Chapter 38
Caterina
Lena said I needed to stay in bed to help my body heal, but I’ve been in bed for three goddamn weeks in a coma.
I was done laying around while my wife was trapped with Vincenzo enduring…
fuck I didn’t want to think about what he was doing to her, but I already knew.
Three days passed since I woke up and I was pissed—livid.
I wanted Vincenzo’s head on a stake and my wife back in my arms.
I stared out the window looking into my backyard.
I needed to check on my dogs, but Lena and Moira both threw a fit if I even thought about leaving my bedroom.
If I didn’t do something, I would murder someone.
My staff was family, but they were pissing me off.
And as much as I hated to say it, they were right.
Standing at my window was agony, but I was stubborn. My left thigh shook with the effort of trying to keep myself upright. I was a mess of healing bones and damaged muscles. I refused to lay in bed all day or be pushed around in a wheelchair.
I needed to do more. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Harlow.
At first, I saw the happy version of her.
The one where she was laughing with Lizzy, lost in a painting, or in the cabin with our boys.
The images twisted into agony. Her eyes filled with fear, with her screams and her pain. I needed to find her. He wouldn’t win.
Luca and Roman stepped into my room. “Boss—”
“Where the fuck is she, Luca?” I hissed. My temper was on a thin line, but I knew taking it out on him was a mistake. He understood, though. He would do the same thing if our roles were reversed.
His face dropped. “We don’t know. He took her from the wreckage in New York. We are checking footage, but he vanished. I’m sorry.”
I slammed my fist against the glass. It didn’t break, but my body betrayed me and I started to fall. Roman, who walked in with Luca, was on me in a heartbeat, helping me back to my bed. Anger flowed through me, aerated because I was fucking useless.
“I need to go after her. I need to find her.”
“Cat, you can barely wal—”
“I don’t fucking care!” I jerked away from Roman. “She is out there. My wife is alone, trapped with Vincenzo experiencing God knows what, and I am here, useless! I promised to protect her!”
My chest felt like it was being torn in two and my heart was being ripped and shattered into a million pieces. This wasn’t what I did, especially in front of people. A gutted sob ripped itself out of me before I could stop it; Roman had me in his arms as I broke.
I didn’t cry.
Not since my mother died.
Not since I became the boss of my family.
I had to be strong, to keep my shit together so no one used it as a weakness and here I was, breaking.
My wife.
The woman who gave me a reason to live, was back in the hands of the man who destroyed her. He already took so much from both of us, and now he had her once more.
“I should be out there,” I rasped. “I should be tearing the world apart and looking for her. I can’t…fuck. Roman, I can’t—”
“I know,” he murmured, holding me tight against his chest.
“I was supposed to keep her safe,” I whispered, my voice breaking and my fingers digging into his shirt. “She is my everything. I can’t lose her.”
“Caterina…”
“I failed her. I promised her I would save her every time, and now she thinks I’m dead.”
Silence.
“Then we use it to our advantage,” he said, determination in his voice.
“You can’t help me.” It came out more angry than I intended.
“That’s just it. The treaty is ruined. Not only did he attack you in my city, he killed one of my men, but he…” Roman paused. “Vincenzo kidnapped my sister and sold her to that bastard Orlov.”
Igor Orlov helped search for Anya when she went missing. Vincenzo stood by Sergei Petrov when he made the announcement. The families were with him, but Orlov and Vincenzo had a knife in his back. I never wanted to be right because I didn’t want to know the life she lived.
“Jesus.”
“I should’ve listened to you sooner. That bastard raped my sister and got her pregnant.
She was fourteen. Fourteen!” Roman roared, his face turning red.
I never saw Roman shed a tear, but he was on the verge of breaking now.
“Anya escaped. Took my niece and vanished. She didn’t come home. She could’ve come home.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “We don’t know what happened to her or what she endured. Don’t blame yourself.”
He scoffed. “You were right. They were lying. I am returning to New York tonight and I am going to find everything I can to help. I’ll return when I have more information.”
“Thank you. Be safe, Roman.”