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I waited and half expected something to happen, and miraculously, it did. A few drops of liquid fell onto the cracked windshield, then a few more. Another loud type of boom rang out overhead, and the skies opened up. It would help me if the car was to catch on fire, but knowing I still needed to get out, I forced my body to move. Thankfully, I was able to move my arms and legs, and when I finally got the door opened and fell out onto the ground, I scrambled onto my feet. My body was sore, aching in places I didn’t think it could, but I persevered and staggered back to the roadway. I started to wave my arms desperately at the passing cars, and when a woman pulled over, I heaved a sigh of relief.
Everything else happened in a blur as she called the ambulance, and it arrived shortly thereafter. I was then loaded onto a gurney, and on my way to what I could only assume was the hospital. I’d be a sitting duck there for Nazario, but I needed to make sure the baby was okay. I was given something via needle, and as I drifted into unconsciousness, I continued to fight against the medicine, but it became too much and I finally succumbed.
NAZARIO
After leaving Sorrento, I headed back to Napoli where I intended to check on Viviana. I knew she would be outraged at my having called a doctor, but she would eventually see in time that not having my heir would be for the best. After the hit on Marcu Catalano, his brothers and associates were gunning for me and mine. A restaurant we had on the coast had been set on fire and burned to the damn ground. I knew it was arson even though I hadn’t gotten the fire inspector’s report back yet. I also knew who was involved. For this reason, I needed to make sure Viviana stayed safe. I didn’t want to keep her locked up in the hole, but I would do what I had to in order to keep her confined to the property. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her.
I’d just passed Pompeii and was less than a half hour away when my phone rang. I hit the answer button on my console. “Where are they?”
I’d had some men on the ground in Palermo watching for the Catalanos. I needed to stay one step ahead of them at all times, and I truly hoped this call was better news than the last one.
“They were spotted in Napoli a few hours ago. They were in a black SUV headed south on the Autostrada. Looked like they were either racing toward or away from something.”
“Cazzo!” They were probably after my club which was the lifeblood for my family. Almost all of our dirty dealings occurred in that place, and it was the most profitable of legitimate businesses that the Vaccaros owned. “Where are they now?”
“Not sure. My contact lost sight of them. They could be headed south to Palermo, or even reversed course back to Napoli. We have men near the estate and—”
“Put some near the hole, too,” I advised as I remembered that Viviana and the doctor were there. I also knew once she completed the mandatory recovery, the physician was to bring her back to the house. Realizing what an error that could be now, I added, “Make sure no one leaves there.”
“Will do.” The line went dead, and I increased my speed as I sped back toward my home turf.
I had to get to Viviana to make sure she was all right. Although she considered the Catalanos to be friends, what I had found out the night before changed everything. After learning of my own medical history, I had gone back to the hole to take another look at Viviana. At first, I had thought she was asleep, but she bolted upright in bed and looked around in a panic. Our eyes met and hers widened, before they narrowed. When she blinked, I disappeared back into the darkness, resisting the urge to join her once more. I could’ve taken her right there on the bed, picking up where we’d left off before. I couldn’t risk it, and with her being in obvious distress, I didn’t want to upset her further, so I ducked out before she could realize I was more than an illusion.
I’d then gone back to the house and had gotten word that they were headed north. I knew these bastards and they had loyalty to no one but themselves, and while she fancied herself as family, she wasn’t their blood, so not safe. In fact, she was in the most danger because she had told them she was pregnant with my child. They wanted to take me out, or at least maim me, so the best way was to take away the woman I loved and the child they might’ve thought I wanted.
After the abortion, I planned to send Viviana away. I had a place right outside of Berlin, and it would be safe for her there until the current situation could be de-escalated. I even planned to join her and would remain by her side. Once we returned to Napoli, I would take her as my wife. We’d rule this kingdom together — me as the king, and her as my queen.
My phone rang again, cutting into my thoughts about that. “What is it?”
“We arrived at the hole and the doctor’s car is gone.”
“Where did he go?” I’d given the man direct orders to stay with her until I arrived back home.
“He didn’t go anywhere.”
“What the hell are you babbling on about, then?”
I was losing my patience. As is, I was running on pure adrenaline at this point after having not gotten any sleep in almost forty-eight hours. All I wanted was to get home and lay with my wife. I damn sure wasn’t in the mood for fucking vague comments.
“I sent a man down there and they found the doctor tied to the bed.”
“What? Where is Viviana?” My blood was starting to run cold, and as signs for Naples came into view, I couldn’t get to the damn city fast enough.
“The doctor said he’d been about to put her under the general anesthesia when she was able to get her hands on the syringe and stick him with it instead. She then tied him to the bed and took off in his car. It’s why it is gone and—”
“Cazzo! Where in the hell did she go?”
I kept underestimating her and she’d once warned me it would be a fatal mistake to keep doing so. I had laughed it off at the time, but I was now seeing the truth in her statement. She had trained with cold-blooded killers so someone as docile as a middle-aged doctor would be no match for her cunningness or abilities. After all, she’d almost taken out my very own father months ago.
“I would assume the house, but I’m not sure. I can send someone—”
“No,” I interrupted. “I’m nearby. Keep a lookout for the Catalanos and let me know as soon as they are located.” I then hung up and entered the city.
It wasn’t long before I arrived home. A sigh of relief left me when I noticed the doctor’s car in the driveway. Viviana had returned home. I parked behind his car. Once I was in the house, the place seemed very quiet. I knew the staff would be there, and my fiancée better be as well. I took the stairs, nearly two at a time, and when I got upstairs, I headed to her room and found it empty. There were a few things that looked out of place, but nothing enough to make me worried.
I closed that door behind me and headed down the hallway to the room the two of us shared together. When I flung open the door, the bed was also made up and there were a few things of hers scattered across the bed. I went into the closet and found it mostly empty. Viviana had been here, and left, and if she was headed back to Palermo to be with them, she would be walking right into their trap.
“Viviana,” I called out as I walked down the hallway. It was possible that she was still on the grounds or in the—
