Chapter 22
Enzo
Luca arrived before sunrise. I knew the second I heard the crunch of tires on gravel that whatever he’d come to say wasn’t good.
He must’ve hopped on a plane as soon as he heard about the power outage.
He didn’t bother knocking. Our gazes collided as he walked up to the door and shoved it open, stalking inside with bloodshot eyes.
His jaw was clenched like he’d been grinding his teeth all night.
“You good?” I asked, wondering what the hell had pissed him off so bad.
“Ellia is gone,” he growled without responding to my question.
The words hit with the force of a wrecking ball. “What do you mean gone?” I snapped. “Is she dead?”
He shook his head. “No, death would be simple. This is something else. She gave notice at her apartment and took her midterms early too. She packed up just enough shit to look like she was coming back, but I went through that place myself and…she’s not coming back.”
Ren, who had been standing at the kitchen counter with a steaming mug in her hand, went still. She took a few hesitant steps forward. “Did it seem planned?” Her voice was steady and her blue gaze sharp as a razor blade.
Luca glanced at her and then back at me. “No, that’s the problem. It looks rushed, like she packed in the middle of the night, but her roommate said she mentioned a trip a few days before, but she didn’t know where.”
My jaw clenched. None of this felt right. There was something I was missing, but I knew I wasn’t really missing anything. I just didn’t want to admit that one and one was starting to equal betrayal. “You think she left because someone is after her?”
“Did she even know she was being followed?” Ren asked softly.
Luca shrugged, but something flickered in his eyes. There was something he was holding back.
“What is it?” I demanded, slightly annoyed. It was early as fuck, and I hadn’t had nearly enough sleep. Or coffee.
He exhaled hard, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Either that, or one of her parents got her out of the black zone before retaliation starts.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and ugly.
Retaliation was inevitable, but who did they expect to retaliate? “Any beat on where she’s gone?”
Luca shook his head again. “Thorn is looking into Lena and David’s favorite vacation spots.
” He rolled his eyes. “Speaking of, he used one of his fake identities to rent you a place in Lucky. It’s a ranch, which means lots of land and buildings for security to get around unnoticed.
Better news is it’s a Dude Ranch, so there’s built-in security. ”
I nodded. “Good. That’s good, Luca. Thank you.” The words were rough on my throat when they came out.
Ren took another step forward. “I, um, need to go into the office.”
We both turned to her, staring.
She finished her coffee and squared her shoulders as if she was preparing for battle. “I texted Toni last night and asked her to have Brady—that’s her husband—look into things.”
Luca frowned. “Isn’t he some kind of game developer?”
She nodded and then tilted her head from side to side.
“He’s actually a software developer who specializes in games.
His other contracts don’t get as much publicity.
Anyway,” she sighed. “He has access to databases I don’t think you do.
Sorry if I overstepped, but I had to do something.
” She looked at me. “This is all so crazy, Enzo. Clearly, this is someone close to you, and you have to find out who before something bad happens.” She nibbled her bottom lip as she watched us both.
Luca watched her for a long time, studying her for any signs of deception. Finding none, he nodded. “We need all the help we can get.”
I hated how fucking right that was. “Damien will take you and Matteo to your office. Only to the office and straight back here, Ren.”
She nodded. “Of course. I’m only going to get the information, and we’ll be right back.”
I nodded again, slower this time. “Okay.”
She rinsed out her mug and flipped it over before she disappeared into the bathroom.
I found Damien waiting outside with half a dozen other guards. “I need you to take Ren and Matteo to her office. Stay with them the whole damn time. Don’t leave them alone for a second. Understand?”
His expression was fierce. “Understood. I’ll keep them safe.”
By the time Ren and Matteo were ready to go, the sun was shining brightly and the birds chirped like they didn’t know the whole world was unraveling.
A tight knot formed in my chest as I watched Ren buckle Matteo in.
She glanced back once with a soft smile so full of love that it knocked me back a step.
Then she stepped into the SUV and closed the door, her gaze on me until the vehicle disappeared from view.
Every instinct within me screamed that this was a mistake. I resisted the urge to call Damien and order them back, but instinct didn’t run this organization; I did, and I thrived on strategy.
I turned back to Luca, raking one hand through my hair with a heavy sigh. “So,” I said flatly. “Who are you thinking, Lena or David?”
He didn’t answer right away. Just lifted a shoulder. “Who’s your money on?”
Before I could respond, my phone rang. The screen said Unknown Number, but I answered anyway. “Hello?”
There was a long pause and then a screeching female voice. “You son of a bitch, where is she?” Lena’s voice was so loud I set it down and put the call on speaker.
“Where is who?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
“Don’t play games with me, Lorenzo. Where is Ella?”
I said nothing for a long moment. Luca lifted a hand, silently telling me to wait. “I only heard she was gone about ten minutes ago,” I said finally.
There was silence on the line. Then a sharp, broken inhale. “That can’t be,” Lena whispered. “That can’t be right.”
Her fear sounded real and raw. Not performative.
“What have I done?” she breathed. “What has David done to deserve this?”
My stomach dropped. Her words made the truth that I knew, deep down, harder to ignore. “Lena,” I said carefully. “Did you know someone threatened my son’s life?”
She went silent for nearly a full minute. “No,” she whispered. “Mattie?”
“Yeah,” I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “That’s why I’m off the grid right now, trying to find out the source of the threat.” I watched Luca, who stared at the phone as if it had all the answers.
“I had no idea,” she answered quickly. “None at all. No one said anything about it.” She sniffled again. “I’m sorry, Lorenzo, about Mattie. Do you think the same people took Ella?”
“No,” I answered to ease her worry. I had nothing against Lena, other than her terrible taste in men. She’d always been kind to me and my son, and to Sofia.
“Lena, I need you to tell me about the PI you hired during your divorce,” Luca said, breaking in before I could say any more.
“He was utterly fucking useless,” she snapped. “Told me he didn’t find any evidence that David was hiding money when I knew he damn well was. So, I hired another PI to break into his office and get the files I paid for. Bastard was holding out on me. What does this have to do with my daughter?”
“Are you safe?” Luca asked instead.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m fine.”
“You won’t be for long,” he shot back in a cool tone. “Go to Valentina’s. Now. Don’t leave until you hear from me or Enzo. Period.”
Silence settled in the room. “Is this really necessary?” she asked, her tone a mix of worry and annoyance.
“Yes,” I said softly. “It’s necessary, Lena. We’re working on finding Ella, I promise.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “I’m heading to Valentina’s now. Please find her, Lorenzo.”
“I will,” I promised before ending the call.
Luca and I stared at the black screen and then each other. “Well,” he said slowly. “That answers that.”
I nodded once.
Shit was about to get very messy.