Sienna thought they would grill her with questions, like her father did, the way Williams had learned, the kind that broke people down to nothing.
But the room they led her to wasn't like that at all.
It was a study with warm lighting and big windows looking over the land, with shelves full of old books, and a calmness that felt heavy.
Three brothers were waiting inside. Three dark figures with the same dark hair, the same quiet intensity, the same feeling of danger all around them.
Sienna took a breath. Her mouth was dry.
Don't tell them your name. Don't tell anyone your name.
She lifted her head, making her voice steady even though she felt scared.
"My name is… Alexis."
The lie came out easier than she thought it would.
Matteo frowned a little, like he knew it wasn't true but didn't want to push it, not yet. Dante stood by the window, looking far away, arms crossed.
You could see his bandages a little under his black shirt.
Lorenzo sat at the desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the wood, calm and hard to read.
Matteo nodded slowly. "Alexis, then. Sit down."
She waited a moment, then walked to the chair across from them. Every step felt risky.
Matteo spoke first, his voice calm and careful, like he didn't want to scare her.
"You know our last name. You know our family… is known in this world."
Sienna nodded a little. "I don't want to be involved."
"That's the problem," Lorenzo said softly, staring at her like a hawk.
"You got involved anyway."
Sienna looked away, feeling a chill in her stomach.
Matteo went on, "When you saved Dante, you put yourself in danger with some very bad people."
He leaned back, his hands together. "The Micassos saw what happened. They know someone helped him that night."
She felt cold all over.
The Micassos.
Adan.
She gasped without meaning to, and Matteo looked at her more closely, like he saw her fear.
"They think you're with us now," Matteo said quietly.
"Which means they want you dead. Fast."
Sienna twisted her fingers in her lap.
"But I didn't, I wasn't, I just couldn't leave him there bleeding in the rain."
Dante moved by the window.
She didn't look at him, but she felt the air change, like her words had made him tense up.
Matteo nodded, being surprisingly gentle.
"We know. And because of that… we owe you."
Lorenzo's chair made a noise as he leaned forward.
"You're staying here," he said, his voice sharp but steady.
"In Europe. Where we can protect you. At least until the Micassos forget about it."
Sienna blinked, the words hitting her hard.
"Stay here?" she whispered. "I have a life. I have a job. I can't just,"
"There's nothing left in that town," Lorenzo said quietly, cutting her off.
"Your cabin was searched the night we took you. They were already looking for you."
Her heart squeezed with a painful feeling.
He wasn't being untruthful. She could tell by looking at him.
The Micassos, the Morettis, some groups had been getting nearer and nearer.
Matteo moved closer, with his elbows resting on his knees.
"You won't be hurt here, Alexis. But understand this very clearly."
His voice became softer, but the seriousness behind the words was strong.
"There will be protection. There will be rules. And there will be separation."
Sienna looked at him. "Separation?"
"No feelings getting involved," Matteo stated simply.
"No complicated situations. No strong connections. It's better for everyone if it stays that way."
A short, shaky breath came out of her.
She didn't come here to form a connection with anyone.
She didn't even want to be here at all. She wanted to disappear into a small town, breathe easily, and watch sunsets that felt like they weren't stolen.
But she also wanted to stay alive.
"I understand," she said quietly.
Matteo nodded one time.
Across the room, Dante looked away from the window.
He still hadn't said anything at all since she walked in.
His quietness felt heavier than any of their questions.
His presence took up the room without effort, wide shoulders, a cold attitude, and the slight look of bruises under his shirt.
He walked slowly toward the desk, with each step controlled and planned.
He didn't look at her. Not in a direct way.
But when he went behind her chair, she felt his stare, sharp, lasting, almost hesitant, touch her like a shadow.
Her breathing stopped.
He sat on the side of another chair, with his arms folded again, and his eyes on the floor.
Matteo breathed out. "Dante has already shown his thanks to you."
Sienna blinked. Had he actually done that? She hadn't heard him say anything.
Dante didn't correct his brother. He didn't even look up.
"But we need to know what you know," Matteo went on gently.
"Not to blame you, but just to make sure whoever tried to hurt Dante doesn't use you again."
Lorenzo picked up a pen and tapped it quietly. "Start from the moment when you found him."
Her heart beat faster.
Their voices weren't rough. Their questions weren't mean. But Sienna could feel the strength behind every word.
Even so, she answered. She told them about the storm, the blood on Dante's shirt, and how she pulled him inside.
She didn't leave anything out, but she made sure to keep her stories consistent.
"Alexis."
Not Sienna.
Never Sienna.
When she was done talking, Matteo breathed out slowly. "You saved his life," he said again, like he was still trying to understand it.
Lorenzo's eyes softened, not a lot, but just enough to tell her he wasn't trying to break through her defenses anymore.
Dante didn't speak. He didn't thank her. He didn't even nod.
But he tightened his jaw, not because he was angry, but because of something harder to describe.
Sienna looked down.
"I didn't do it to get anything. I just… did what I thought was right."
"You acted in a way that most people wouldn't," Matteo said quietly.
Then, he stood up and pointed toward the door.
"Come on. We'll show you where you'll be staying."
Sienna stood up slowly, unsure if her legs would be able to hold her.
As she got closer to the door, Lorenzo was quick to open it for her.
But she jumped a little when she saw how intently he observed her, his eyes hard and questioning, as if figuring out where she belonged in a problem he had already worked out long ago.
Dante stayed sitting down with his head lowered, as if he didn't want to look at her anymore.
She didn't understand why that made her upset.
Matteo walked her down the hallway. Lorenzo followed behind without a word.
Having them there felt like too much, but also like they were keeping her safe.
"You will be staying here until the danger is gone," Matteo stated.
"You'll have people watching you, walking with you, and keeping an eye on you. Don't go outside the property without us knowing."
Sienna agreed, not feeling anything.
"This is not you being trapped," he added quietly. "You can go wherever you want inside this house."
Lorenzo smiled a little. "Think of it as… being stuck at home but with nicer scenery."
Matteo glared at him, and Lorenzo just shrugged his shoulders.
Sienna breathed out, shaking. "Okay. I'll stay here. For the moment."
Matteo stopped walking.
"You chose the correct thing to do."
But when she went into the room they had gotten ready, a big room with high windows, a comfy bed, and a look out at the gardens, she could still feel Lorenzo watching her, his piercing stare.
And somewhere in the hallway, Dante Luciano was standing in the shadows, watching her d
oor shut.
Sienna didn't know she had already caught the attention of two bad men,
one inquisitive, one unsure.
And the most silent one of them all…
was the one who would ruin everything just to locate her.