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I notice her breathing speed up and I’m immediately there, holding her in my arms. I rub comforting circles on her back in an effort to calm her down.
“Breathe, Katerina. You need to calm down.”
“Why isn’t he back yet?” she says, her breathing still erratic. “Something’s wrong. Xander I swear something’s wrong.”
My heart threatens to cave in on itself. I’ve never seen her like this. I’m about to grab my phone to ask the nanny to bring Nate back when it starts to ring. Katerina and I look at each other and I don’t know if it’s her hysteria rubbing off on me, but my heart skips several beats as I grab the phone to answer the call.
Katerina’s eyes are shut and I’m pretty sure she’s praying.
“Addison,” I say sharply, speaking to Nate’s nanny. “Where is he?”
As soon as she starts to cry, I feel my heart leap into my throat.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Steele. We were in the park. One minute I was holding his hand and the next a car was driving past us. They rushed towards me and snatched Nate from me. The men wore masks. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I am so sorry sir,” the woman explains in a rush.
Each words feels with even more dread than the last. Katerina’s back is against the wall. I can see the stark terror on her face as she sidles down to the floor, crouching as her shoulder shake with sobs. Numbly, I drop the phone to the ground.
“I told you, Xander. I told you something was wrong,” she says quietly.
My chest aches with the realization. “That bastard has our son.”
CHAPTER 29
Katerina
“How much more fucking incompetent can you all possibly get? The city’s not that big. I dispersed every man to look for him and you bring me nothing?” I scream.
It’s been five hours and seventeen minutes since my baby was kidnapped. Five hours and seventeen minutes since I haven’t been able to take an easy breath. After Xander and I got over our shock at the news, we immediately leapt into action. He went to the police for help and I came here to the mansion. In the past three hours I’ve asked from help from all the Dons. Roman, Christian, Enzo, every single one of them has dispatched men to search through every corner of the city. And so far, there’s been no news.
“We’ll find him, Don,” one of the capos standing in front says to me.
“You’d better. Because if my son doesn’t turn up alive and well, I swear I’ll turn this house into a blood bath. Maybe I’ll start with your head,” I threaten.
He swallows nervously and the men hurriedly disperse. I feel a soft hand on my shoulder and turn to look at my sister. Sophia came here as soon as she heard the news. Right now, Rico, Tony and Xander are out there, driving around the city, trying to find him as well.
“Kat, you need to sit down,” my sister says gently. “You look pale.”
“I’m fine,” I mutter, turning to walk towards my office.
I’ve been looking through every CCTV camera in the area of Nate’s abduction, trying to figure out what route the kidnappers took. Not only were their faces covered, but they managed to avoid streets with cameras that could help to pinpoint their location. I’m not daunted. If I have to hack into a satellite to find my son, I will.
When I reach the door to my office, I sway on my feet. My father’s there immediately, his face etched in concern.
“You’re of no help to anyone if you collapse, mia cara,” he says to me.
Like Sophia, I brush off his concern, heading for my laptop. A few minutes later, Sophia enters the room with a plate of food. I shake my head at the sight.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat to at least have some strength, Katerina. You can’t save Nate if you have no energy.”
I grit my teeth, looking up at her. “I said I was fine, Soph, I just need to keep working on this. I’ll eat when I find him. I just need to find him first.”
Behind her, Xander suddenly appears, walking up to my table. I see the same bone deep expression in his eyes, I’m sure can be found in mine. His jaw is clenched as his eyes roam my face. Then he’s accepting the plate of food from Sophia.
“Thanks. I got this,” he says to her, offering a small smile.
My sister nods, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. Xander doesn’t say a word for several seconds. He places the food on the table in front of me, before sitting on the other side.
