Chapter 304

The next morning, Elliot dragged himself upstairs, heading for the study to wait for Sebastian. He’d just hit the landing when he spotted Sebastian slipping out of Stephanie’s room. It stopped him dead in his tracks. The air felt thick and weird.

He tried to brush it off, turning to sneak away as if he hadn’t seen anything, but before he could even say "be," he was busted. No escaping now. Elliot froze, gulped, and muttered a shaky, “Mr. Giovanni…”

Sebastian stood there, robe half-open, swaying slightly in the breeze, with faint scratch marks showing underneath. Elliot squinted. Those marks were fresh—bright red and hard to miss. His stomach knotted up. ‘Should’ve waited,’ he thought, kicking himself. But it was already too late.

Sebastian shot him a cold look. “Get to the study and wait.”

“Yes, sir,” Elliot said under his breath, glad for the reprieve. He hightailed it to the study without a backward glance.

About fifteen minutes later, Sebastian strolled in, pushing the door open. He’d ditched the robe for a slick gray lounge set, looking cool, sharp, and totally unbothered. Macro shuffled in after him, looking like a train wreck. The guy was beat—dark circles under his eyes showed he hadn’t slept all night. He’d tried chasing Elliot down earlier, but his legs gave out halfway, nearly sending him sprawling. By the time he got his act together, Elliot was gone.

All night, Macro had been freaking out, wondering if Elliot had messed up Luca. His brain was spinning with worst-case scenarios. Sebastian’s crew wasn’t exactly known for going easy—he knew that firsthand.

Sebastian flopped onto the couch, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. He blew out a puff and said, “How was it in?”

The question was obviously about Luca—did they find her or not? Macro’s face tightened, his eyes flicking to Elliot with a mix of worry and annoyance.

Elliot kept his head down. “Miss Vitale… she’s gone. Left Long Harbor.”

Sebastian’s fingers froze on the cigarette.

Macro’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what?” His brain kicked into gear, racing as he asked, “Left Long Harbor? How? When?” He frowned, remembering what Sebastian had said about “beating her out of town.”

“Did your guys run her out?” Macro asked, leaning in.

“That little punk—found her that quick?” His gut twisted. “Ran her out” probably meant they’d roughed her up first—the more he thought about it, the more he imagined Luca with a bloody nose and a shiner. His chest got tight. “How’d they do it? Beat her up first?”

Now Macro was mad, heat crawling up his neck. He turned on Sebastian, steaming. “Man, you really let your crew smack anyone around, huh?”

Elliot cut in fast. “Mr. Vitale—”

“Shut it, Elliot. Zip it,” Macro snapped, voice like a whip. He was done—his temper cranking up with every word. Yeah, Luca got on his nerves half the time, but she was still his sister. They could fight all day at home, whatever, but out there? When it counted, he’d have her back, no question.

Sebastian tilted his head, giving Macro a stare that could chill a fire. “You want to test me?”

Macro stuck his chin out, glaring. “I’m pissed, dude. For real.”

Elliot jumped in again, sounding fed up. “I didn’t lay a hand on her.”

And just like that, the room went silent. Dead quiet. Macro spun toward Elliot. “Then how’d she ditch Long Harbor? You kick her out or just ditch her on the street?”

Sebastian shifted slightly, eyes sliding to Elliot, waiting.

Elliot kept his cool. “Miss Vitale gave our guys the slip and bolted from Long Harbor on her own.”

Macro’s mouth twitched, his face stuck halfway between shock and confusion. This just kicked up more questions, and his head was spinning. He couldn’t wrap his brain around how Luca pulled it off.

Sebastian frowned at Elliot. “What’s that even mean?”

‘She ditched Sofia’s crew and just took off from Long Harbor?’ His eyes narrowed.

Elliot shrugged. “Means she’s out of here. Barely hung around—her flight just landed and then took off, within just a few hours.”

Macro stood there, jaw slack. Sebastian went quiet, his frown deepening. Macro yanked at his hair, muttering, “What’s Luca up to? She really just split?”

Then he mulled it over and said, “Or is she pulling something? Maybe cooking up a bigger move to screw us later?” He squinted at Elliot. “You’re sure she’s gone?”

She dragged Sofia’s crew to Long Harbor for a wild goose chase, and now this… The more he thought about it, the sketchier it felt. Did nothing, ditched the crew, and bailed? Macro shook his head. “No way, right?”

‘Or… maybe she cut a deal with Sofia?’ A new idea hit him. He whipped around to Sebastian. “Wait—did Sofia send Luca to grab Stefi and toss in some extra cash to seal the deal?”

Elliot jumped in, frowning. “Without a solid payoff, Miss Vitale wouldn’t bother showing up.” Those two never got along anyway. No chance Luca would bend over backward for Sofia without something big on the line. And with Sofia’s crew tagging along? The whole thing felt off.

Macro slapped his forehead, groaning, “We’re toast.” A bead of sweat rolled down his face.