'll get the truth out of her. She won't see it coming."

My stomach twists in knots. The idea of using Arianna's own tactics against her is… brutal. But she betrayed me. She was never a friend. She played me like a fool, and she would have helped destroy my family.

I glance back down at the phone, my fingers trembling as they hover over the keyboard. "I don't know if I can do this," I admit, my voice cracking.

Luca places his hand over mine, steadying me. "You can. And you need to. This isn't just about revenge. We need answers. We need to know how deep this goes. She's a threat, Fiamma. She's already shown she'll do anything to bring us down."

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. I type back a reply, trying to keep my words casual, like nothing's wrong.

Yeah, things have been crazy. Luca's acting really weird. Maybe we should meet up. I could use some space. Meet at Green Park in 30?

I send the message, my hands still shaking. Luca watches me closely, his face unreadable, but I can feel the tension radiating off him like a storm waiting to break. The silence between us is thick with unspoken fear and anticipation.

Moments later, my phone buzzes again.

Good idea. We'll figure out what to do.

I look up at Luca. "She took the bait."

He nods, his eyes narrowing. "Good. Now we take her somewhere she can't run."

I feel a knot of dread form in my stomach. "What if… what if she's dangerous? What if she has people watching me?"

Luca's hand tightens on my arm. "That's why I'm not letting you out of my sight. We'll take control of this. She won't have a chance to slip away."

The wind howls outside the windows, rattling the glass as if the world itself is warning us of what's to come. The tension is thick in the air, and the festive lights twinkle innocently outside, a stark contrast to the darkness swirling inside .

We sit in silence for what feels like hours, though it's only minutes. The weight of what's about to happen presses down on me, the fear of what I'll have to face. The person I thought was my friend… is my enemy, Our friendship was a lie.

Luca's grip on me tightens just a fraction. "Are you ready for this?"

I nod, though I'm not sure if I'm ready at all. But there's no turning back now. Arianna's going to get what's coming to her.

I take a deep breath, my heart racing, as we head out into the cold.

I pace around the park, my phone clutched tightly in my hand as I try to steady my breathing. Arianna should be here any minute, and I have to play this right—convincing enough to get her to come with me, but not too desperate.

The text Luca sent still echoes in my mind.

Get her to the car. We'll take it from there.

I spot her the moment she turns the corner, her coat buttoned up tight and her scarf wrapped around her neck, looking like the carefree, harmless friend I once believed she was. My stomach turns at the sight of her, knowing now that it was all a lie. She waves, oblivious, and quickens her pace toward me .

"Fiamma! You're alone?" she asks, glancing around as if Luca could appear from the shadows any moment.

I give her a quick, nervous smile. "Yeah, I managed to ditch him. He's driving me crazy. I took his keys—I need to get out of here. Let's find somewhere fun to go and blow some shit up. You and me."

Her eyes widen, surprise flickering across her face. "You took his keys? Seriously?"

I nod, trying to look as frazzled as I feel inside. "Yeah, I had to. I can't stay here, not with Luca breathing down my neck every second. Please, let's just get out of town before he figures it out and finds me. We can go anywhere, just away from here."

Arianna hesitates for a moment, her eyes scanning me, but then she nods, buying the act. "Hell yeah. We can figure this out."

Together, we walk briskly toward the car, my heart pounding in my chest. The snow crunches beneath our boots, and my mind races. I glance over at Arianna, watching as she pulls her phone out of her pocket, her fingers typing quickly. My pulse spikes. Is she warning someone?

We reach the car, parked just around the corner from the coffee shop. I can feel Luca's presence, even before I see him. The tension in the air crackles like electricity.

I stop short, gripping Arianna's arm. "Look, we'll just grab a few things and go. I—" My voice falters, and that's when Arianna sees him.

Luca is sitting in the driver's seat, his face hidden in the shadows of the car's interior. His eyes lock onto Arianna, cold and unrelenting.

Arianna's entire body tenses as realization dawns. "Fiamma…" she whispers, her voice sharp with fear. She takes a step back, panic flashing in her eyes. "What did you do?"

Without hesitation, she turns to bolt. But Luca moves faster. He's out of the car in a flash, grabbing her by the arm before she can get far. Arianna struggles, but it's no use—Luca's grip is iron, and he drags her toward the car.

"No! Let me go!" Arianna screams, twisting in his grasp, but it's futile. He throws open the trunk, shoving her inside.

"You shouldn't have betrayed her," Luca growls, his voice low and menacing.

I slide into the passenger seat, my heart racing.

The silence is thick, oppressive, as we drive toward Blackwood Forest. The celebrating and joyful crowd is far behind now, completely unaware of the evil all around. All I can think about is the darkness waiting for us, yearning for such oblivion.

The drive is tense, the forest looming ahead like something out of a nightmare. My mind races, torn between the betrayal that's ripping me apart and the cold, brutal reality of what's about to happen.

We pull up to the clearing, and Sal is already there, standing by his car, arms crossed, waiting. His expression hardens as our headlights shine on him, and he steps forward as Luca kills the engine .

Luca opens the trunk, yanking Arianna out. She stumbles in the snow, but Luca doesn't let go. "Time to talk, Arianna," he says, his voice low and dangerous.

She looks around, wild-eyed, panic setting in. "You don't have to do this! I didn't mean?—"

"Save it," Luca cuts her off, dragging her toward the thick line of trees. Sal falls in beside us, a grim look on his face as we make our way deeper into the forest. The wind howls through the trees, the only sound breaking the deadly silence.

We reach the spot—a small clearing shielded by towering evergreens, the snow thick and undisturbed. It feels like the world's edges have blurred, like we've entered a place where nothing good happens.

Luca throws Arianna onto her knees, the snow dampening her fall. She whimpers, tears streaming down her face now, but there's no mercy in Luca's eyes. Not after everything.

Sal steps forward, his voice steady. "She needs to tell us everything. Who else was involved, and how deep this runs."

Arianna looks at me, desperation in her eyes. "Fiamma, please… You know me. You know I wouldn't hurt you."

My chest tightens, the pain of her betrayal nearly choking me. "I thought I did. But you played me, Arianna. You were never my friend. And you did hurt me."

Luca pulls out his gun, holding it loosely at his side. "Start talking, or this ends here."

Arianna sobs, her body trembling in the cold. "Okay! Okay! I was working for Marco, but I had no choice! He threatened me! I was just a kid when he brought me in, groomed me. I was only supposed to get close to you, Fiamma, to find out what I could. But I swear, I never wanted to hurt you!"

I stare at her, feeling nothing but cold emptiness inside. "And what did you think he would do to me when you gave him the blueprint to kidnap me, when you told him how to get me? I trusted you."

She shakes her head, her tears freezing on her cheeks. "I know he loved you. I never thought he would hurt you. And you're here. Isn't that proof enough?"

The wind howls through the trees, but the only sound I hear is Luca cocking the gun.