CHAPTER 72

LUCAS'S POV

The high-security underground wing of the Rome federal prison smelled of damp concrete, cold steel, and strong disinfectant. Heavy iron doors clicked shut behind us with hollow, echoing thuds, sealing us deeper inside the heart of the building.

Sophia walked beside me, with her hand held tightly in mine. She wore a simple charcoal wool coat over a dark sweater, with her head held high and her steps smooth and steady. Even in the dim, frightening hallways of a maximum-security prison, she carried herself like royalty.

Two heavily armed federal guards led us down the last hallway and stopped in front of a strong glass visitor...