My head starts to pound. “Where did she go?” I grind out.
There’s another slight pause. “Donovan didn’t question her, sir. You…haven’t given new orders that she should be tracked again.”
“Fuck.”
He’s right. Since giving Candi a little bit of freedom, I dissolved the order that security should monitor her at all times. Maybe it was a mistake to allow her to drive herself around. The saving grace is the tracking device hidden in the undercarriage of her vehicle. All Bellanti vehicles have them as a safety precaution.
Keeping security on the line, I open the tracking app on my phone. It’s not perfect but the GPS can pinpoint a vehicle’s location within a ten-meter radius. That’s just over thirty feet. I find the device transmitting from Candi’s sedan and all the breath goes out of me.
“Jesus Christ,” I rasp. “I need eyes on everyone who’s inside today’s target.”
“Today’s target, sir?”
Then I remember that I don’t have any of my men assigned to today’s mission. They don’t know anything about it.
“Fuck. Never mind.” I hang up.
Riggante was adamant that he had everything under control. He’d said he didn’t want any of my men involved, to keep them from being recognized by any of Bruno’s security. I’d pushed to have at least two of my men in the wings, but he’d been firm, and I knew I wasn’t in the position to argue with Riggante.
But my wife’s location shows her car parked within thirty feet of the goddamn bakery.
She’s there. Right fucking now.
I have no doubt that she’s there with Juliana, probably ordering a cake for the upcoming wedding. Candi is the maid of honor, so of course she’s there, playing along. She would have known it’d look bad if she suddenly opted out of helping her best friend plan her nuptials.
Once again, our epic lack of communication has tossed her right into the viper’s pit.
I need to know if she’s stepped foot inside that bakery yet.
Before I can call security back, my phone rings in my hand.
“What?”
“It’s Morelli, sir. Rico’s got eyes on the bakery. You sounded worried so I had him check. Your wife is inside with another woman…and apparently Maxim Orloff just arrived.”
The hair on the back of my neck rises.
“How would you like us to proceed?” he asks.
“I’ll handle it myself,” I growl.
I can’t have my men rushing in to save Candi and thwarting the entire operation. The other families would be irate, and I would lose their support going forward.
“And for the love of God, keep your man out of sight,” I add, hanging up.
Dialing Riggante as fast as I can, I pace the length of the room as the phone rings and rings. He’d better answer or I’m going to put a stop to the operation myself.
I’m about to throw my phone against the wall when he finally answers.
“Riggante! You have to stop the mission. Call it off. My wife is inside.”
He makes a smacking sound with his mouth as if to say, that’s too bad. “Impossible, my friend. The package has already been delivered. I am truly sorry.”
“The package? What the—Riggante!”
The line goes dead.
“Fuck!”
