Savage Queen (Moretti Mafia #2)

Chapter 1

Caterina

Someone was going to fucking die. They took my wife, but what they did was give me an excuse to destroy them all.

Whoever took Harlow was going to regret the day they were born, and I was going to send their body in pieces to Vincenzo’s doorstep.

They didn’t realize their loyalty to Vincenzo would cause their blood to paint the streets.

I would scour the Earth until I had her back in my arms, even if I had to burn down the city to do so.

When Vito told me Harlow and Lizzy snuck off, I never expected the next phone call I got to be from a detective.

My father was a well-known businessman, but he also had a dozen or so friends in the police department who were compensated yearly for their help when we needed it.

I called the commissioner immediately when I heard the commotion and had police at the sex shop immediately—but it was too late.

When I arrived at the sex shop, Lizzy was also gone.

I knew she wouldn’t leave Harlow, which meant I had the pleasure of telling Luca she was missing, as well.

Vincenzo might not think I was dangerous, but Luca was far more unhinged than I was.

Regardless, both of us wouldn’t rest until our women were found and my men were avenged.

Vito was dead and Raul was fighting for his life en route to the hospital.

Detective Burnett said the prognosis was grim.

I needed to check on him, but right now I needed to find a clue as to where the girls were.

There were also phone calls that needed to be made, but that was a problem for later.

When I got a clue on where my wife was, I would worry about notifying other people.

I already knew who took her; it was someone affiliated with Vincenzo.

Thankfully, the sex shop they went to had hidden cameras besides the main one.

The shop owner was an older woman with purple hair and dark eyeliner.

She wasn’t working when the attack happened, but her employee was injured and traumatized from the experience.

I informed her I would pay for damages and the medical bills.

The woman was a life saver. The owner gave me access to her cameras, and while the attacker took out the main one outside and the one by the cash register, the owner had extra hidden cameras around the store.

I loved a crafty woman who knew how to protect her workers and her business.

The owner zoomed in on his face, and I knew instantly who it was.

Xavier Caruso, Vincenzo’s capo and now a dead man walking.

He shot Vito before shooting Raul. Inside, he snuck behind Lizzy and knocked her out, then shot the cashier.

He managed to move everyone before Harlow came out of the dressing room.

Harlow was distracted by me, and now she was gone.

With one final thank you to the shop owner, I went back home.

Now it was time to play mafia boss and make phone calls.

I needed to get in touch with Luca, but his phone was off.

Luca was in therapy, but he didn’t see Serena like everyone else.

With his trauma, he needed a male therapist. Even though he trusted Serena, he couldn’t talk to her about what his mother did to him.

He was on the other side of town when this went down, and my calls had been going straight to voicemail since.

Waiting would be a mistake, but having him angry and halfcocked searching for Lizzy would be dangerous.

Luca was my secret weapon because everyone underestimated him.

They saw the quiet computer guy; they didn’t see the ruthless mercenary in training.

He trained with Natalya Petrov every few weeks and found a few odd assassination jobs.

He was skilled with his hands in more ways than one, and utilizing him has been my greatest asset.

Vito’s brother worked with Roman, so once I got Harlow back, we were taking a trip to New York where I would tell him personally his brother died protecting my wife.

I would avenge his death and make sure his memory was not in vain.

It might have been his job to protect my wife, but it was not his job to die at the hands of the bastards that tried to hurt her.

“This is Petrov,” Roman answered the call.

“It’s me.”

“Cat. How are you?”

“My wife was taken.” I heard him shift. Just like me, Roman was obsessed with his own wife. If anyone harmed a hair on Vera’s head, he would slaughter everyone and burn the city for her.

“I’m sorry. Do you need my assistance?”

“Even if I could utilize your assistance, the treaty your father signed says you can’t help.

” I cleared my throat. “I am calling to inform you. Your man, Maxim. His brother worked for me. Vito died protecting Harlow. I wanted to inform you so you could make the choice of telling him or waiting for me to. When I find Harlow, I will be coming up there. I need you to talk to him and see what he wants done. Vito always advised he wanted a cremation, but before we do anything, I want to know what Maxim wants.”

“Thank you for telling me. He and a few of my men are out of the country helping my brother back home. He should return in three days. Keep me informed and let me know when you find your wife.”

I hung up, feeling rage flowing through my veins.

It’d only been a few hours since they were taken, but with those people, a lot could happen in such little time.

When I found her, I was going to trap her in my bedroom and never let her go.

I’ve been a monster my entire life, and being the villain in Harlow’s fairytale was going to keep her safe and alive.

Suddenly I laughed at the thought. Harlow would rip me a new one if I ever tried to keep her confined within these walls.

Her freedom was her safety net, but goddamn it I was going to make sure she could protect herself, even with my men watching her.

There would be hell to pay if Xavier hurt my wife.