Chapter 16 - The Roman Safehouse
They emerged three miles away from the estate, crawling out of a camouflaged hatch hidden beneath an old stone well.
The freezing rain lashed violently against their skin, completely soaking their clothes in seconds.
Anton had stashed an armored, untraceable black Range Rover in a nearby rusted barn just for emergencies like this.
He loaded Julian into the backseat, where Elena immediately began tearing strips from her dress to bandage his shoulder.
"Keep pressure on the wound, Elena, do not let up for a single second," Anton ordered, slamming his foot on the gas pedal.
The heavy vehicle roared to life, tearing through the muddy backroads of the Italian countryside.
"Where are we going?" Elena asked, tears streaming down her face as she pressed hard against Julian’s bleeding chest.
"Rome," Julian whispered weakly, opening his heavy eyelids to look at her.
"I have a fortified penthouse in the center of the city. No one knows it exists, not even Victor."
The two-hour drive felt like an absolute eternity of agonizing pain and terrifying paranoia.
Every single set of headlights in the rearview mirror made Elena’s heart stop beating.
When they finally arrived at the underground garage in Rome, Julian was barely conscious.
Anton carried him up the private elevator, laying the billionaire on the massive kitchen island of the ultra-modern penthouse.
Elena ran to the bathroom, returning with a fully stocked trauma kit she had learned to use during her time on the run.
She worked with frantic, desperate precision, cleaning the gunshot wound and packing it with hemostatic gauze.
Isabella sat on the plush living room rug, completely silent, sensing the terrifying gravity of the situation.
"The bullet passed clean through," Elena breathed a sigh of relief, taping a heavy bandage over his shoulder.
Julian reached up with his good arm, gently wiping away the tears falling down his wife’s beautiful face.
"You are incredible, Elena," he whispered softly.
May you like
Elena shook her head, her expression hardening into absolute steel.
"I am tired of running, Julian. I am tired of these monsters trying to take our family away."
