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“I insist,” Nita says firmly, as the server disappears behind the counter. “Staff discount, remember? I might be a single mom, but I’m good for it. And besides, you look as if you haven’t had a good meal in a while.”
I hate to admit it, but she’s right. I’ve only got the funds Carlos gave me for my new start, and I need to make them last as long as I can. I’ve been living frugally, and a slice of warm apple pie paid for by a generous soul sounds like heaven right about now.
“Then thank you,” I say, warmth spreading through me.
I’ve forgotten how nice it is to have someone in my life who cares. My dad is probably still off adventuring in the wilds of Asia somewhere. I figure I’ll reach out to him around the time of my birthday so he doesn’t worry when he can’t get me on my old number, but that’s another three months or so away.
I’m actually due to give birth close to the date of my birthday. I hope the baby doesn’t come on my actual birthday though, given that is now also the anniversary of being snatched off the street by Rio.
“I promise to enjoy my pie and ice cream wholeheartedly,” I say.
We laugh together, and in that moment, a kernel of hope blooms in my chest. Maybe it will be possible to make this new life work. Maybe it is possible to put the past behind me, and one day I may even have the chance to go back and see my old friends and work colleagues and explain what happened in more detail. Apologize for ruining their lives.
But even after the delicious pie and hot tea begin to fill my belly and calm my usually jangled nerves, I still glance up every time the bell rings above the door, studying who enters to see if I recognize a face. Or a hardened look.
And the fear still sits inside me. It’s just tucked deeper down than before. Because I know Rio Agosti almost as well as I know myself. And he will never give up looking for me until the day he takes his last breath. I was his possession, and I betrayed him when I ran. An act I am sure he will never, ever forgive.
As much as I hope otherwise, it is really only a matter of time before he catches up with me, ready to mete out the punishment he thinks I deserve. I have no doubt that punishment will be severe. I only hope he spares our beautiful baby before he does so.
* * *
Rio
I reachthe end of the terrace rooftop pool and turn in the water, starting another lap back the same way I’ve just swum. I do this every morning, over and over, back and forth, the laps serving both as exercise and distraction.
It has been over three months, and they haven’t found her.
Since the massacre at the estate and the loss of my Aunt Francine, I can’t bring myself to spend any length of time there. Everything is pristine, of course, and new security installed, but instead, I spend most of my days—and nights—here in my penthouse above the club. Working, swimming, and plotting revenge against those who harmed my family.
Against my wife, who stole my heart and then my child.
I will have my revenge on my enemies, and that revenge will be the sweetest thing of all.
So far, Danelli and his crew have scoured every possible lead for traces of Bianca. The private investigation firm I hired, Dartside Investigations, traced her to Augusta and then lost her. I even ordered the firm to put out feelers into Thailand, to track down her father and confirm she has had no contact with him.
Her adoptive father, that is. Her birth father—along with the rest of the Carlotti family—are long dead. As far as I’ve been able to ascertain over the years, Bianca is the last of her bloodline. At least, until our baby is born.
Familiar rage burns through my veins at the thought of my child being snatched out from under my nose. Granted, Bianca could not yet have had the child, but I need her back under my watchful gaze before that happens. I will never give up looking until she and my child—the heir to both the Carlotti and the Agosti empires—are back in their rightful place.
By my side.
Only this time, she will bow to my will and obey me. And she will never escape me again.
I allowed her into my life, into myheart, and in return, she shredded the love and trust I bestowed and threw it in my face in the form of a million jagged shards.
I will not make that same mistake twice.
I reach the other end of the heated pool and prepare to turn yet again, but pause when one of my men approaches. I can tell from his gait that he has news. His steps are hurried, his breathing rough, and his hand clenches and unclenches around his cell phone as if he is both excited and afraid to pass on what he knows.
Heshouldbe afraid. My mood these days is…shall we say, fickle? And I am not in the frame of mind for anything other than good news.
I point to a stack of white towels on top of the cabinet near the wall, and he deviates from his path to grab one and then rushes over to hand it to me. I take my time, rubbing my face dry, trying to control my urge to reach up, grab him by the lapels of his suit jacket, and haul him down into the water. Venting my ever-present rage on the messenger will not achieve anything except a momentary sense of satisfaction.
When my emotions are under control, I toss the towel to one side and pin him with a stare. “Yes?”
The man’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows nervously, and my inner beast purrs. I like the fear I instil in others. It affirms the power I wield over my empire.
“I think we might have found her, Boss.”
