Chapter 32 Adrian
Adrian
We're still at The Plaza. Alexei's men posted outside the conference room. My hands are still shaking from wanting to strangle him.
"Why the fuck would this Artem asshole be targeting my wife?" I demand.
Alexei rolls his eyes. "You Italians think you own the city, so much hubris, it's amazing you've managed to hold on for so long.
Artem is former KGB. Went private when he got burned.
Now he runs one of the most efficient mercenary operations in the world.
" Alexei's jaw tightens. "He collects soldiers.
Trains them. Deploys them. And he's very, very good at what he does.
" Alexei is pacing. "At first I thought it might be federal agents who blew up your safehouse.
They have the training. But it didn't make sense. "
He's rambling, and I feel a shard of ice form in my stomach. Alexei is scared of Artem. It's clear.
"Artem came to Seraphina weeks ago?"
I nod. "He made mention of Gabe, which is why I assumed he was one of yours. Name didn't ring a bell, though."
"Fuck." Alexei ran a hand through his hair. "Artem has probably been sowing these seeds for months, even years. He likely knew about Gabe even before I approached him."
Understanding clicks into place. "You have history with him."
"You could say that." His smile is cold. "Let's just say Artem and I have a long-standing disagreement about how business should be conducted. He thinks I owe him something for some...property damage. I disagree."
"My wife is in the middle of a fucking property dispute?" I flex my fingers. They are itching to kill him. I'll deliver Alexei to this man myself if it gets Gabe off the streets.
"I can see what you're thinking," Alexei says, "and I'm going to stop you there. Artem doesn't give a fuck about the Neros."
"Which is why I should give him what he wants."
Alexei snorts. "Artem wants me to suffer. He'd likely kill your wife for taking away his fun."
"You Russians are fucking insane."
Alexei laughs. "My guess is that Gabriel needed muscle, and Artem needed a way to get to me.
Your wife is just collateral damage. He's not against harming women, but he's got no reason to go after you.
" His voice is flat. "Gabriel probably sold it as a simple extraction job.
Get paid, cause some chaos, disappear. Artem took it because it puts pressure on me. "
My hands curl into fists. "So, my wife is caught in the middle of your fucking feud?"
"Essentially, yes." He doesn't flinch. "Which is why I'm telling you. Because if Artem is involved, you need to know what you're dealing with."
Rage floods through me. Hot and consuming.
I move before I can think. My fist connects with Alexei's jaw, snapping his head back. Then I'm on him, grabbing him by the throat, slamming him against the wall.
"You brought this to my door," I snarl. "Your enemy. Your problem. And now my wife is in danger because of you."
Alexei's guards move immediately, guns drawn.
But Alexei raises his hand, stopping them. Blood trickles from his split lip, but he doesn't fight back. Just looks at me with those cold, calculating eyes.
"You get this one for free," he says calmly. "Because I understand your anger. But let me be very clear, Adrian. I didn't bring Artem here. Gabriel did. Your brother-in-law. Sweet Seraphina wasn't a valuable target until you made her one."
His words make me sick. Because they're right.
I release him, stepping back.
I stare at Alexei. At the blood on his lip. At the guards with guns still half-raised.
This could go sideways fast. Turn into a bloodbath right here in The Plaza.
But my wife is out there. Pregnant. Taken.
And this Russian bastard might be the only one who can help me find her.
The math is simple.
"Why shouldn't I put a fucking bullet in you?" I ask.
"Because I'm the only one in New York City who knows where Artem operates. I'm the only one who knows how he thinks. How he moves." His voice is steady despite my hand having just been on his throat. "You want to find Gabriel? You want your wife safe? You need me."
"I still don't see why I don't just trade you for Gabriel."
"You could try. But Artem doesn't negotiate like that. He'd take the pieces and keep your wife anyway." Alexei's eyes are hard. "He's not sentimental. He's not honorable. He's a mercenary who cares about two things: money and revenge. And right now, Gabriel is providing both."
"Then what good are you?"
"I know where he operates. I know his safe houses. His contacts. His patterns." He pauses. "And I have just as much reason to find him as you do. Maybe more."
"Because of your feud."
"Because Artem Orlov has been a thorn in my side for five years.
Because Gabriel Romano owes me money. And because I'm tired of playing nice while people think they can use me to settle their scores.
" His smile is sharp. "So, here's what I'm offering.
My men. My intelligence. My resources. We find Artem.
We find Gabriel. We all go home much happier. "
"What makes you think Artem hasn't ditched Gabriel?" I ask. "Neither one is particularly trustworthy."
"There's no way Gabriel is capable of evading all of the families for as long as he has been. Someone else has been helping." Alexei's voice is certain.
And I agree with him.
I should tell him to fuck off. Should handle this myself. Should trust no one, especially not the man whose enemy just kidnapped my wife.
But Sera's life is worth more than my pride.
And if Alexei can help me find her, I'll deal with the consequences later.
Before I can answer, my phone rings.
I pull it out, still holding Alexei's gaze.
Unknown number. Manhattan area code.
I almost ignore it but something in my gut tells me not to.
"What?"
"Mr. Nero, it's Hendricks. You need to get to the mansion. Now." His voice is tight. "There's been an attack—explosives, gunfire. Multiple casualties."
My blood goes cold. "Seraphina?"
A pause. Too long.
"Gone, sir. We believe she was taken during the breach."
The world stops.
Everything stops.
"What?"
"Your wife, sir. She's gone. We believe she was taken during the attack."
I can't breathe. Can't think. Can't process.
"What about Leo?" My voice sounds distant. Wrong.
"He's alive. Head injury. They took him to Mount Sinai. He's in surgery now."
"And Bianca, my mother?"
"Also injured. Severe but stable. Her assistant was killed. I'm sorry, sir, but we have four dead guards and significant damage to the property. Your siblings have been accounted for, but we're still assessing—"
"I'm on my way. Keep her room secured. No one touches anything. I want every detail when I get there." I hang up.
Let go of Alexei's stare.
Turn toward the door.
My wife is gone.
Sera is gone.
Gabriel took her.
My pregnant wife. Thirty-four weeks. Vulnerable. Scared.
In the hands of her desperate, unstable brother who tried to sell her once before.
"Adrian." Alexei's voice cuts through the haze. "What happened?"
"My home was attacked. My wife is gone." The words taste like ash.
"Fuck." For the first time, Alexei looks genuinely concerned. "When?"
"I don't know. Within the last hour, maybe." I'm already moving toward the door.
Alexei grabs his jacket. "If Gabriel took her, he has a plan. He'll have taken her somewhere he feels safe."
"I don't care where he took her. I'm going to find him and I'm going to kill him."
"Yes. But first you need information. You need to know how bad the damage is. What happened. If there are any leads." He's beside me now, walking toward the elevator. "My men are at your disposal. My resources. Everything I offered still stands."
"Why?" I turn on him. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because Artem Orlov and Gabriel Romano both need to die. And I have a feeling we're going to find them in the same place." His eyes are cold. "You want your wife back. I want my revenge. We can help each other."
"We don't even know if Artem has Sera," I say.
"He may not," Alexei admits. "But if he does, you'll need me." His eyes flash, and I know, without a doubt, whatever happened between Artem and Alexei was personal, and a woman was involved. "He won't care about Sera. If Gabriel becomes a liability, he'll eliminate them both."
The elevator opens. We step inside.
The elevator ride down feels endless. Each floor a countdown to action.
Where would Gabriel take her? How many men does he have? Is she hurt? Is the baby okay?
I push that last thought away. Can't go there. Not yet.
Focus on finding her. Everything else is secondary.
I pull out my phone, dialing Luc.
He answers on the first ring. "Adrian?"
"Where are you?"
"On my way to the fucking hospital," he says. "Where the fuck are you?"
"Sera has been taken." My voice is steady. Controlled. But inside I'm screaming. "I need you. Now."
I hear the sound of his car tires screeching and honks in the distance.
"Jesus Christ. I'm on my way. What do you need?"
"Everything. All our men. Every resource. Every contact." I step out of the elevator into The Plaza lobby. People stare as we pass. Alexei and me. Both looking like we're ready for war. "Find her, Luc. Find them. I don't care what it takes."
"I'll mobilize everyone. Where are you going?"
"The mansion. Then the hospital. Then wherever the fuck Gabriel is hiding." I push through the doors into the evening air. "Have you talked to Gemma?"
"She's with Bianca. Adrian—" His voice cracks slightly. "We'll find her. We'll bring her home."
"We'd better. Because if anything happens to her or my son—" I can't finish the sentence. Can't let myself think about what I'll do.
What I'll become.
"I'll call you in ten minutes with an update," Luc says.
I hang up.
My car is waiting. Alexei's convoy pulls up beside it.
"My men will follow you," Alexei says. "Where do you want them?"
"The mansion first. Then spread out. Start checking Gabriel's known locations. Anyone he might have contacted. Anyone who might be hiding him."
"And Artem?"
"If you know where he operates, send men there too. I don't care if he has Sera or not. I want everyone who touched this." My voice drops to ice. "Everyone who helped. Everyone who knew. They all die."
Alexei nods. "Understood."
I slide into my car. My driver knows without being told. We peel away from the curb, sirens blaring.
Manhattan blurs past. Buildings. Lights. People living their normal lives while mine burns.
Sera.
My wife.
The woman who said she loved me just yesterday. Who gave me everything. Who was carrying my son. Who was supposed to be safe in my home, protected by my men, under my watch.
Gone.
Taken by her own brother.
And I wasn't there to stop it.
My hands are shaking. I clench them into fists.
Not now. I can't break now.
I need to be cold. Focused. Deadly.
I need to find Gabriel Romano.
And when I do, I'm going to make him beg for death.
I'm going to show him exactly what happens when you touch what's mine.
The car speeds through the city, and I stare out the window, calculating.
Gabriel is desperate. Unstable. He thinks he can use Sera as leverage. As protection. As a bargaining chip.
He's wrong.
There is no deal he can make. No trade. No negotiation.
He signed his death warrant the moment he put his hands on her.
And I'm going to deliver it personally.
"Faster," I tell my driver.
The car accelerates.
Beside us, Alexei's convoy keeps pace.
Ahead, somewhere in this city, Sera is scared. Alone. Possibly hurt.
But she's not helpless.
She's a survivor. She's strong. She's a fighter.
She'll hold on until I find her.
She has to.
Because the alternative—
No.
I won't think about it.
I'll find her. I'll bring her home. I'll kill everyone who touched her.
And then I'll never let her out of my sight again.