Antonio
I’m going to burn this fucking city to the ground. Draco has her—I know he does. There won’t be a damn stone left standing by the time I’m done. My men are scattered across the city, searching every dark corner and crevice.
But it’s quiet. Too quiet. No trace of Draco or Alessia. It’s like they’ve disappeared.
The sun’s beginning to peak over the horizon, dragging another day with it, and still nothing. Each hour that slips by feels like a countdown to losing her forever. I have to force myself not to think about what he’s doing to her—what condition she’ll be in when I find her. Because I will find her.
Dante walks beside me as we step into the restaurant. Inside, she’s waiting—Ophelia, the one responsible for Alessia’s disappearance. I’ve questioned her already, but there’s something she’s holding back. I’ll get the truth out of her if it’s the last thing I do.
“Tell me again,” I demand, my voice like stone.
Her hands tremble, and her face turns pale. “I—I’ve told you everything,” she stammers.
“I’ll decide when you’ve told me everything. Now, talk,” I roar.
She glances at Dante, looking for some kind of reprieve, but finds none. “A man came to the gallery last week,” she says, her voice gaining strength. “He said he saw signs for Allie’s—I mean, Alessia’s—show. He told me he was her brother. Said you were holding her against her will. I thought?—”
I cut her off with a sharp laugh. “You thought you were saving her? Because you know who I am. You automatically assumed I was some monster she needed rescuing from? You didn’t even bother to ask Alessia if she needed help.” I lean in closer, my voice turning to a growl. “You handed her over to a man you didn’t even know—like you were doing her a favor. What kind of fucking idiot are you?”
She flinches, wringing her hands. “He was so convincing. He told me she ran to Alabama to get away from you, but you hunted her down and dragged her back.” She swallows hard. “He… he showed me pictures. Of her bruises. Said it was you. I didn’t know?—”
“Bullshit.” My fist slams onto the table, and she jumps. “You didn’t know because you didn’t ask. You let some stranger walk in and take Alessia without even confirming who the hell he was.”
“I thought?—”
“I don’t give a fuck what you thought,” I snarl, my rage boiling over. “You handed her over to him like she meant nothing. Now, she's in the hands of a monster who wants her dead.”
Her face goes ashen. “I swear, I didn’t know. I thought I was helping.”
“I’m done listening to this same bullshit story,” I snap, my patience unraveling. “You thought you were helping? You thought wrong.”
Her breath hitches, and I see the fear in her eyes. She should be scared. I reach for my gun, my fingers brushing against the cold steel.
“, no.” Dante steps in front of me, putting his hand on my chest. “Killing her won’t get us any closer to finding Alessia.”
“She handed her over to Draco.”
“And she’ll pay for that,” Dante says. “But not now. Not like this.”
“She’s lying,” I growl, eyes locked on the woman. “She’s leaving something out. She knows more.”
“Maybe,” Dante admits, casting a glance at her. “But if you kill her, we’ll never know. Keep her alive—for now.”
I take a step back, still seething but aware that Dante’s right. My eyes don’t leave her. “You’d better hope you remember something else,” I hiss. “Because next time, no one will stop me.”
She’s shaking now, tears streaming down her face.
“Let’s go. She’s useless.”
Her sobs echo behind us as Dante closes the door and locks the room.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I yank it out, expecting an update from my men, but it’s an unknown number. I glance at Dante before answering.
“It’s him,” I say, connecting the call. “Where is she?”
Silence. Then, a distorted, almost playful voice whispers through the line.
“The beating of her heart grows faint. Come alone, or it will never beat again. No weapons, no tricks. The pit awaits you.”
The line goes dead, but a text follows seconds later with an address. I know the place—an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city.
It’s a trap. It reeks of one. But I don’t have a choice.
“What did he say?” Dante asks, watching me closely.
“The call dropped. It was a bad connection,” I lie, pocketing the phone before he presses for more.
His eyes narrow. “That didn’t sound like nothing.”
I turn my back to him, forcing myself to think, to plan. If I tell him where I’m going, he’ll insist on coming. And if he does, Alessia will be dead before I can get to her. I need to shake him off, make him think it’s something else—anything else.
“, what the hell did he say?” Dante steps closer.
“I told you. It was a bad connection. There’s some old business I need to check on. I’ll call you later.”
Dante crosses his arms. “You expect me to believe you’re running off to handle old business while Alessia’s missing?”
I meet his gaze, my voice steady. “We’ve got men all over the city. I can’t sit here and do nothing. I have to follow up on some things.”
“Then we’ll go together.”
“No,” I say, shutting him down. “I need someone I trust keeping an eye on things here while I check this out. If we’re both gone, we might miss something important.”
Dante studies me, eyes narrowed, but he knows me too well. He knows I’m lying. The clock’s monstrous ticking gnaws at me, as though time itself is conspiring against me. Every second wasted here is another Alessia might not have.
I step closer, locking eyes with him. “Listen to me. No matter what happens, getting Alessia back alive must be your top priority. You understand?”
He blinks, startled by the urgency in my voice. “What are you talking about? Of course, it’s the priority.”
“Promise me, Dante. If something goes wrong, if I don’t come back.” The words slip out. “I’m counting on you to make sure she’s safe. You get her out of this mess. Whatever it takes.”
“Don’t talk like that. You’re coming back.”
“Promise me,” I demand, gripping his shoulder. “Say it.”
After a long pause, he exhales sharply. “I promise. I’ll keep her safe.”
I release him, a strange sense of finality settling over me. “Good.”
Dante studies me, suspicion still lingering. “Where are you really going?”
“You trust me, right?” I ask, holding his gaze. He nods, albeit reluctantly. “Then trust me to handle this. I’ll call you the second I know anything.”
He exhales, though the tension in his shoulders doesn’t ease. “Fine. But if I don’t hear from you in an hour, I’m coming after you.”
I nod and head for the door before he changes his mind. “Deal.”
Outside, I break into a sprint, heading for my car. I can only hope I get to that address before it’s too late.