Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 128209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“I will go with them,” he said.
“I figured you would. I told Scuderi as much. You will meet them in Amsterdam.”
That got his attention. He straightened and turned to me. “Amsterdam?”
I nodded. “I got word that she took a plane to Schiphol.”
“When do I leave?” He was going into hunter mode.
“Four hours.”
“I need to leave sooner.”
“Impossible. I tried everything I could.”
“Damn it. Gianna will be long gone when I arrive.”
“You’ll find her. You are the best hunter I know. She doesn’t stand a chance.”
He touched my shoulder. “You let me go, even though you need me here.”
The Famiglia needed him. I needed him more. The Bratva was a pain in the ass. My traitorous family was breathing down my neck. “You aren’t of much use to me if all you can think about is Gianna.” Even my trust in Matteo had its limits. He didn’t need to know how much I relied on his support.
“It could take weeks,” he said. “I won’t return until I’ve caught her.”
“I know. If Aria had run, I would have done the same.” I would have followed her to the end of the world. I hadn’t wanted to marry, but Aria had changed everything. She was my wife, and I would never let her go.
He nodded.
“I will make a few arrangements to have guns delivered to you in Amsterdam. I’ll check if I can find Rolfo so he can call his family in the Netherlands. You should pack what you need. You should be at the airport in two hours.”
“You should tell Rolfo to get a fucking mobile. The guy is still stuck in the 1970s.”
“He is almost seventy. I doubt anything in this world could convince him to use a mobile. I’ll drive to the Roma. He’ll be having dinner there. I’ll be back before you have to leave.” With that, I headed inside. In passing I told Romero, “I’ll be gone for a couple of hours. Make sure Aria stays in the apartment.”
“Will do, Boss,” he said as I stepped into the elevator. Romero wouldn’t let anyone drug him.
ARIA
I was tired, and I missed Luca. After my quick shower, I had crawled into bed. I was still sore but I didn’t mind. I only wanted things between Luca and me to return to how they were before today. It wasn’t even that late yet, only around seven o’clock, but the day’s events had been draining. I sat up when the bedroom door creaked open. The movement was too cautious, too quiet to be Luca. I slid out of bed when Matteo slipped into the bedroom, then turned to me.
My spine stiffened. “What are you doing here? And where’s Romero?” I moved around the bed but stopped halfway between it and the door.
Matteo’s lips pulled into a dangerous smile. “He’s outside, taking Luca’s call.”
For a moment neither of us moved. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to call out for Romero’s help—yet. For one, I wasn’t sure if he could hear me out on the roof terrace, and I didn’t want to overreact. If I called Romero now, he’d have to tell Luca about this, and then things between him and Matteo would turn sour. I didn’t want that to happen because of me. I’d messed up enough already.
He advanced on me and I staggered back. “Why are you here?” I asked with forced calm, but I couldn’t suppress the small tremor in my voice.
The coldness in Matteo’s eyes tightened my stomach with icy fear. “Getting the information Luca is incapable of obtaining. We both know you planned everything with Gianna.” He stalked closer and I whirled around. This wasn’t Luca. This was Matteo, and he was a man out for blood. A man who was used to getting what he wanted, and Gianna was the one thing he wanted more than anything. I rushed toward the bedside table, reaching for the drawer with the gun. I wasn’t even sure what to do with it. I could hardly shoot Matteo, or shoot at him. My fingers brushed the handle when Matteo’s hands clamped down on my hips. I was suspended in the air for a second before I landed on my back on the mattress, the air leaving my lungs in a whoosh. And then he was over me, and I froze. I had never been in bed with someone other than Luca. I began shaking.
Matteo’s eyes were calculating as he pinned my wrists at my sides, his body straddling my legs. “Perhaps pain isn’t the thing you fear the most,” he said in a low voice. He was appraising me like a means to an end. Matteo harbored the same monster as Luca, but his wasn’t contained in my presence.
I wasn’t sure what I feared the most right now. Matteo was very high up, but there was also the fear of what this meant for his relationship with Luca. I doubted Luca would forgive Matteo for this; he’d kill him, and that in turn would kill Luca. “Let me go before you do something you’ll regret,” I muttered with false bravado. Goose bumps erupted all over my skin. Matteo’s eyes took my reaction in. His calculating quiet freaked me out.