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“Sorry to interrupt,Signore, but a Xander Cain is at the gate demanding to seeSignorinaWhite.”
My already frayed patience is on its last thread when I address Luca. “You’re interrupting a meeting for this? Tell him tofuck off.”
“We did,Signore. He told us Greta’s sister called them saying that she suspected something wasn’t right with Greta, and he’s here to do a well check.”
Well check, my ass. Whoever this asshole is, he’s skilled enough to find where Greta is staying. “Who exactly is ‘them’?” I ask Luca, and I pray it’s not who I believeit to be.
“Marron House Security.” There it is—exactly the type of people I didn’t wantinvolved.
“Fuck,” I murmur and run a hand through my overgrown hair. The last fucking thing I need is interference from someone with a savior complex.
I’m about to order Luca to take the guy to the warehouse when my computer and security monitors go black. Immediately, my men draw their guns, and Boian moves to exit when my cell phone vibrates across my desk with an unknown number.
Snatching it up, I answer but say nothing. “Having some equipment issues, Mr. Calvano?” the voice on the other side of the line mocks.
My pulse rises, my jaw clenches tight, and my fist comes down on my desk with an echoing boom. “You motherfucker. You have no idea who you’re playing with,” I snarl intothe phone.
“I know exactly who you are, Mr. Calvano, and I’m not here to get into your dirty dealings. I’m here to check on Greta and reassure her sisters that she isn’t lying dead somewhere.” His words are like a knife to the gut. The very thought of Greta no longer on this earth makes me want to burn all of Italy to the ground.
“Padrone,” Boian whisper-shouts to get my attention. I turn steely eyes to him. “He fucking hacked our security, and that’s no small feat.” He quirks a brow, and I can hear his unspoken words. “We could use him to find Greta and bring her home.” I want to punch the smug bastard and tell him that I don’t give a fuck about how good the MHS hacker is, but the memory of Greta’s smiling face sends an ache through my chest before the memory turns to a nightmare where her gorgeous blue eyes go emptyin death.
With an indignant growl, I tell the bastard, “You have ten minutes to convince me not to gut you like fish, Cain. Hand the phone to my man.”
There’s a slight shuffle then my guard answers, “Sí,Padrone?”
“Search him, then send him through,” I instruct, disconnect, and pin my second-in-command in place with a warning. “You better be right, or you will join him at the warehouse.”
He nods. “Capisco.”I understand.
What feels like hours later, Luca knocks and walks into my office, followed by Xander Cain. He’s tall and packed with lean muscle, his jet-black hair disheveled, and black thin-rimmed glasses frame his blue eyes. A surge of jealousy bubbles to the surface at the fact that this man has come to Greta’s rescue.
Do they know each other? Did he touchmy jewel?
The thought has my hands fisting at my sides as I stand and take in the man standing in front of me, a slight smirk playing on his lips. My men point their guns at Cain’s head when he reaches into his pocket. He retrieves his phone, taps something in, and suddenly, my computer and the security monitors come to life. “Don’t worry. You didn’t lose anything. I simply disabled the image from broadcasting,” he assures me.
“How very clever of you, Mr. Cain. Surprising consideringI––a known criminal––was able to step inside a charity event funded by Marron House Security itself,” I mock, gesturing for him to sit.
Cain’s eyes flash with murder. “You weren’t our concern at the time.” There’s more to his words, but I don’t bother asking. He sits and gets straight to the point. “Where’s Greta White, Mr. Calvano?” I have to give it to the man. He has balls the size of melons to demand answers from me. “Again, I know who you are, Mr. Calvano, and frankly, I don’t give a shit. We just want Greta home safe and sound.”
His words both relieve and infuriate me. He’s not here to try and take down my empire, but he’s here to takemia perlafrom me.
Not goingto happen.
“I appreciate your honesty, Mr. Cain, but I assure you Greta was happy with me. Our beginning was not ideal, but we’ve come to care for oneanother.”
“Was?” Xander asks, ignoring my confession. I stare blankly at him as I mentally kick myself for my fuck up. “Was, Mr. Calvano?” he prompts again, and after a beat, I decide, fuck it, and tell him everything––at least the parts he needs to know.
I finish with the night Greta found the falsified document indicating I was active in the flesh trade, and because of that, she ran. I show him the video of Greta being taken, and like a skilled poker player, he remains stoic as he watches the two men drug and carryher away.
“So who––”
Scratch, scratch, scratch. Rooster’s insistent scratching and whining interrupts Cain, and I can’t help but smirk at the mutt that has become attached to my side. The door opens, and when Camil ushers the big brute in, he immediately trots over to me and plops down beside me.
A look of surprise washes over Cain’s face as I pet Rooster’s head. “It seems you charmed both the beauty and the beast,” Cain quips.
I ignore his jab. “To answer your question, we do not know who the man is. However, the vehicle is registered to Deep Seas Fleet, a yacht manufacturing company that caters to the rich, famous, and dirty,” I clarify. “I’ve set up a meeting with their only point of contact, a man namedBernardo.”
Cain gives me a condescending tilt of his lips and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “That’s one way to go, Mr. Calvano.” Again, he’s taunting me, and I’ve had enough.
