Luca
Tony was on the heavy bag, sweat dripping down his temples.
He froze mid-punch to see what all the commotion was.
Aurora, who had been sitting at the front desk pretending to read, shot to her feet.
Even Jonesy, half-asleep in a folding chair with a coffee in his hand, seemed to spring to life at the mention of Sophia’s stalker.
“What?” Tony demanded. “Say that again.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Tony said.
“And?” Aurora asked, her voice tight.
“And the dumb bastard didn’t use a burner,” Luca said, a grim smile cutting across his face. “He used his personal phone. They pinged it, and they have his location. With any luck, he’s with Sophia, and I’ll have her back soon.” Silence filled the room.
Jonesy slowly crossed the room to where Luca stood. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious,” Luca replied. He unlocked his phone and shoved it toward him. “They couldn’t move immediately—jurisdiction crap—but they gave me the last known location.”
Tony swore under his breath. “Where?”
Luca took a breath. “An abandoned hunting lodge about forty minutes north of here, on county land. It’s off-grid and doesn’t have any utilities.
It was registered to the last family that we were all with.
They used to take us there on vacation for a week in the summer.
It was the only time I had ever been on a vacation. ”
Aurora’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh God. We might actually get Sophia back.”
“The place is isolated,” Luca said. “It’s the perfect hiding place for someone who doesn’t want to be found.”
“Or someone who thinks no one’s coming for him,” Tony said coldly.
Jonesy crossed his arms. “Do the cops know? Are they going after the bastard?”
“They do know about the cabin,” Luca said. “They’re assembling a team, but they’re at least an hour out. They told me to stay out of it, but—”
“But you’re not waiting,” Tony said flatly.
“No,” Luca answered. “I’ve waited long enough to find Sophia. I gave the cops a head start, but I’m going to be hot on their tail. If she’s at the cabin, I want to be the first person she sees once she’s safe.”
Aurora stepped in front of him. “Luca, listen to me. I know you want to go charging in there, but you can’t do this alone.”
“I’m not,” he said. “I’m bringing backup. Just not the kind that waits for permission to get involved in a police investigation.”
Tony grabbed his keys. “I’m in.” He didn’t bother to look over at his wife for permission. Luca knew that Aurora would try to stand in their way, but ultimately, she’d let them go. She wanted Sophia back, too.
Aurora shook her head. “You can’t just—”
“I’m not staying here while that psycho has her,” Luca cut in. “Not happening.”
Jonesy exhaled hard. “If you go out to that cabin, you need to promise me that you won’t go and pull any hero shit. Let the cops do their job.”
Luca nodded. “I will,” he promised. “I just need to be there if they find her.”
Aurora stepped closer, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Bring her home.” She looked over at her husband, “both of you.”
Luca’s jaw clenched. “I will.”
“Thanks for letting me tag along, honey,” Tony said, pulling his wife in for a kiss. She grumbled something about them both being idiots, and Tony chuckled.
Luca turned and headed for the door, Tony right beside him.
Every step felt heavy with purpose, with fear that they wouldn’t find her, and with the promise he’d made Sophia.
He wouldn’t disappear again, and when they found her, he’d be right there by her side, keeping every promise and making her more if she’d allow that.
Peter had chosen the wrong woman to kidnap, and the worst possible man to take her from. Luca would make sure that Pete knew the score—Sophia was his woman, now and forever.
The road blurred beneath the headlights as he sped toward the cabin.
Honestly, Luca barely remembered the drive.
His death grip on the steering wheel and the constant images of Sophia’s face burned into his mind as the miles passed in a blur.
Every mile closer to the cabin sharpened his focus and burned away the fear until there was only purpose left.
He was going to find her, get her out, end this, and if he was lucky, kill the bastard who took her.
Tony followed close behind in his truck, far enough back not to draw attention, close enough to matter if things went sideways. The cops were still on their way to the cabin, but Luca didn’t care. Peter had taken too much already, and he needed to be there when they caught the asshole.
The cabin came into view just as dusk settled in.
It was smaller than he remembered, with boarded windows and a single light glowing weakly by the front porch.
The rest of the cabin was dark. He thought that the place didn’t have electricity, but maybe he was wrong.
The cabin that once housed family vacations was now forgotten, isolated, and perfect for a coward hiding behind walls.
Luca killed his headlights a quarter mile out and parked behind a stand of trees. He grabbed his jacket and checked the gun in his hip holster. He brought it along, not because he wanted to use it, but because he would if he had to.
Tony parked his truck a few feet away and quickly joined him. “You ready for this?” he asked.
“I’ve been ready to get my woman back for days now. I just hope that we’re not being led on a wild goose chase,” Luca said.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out if she’s in there,” Tony said. “You think we should wait for the cops to show up?” Tony was always the practical one, but Luca didn’t feel like being safe or waiting for the cops to show up.
“Would you wait if it were Aurora possibly in there?” he asked, nodding to the cabin.
Tony sighed and shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t wait,” he admitted.
“Let’s move.” He stared at the cabin, moving quietly, every step deliberate.
When they reached the cabin, he felt like he was holding his breath, hoping that they’d find her there.
The place was so quiet, and the old boards of the porch creaked under his boots, making his heart race.
“Quiet,” Tony whispered to him. Luca rolled his eyes and nodded back at his friend. He wanted to point out that he didn’t intentionally make the porch boards creak, but he was pretty sure that they didn’t have time for explanations.
A muffled sound came from inside the cabin, and he couldn’t help but whisper her name. “Sophia.”
Luca’s blood went ice-cold as he circled around to the side window, peering through a crack in the warped wood. Inside, Sophia was tied to a chair, her head drooping forward, her wrists red and raw. She looked exhausted. Her face was bruised, and she looked scared to death, but she was alive.
Relief nearly dropped him to his knees, but he didn’t have time for that kind of nonsense, because Peter stood in front of her, pacing, ranting, and acting completely unhinged. “You were always mine,” Peter was shouting, his voice sharp and erratic. “You just didn’t realize it.”
Luca saw red. Peter was delusional, believing that Sophia was ever his.
He didn’t bother with subtlety after he heard everything that Peter was saying to her.
He knew that he needed to move, and it was now or never.
The door splintered inward under his shoulder, the sound echoing through the cabin like a gunshot.
Peter spun around, his eyes wild, just as Luca crossed the room in three long strides.
“Get away from her,” Luca growled.
Peter laughed—actually laughed. “You finally found us.” Luca didn’t answer. He had no answer to give, so he hit him instead.
Years of fighting, discipline, and control all poured into that single punch. Peter went down hard, crashing into a table and taking it with him. He scrambled, reaching for something on the floor, but Luca was already there, hauling him up by the collar.
“You don’t get to touch her,” Luca snarled, slamming Peter against the wall. “Ever again.”
Tony flanked his side. “Easy, man,” he said. “The cops will be here any minute, and we don’t want to go and do something stupid that will give Peter a free pass.
Peter tried to fight back. He was flailing around, desperate to hurt Luca, but he was no match for him.
He had never been a match for Luca, but he knew that taking Sophia would take him down.
Luca knocked him down again, and this time, he stayed standing over him, his chest heaving, fists aching, and his vision tunneling.
“Luca,” Sophia whispered. Her voice snapped him back to reality, and he knew that Tony was right. If they did something stupid, Peter might be able to use that to his advantage, and that was the last thing that they needed. This needed to be a clean fight, or Pete would win the match.
He turned to Tony. “Watch him,” he ordered. Luca crossed the room and dropped to his knees in front of her. His hands shook as he untied her wrists, then her ankles, careful to be as gentle as possible. He wanted to show her nothing of the violence he’d just unleashed on her abductor.
“I’ve got you,” he said hoarsely. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.” He pulled her up from the chair, and she collapsed into his arms, clutching his shirt like it was the only thing keeping her upright. He held her tight, pressing his face into her hair, breathing her in like oxygen.
“I knew you’d come,” she whispered.
“I will always come for you, baby,” he said. “I swear it.” Sirens wailed in the distance as they got closer to the cabin.
“I’ll go tell the cops what’s going on,” Tony said. “You keep an eye on him.” He nodded to Peter, who lay on the floor moaning something about his arm being busted. Luca nodded, never letting go of Sophia.
“The cops are almost here,” he assured. Luca looked down at Peter, his voice cold and final. “This ends tonight, honey. I promise.”
When the police stormed in moments later, Peter didn’t resist. He didn’t argue. He only smiled at Luca and Sophia as they led him out in handcuffs. Luca tightened his hold on Sophia as they took Peter away, and the sobs that escaped her chest were nearly his undoing.
The nightmare was over, and she was safe.
“It’s over, honey,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.
“You’re safe now,” he promised. He just hoped that it was a promise he could keep because he had botched up keeping her safe before.
Luca worried that he might not be able to keep her safe if Peter wasn’t locked up—and hopefully, for a very long time.
As he led Sophia outside, wrapped in his jacket, she looked up at him with tired eyes. “You didn’t disappear,” she said softly. “But I did.”
“You didn’t disappear, honey,” he assured. “You were taken, and that will never happen again,” Luca replied. “I’ll keep you safe from not on, honey, you have my word.” This time, he meant it with every part of his soul. He’d die before he’d let her go again because losing her wasn’t an option.