Chapter 17
“Where the fuck is she?” Matias glared at his brother, his anger bubbling on the brink of full-on eruption.
“I don’t know. From what the guys said, she told them there was an issue out back and then disappeared.” Bastian shrugged, uncertain of what to say to his brother.
“Brother,” Cristian said as he walked into the room holding a small piece of paper. “This was found on the kitchen counter.”
Matias snatched the note out of his hand and opened the crumpled paper. His eyes burned with fury as he read her words.
Matias,
I came to you expecting help and got so much more.
My father is an evil man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants—even if it means using me to do it.
I can’t bear the thought of losing you, and that’s what will happen if I stay.
He’s made sure of it. Sacrificing myself to spare your family’s bloodshed is the only thing I can give you.
Walking away from you is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’d gladly walk into the lion’s den to protect you.
I hope this letter finds you, and my father is true to his word. My life for yours. I’m sorry, Matias.
All my love,
Katya
“He has her.” Matias fisted the note in his hand. His palm burning with the need to strike out and hurt someone.
“Who has her?” Bastian pressed his hand against Matias’ shoulder.
“Dmitri.” Cristian shook his head. “Katya has given herself over to him.”
“Why?” Bastian gasped.
“To save me,” Matias whispered into the room. “He got to her somehow and used me to lure her back into his clutches. We have to find her and kill him.”
“We need to get our hands on Jorge. That motherfucker is the root of all our problems.”
“What about the man upstairs?”
“He still hasn’t woken up. I don’t recognize him, so he isn’t a local. Question is, why did Jorge have him?”
“Sir,” a guard said, stepping into the room. “Your guest is waking up.”
“Looks like we may get some answers, Boys.” Matias headed toward the steps; his brothers close on his heel.
Easing open the door, Matias was surprised to see the man sitting on the edge of the bed. His face was cut up and bruised and one eye was still swollen shut. He glanced up at the door and stiffened.
“Where am I?” his voice was raspy and barely above a whisper.
“You're in my home.” Matias stepped into the bedroom. “Do you know your name? Or how you wound up a prisoner on Jorge Peru’s property?”
“You speak English?” The man’s head swiveled, inspecting the other men who had crowded in behind Matias.
“Yes. My father felt it was important we knew the language since we deal with a lot of other countries. We’re fluent in Russian, German, French, and Italian.”
“How did I get here?”
“My brothers and I rescued you from where you were being held. It seems Jorge Peru is working for Dmitri Ivanov. Does that name ring a bell to you?”
“The Prizrak? Fuck,” he grunted. “The head of the Russian Mafia? If he’s the one responsible for my kidnapping, then my family is going to kill him. What does he have to do with you?”
“First things first.” Matias folded his arms across his chest. “Who are you?”
“Antonio Anastasi.”
The men behind Matias gasped. “Fuck.” Matias turned to his brother. “Cristian.”
“On it, Brother.” Cristian ran from the room, leaving Matias and the others alone with Antonio.
“I’m Matias Silva. You’ve been held in Chile on a winery north of Santiago. Jorge Peru works for Dmitri and is responsible for stealing a large shipment of my lithium. What I don’t understand is why Dmitri would kidnap an Anastasi.”
“That’s easy. He wanted us to ship something for him and my family refused. My guess is he thought kidnapping me would give him the blackmail he needed to strong-arm us into agreeing.”
“My brother Cristian has gone to contact your family. Dmitri really stepped in it now. He’s picked two of the most influential and ruthless families to fuck with.”
“My brother Massimo is the least of his worries. When Vincenzo hears what’s happened—the Prizrak will have nowhere to run.”
“It doesn’t matter. He has something far more valuable than my lithium. I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back.”
“What’s more valuable than lithium?” Antonio tilted his head in question, appraising Matias.
“The woman I love.”