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The cameras. The phones. They overrode them.
Kidnapping the kids was a decoy. It was nothing but a clever ploy to lure me and my men away from the house.
The real target was Sabella.
The brutality of that cold, hard truth steals my breath. Hitting me where I feel it the hardest turns out to be not the kids after all. And it’s far more effective than a bullet.
I can’t. I can’t fail her. I couldn’t have. I can handle anything but not that.
“Mr. Russo?”
Autopilot kicks in. My functions are mechanical. I ask what needs to be asked like a robot. “How bad?”
“I’m afraid it’s serious. She’s in a coma.”
ChapterTwenty-Six
Angelo
The doctor’s words ring in my ears.
Ice fills my veins.
I call Gianni again and get the same response. Network error. I check my messages to verify his activity. He sent his last report a few hours ago.
I dial the call-in number.
A voice replies, “Everything clear. Over and out.”
“State your time,” I order.
Click.
The line is dead.
It’s a pre-recording. They jammed our system. Gianni or my uncles must’ve leaked the numbers. Toma and Nico had keys for the house. They could’ve messed with the camera feed while Sabella was out on a walk. Then again, anyone with access to the password could’ve done it remotely. But I’m the only one who knows the password, which leaves me with the first option.
My hands shake as I dial the guard in charge at the old house again. “Turn around. Take six men with you to the hospital in the village. My wife has been admitted. Guard her room. No one comes near her except the doctors. Even then, go in with them. Make sure nothing happens to her. The rest of the men stay at the house. The kids will be home soon.”
“Your wife? At the hospital?”
“Just do it,” I say through gritted teeth. “And tell the men to get ready for war.”
“Yes, sir.”
I walk on wooden legs to the 4x4 and open the passenger door in the front.
Fuck.
What do I tell the kids who’ve just been through a traumatic experience? How can I deal them another blow when the horror of tonight is still fresh in their young, vulnerable minds? How do I say those words out loud without going to pieces?
I rack my brain for an excuse, but no. I made a vow not to betray their trust. This isn’t a lie I can sweep under the carpet and hope they don’t notice.
I swallow. “Sabella is in the hospital.” Just saying it makes me tremble with maddening violence and crippling fear.
“Is she sick?” Sophie asks, sounding small and scared.
Assaulted.
