Page 2 of Savage Little War

Suddenly, there’s loud pounding on the front door, along with agitated voices outside.

“What the hell?” Dmitri grits out as he abandons his coffee to hurry to the front door. He yanks it open just as I make it to the foyer, revealing Luca shoving off Mark and Denis. “Luca?”

The Italian turns to Dmitri, his eyes red and wide. “It’s my sister—Elena. Paolo took her!” His voice cracks and my lips part in shock.

“Come in,” Dmitri replies as he motions for Luca to get inside before shutting the door. “What the fuck happened?”

“Elena was at a nightclub last night in New York City with some friends. They said two masked men grabbed her and threw her into a van!” Luca explains in a rush, his voice shaking. “I just got a photo of her tied up with the message Give yourself up or lose her from a number that I don’t recognize.”

“Give me the number. I’ll have my guys look into it,” Dmitri tells him as he takes his phone out.

Luca hands over his device with the message conversation pulled up. “It’s Paolo. I know it’s him. He’s trying to fuck with me now that Enrico is dead!”

Dmitri fires off a text message to one of his men before handing Luca his phone back. “We’ll get her back.”

“You’ll help me?” Luca breathes out, his eyes glistening.

Dmitri places his hand on Luca’s shoulder. “You helped me save Cara. Of course I’ll help you save your sister.”

Luca nods, relief written all across his face. “I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. My sister is the only one I’m close to in my family. I don’t know where the hell he would even take her!”

“I’ll get us a private plane to New York City and bring some of my men. Wheels up in an hour,” Dmitri tells him before turning to me. “I’ll have Mark and Denis stay here.”

I immediately shake my head as my throat tightens. “Don’t leave me behind. I-I can’t be so far away from you again.”

Dmitri frowns like he can see the fear in my eyes. He then lets out a sigh and nods. “Fine. You’ll come, but you won’t get close to any danger, and you’ll be guarded at all times.”

I nod, my heart thundering in my chest. I can’t bear the thought of being over 2,000 miles away from him. I’m not ready for that kind of distance yet.

“Let me make some calls. We’ll think of a plan on the way,” Dmitri says before hurrying to his office, leaving Luca and me behind.

I walk over to Luca and gently place my hand on his arm, seeing the fear and concern glistening in his eyes. “What’s her name? Elena?”

“Elena,” Luca confirms with a bittersweet smile. “She’s my little sister. Even when everyone else turned their backs on me, she didn’t. She secretly kept in contact with me, but…I guess Paolo found out.”

I rub his arm, hoping that we can find her before it’s too late. If Elena is being treated anything like I was, she isn’t doing well right now. “We’ll find her. Is there anyone in your family that might not be loyal to Paolo?”

Luca scoffs. “They’re all afraid of him. So many of them turned on me when he ordered it. They won’t go against him.”

“Think of someone. Anyone who might be willing to feed you some information,” I urge him.

“I have a cousin who gives me updates every once in a while, but she can’t get access to anything like this.” Luca sighs.

“Who else? Who cares about your sister enough to betray Paolo?” I question him. It sounds like he has a big family. There must be someone.

Pain ripples across Luca’s face as his eyes meet mine. “Our mamma.”

“They turned your own mother against you?” I ask him.

“She’s always been scared of them. They were awful to her,” Luca replies. “But they’ve kept her close. Not because they care but because they treat her like a servant. Cook, clean, run errands.”

“She might have overheard something,” I say.

Luca nods before frowning. “I doubt she’ll talk to me, though.”

“We have to try,” I tell him. “Maybe she will for Elena.”

Dmitri steps out of his office with a leather bag hanging on his shoulder. “We need to head out now. The plane will be ready for us soon.”