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“Sometimes pawns are sacrificed for the greater good,” she replied, her tone somber. “But it doesn’t mean they’re not valued.”
“Valued?” My voice rose, a tempest building inside me. “Adriana is out there, because of his choices. Because he decided to play God with our lives!”
“Tristan,” she said softly, reaching out as if to comfort, but I stepped back, out of reach.
I definitely didn’t want her to touch me.
“Don’t, Carmen. Just don’t.” The room felt too small, the walls closing in. I needed space, air, something to clear my head.
“Tristan, please,” she persisted, “you need to see the full picture. There’s danger coming from every direction now. Silvio’s trying to navigate it the best he can.”
“By kidnapping my fiancee.”
“By doing what he thinks is necessary,” she answered, her voice steady despite the tremor I saw in her hands. “And I think...I think it means we’re all in danger now.”
The finality of her words resonated within the room, sinking into my bones. For the first time since I had met her, Carmen Orsini seemed afraid. And I didn’t like that. Not at all.
We’d find her. We had to. For Adriana, for the family, for ourselves. It was the unspoken pledge that bound us, stronger than any deal or deceit. The Callahans stood together, come hell or high water.
Adriana was a Callahan now.
And hell had just knocked on our door.
I nodded sharply to Liam, who hovered near the door, his fingers tapping an anxious rhythm against his leg. “Alright, lad. We start by gathering intel. We need eyes on every Rossi and Orsini associate, now. Can you handle that?”
Liam straightened up, his youthful face hardening with determination that belied his years. “Got it, big bro,” he said, a renewed sense of purpose in his voice as he slipped out the door.
“That should take him a bit,” I said as I heard his footsteps recede. “I should give you both the bollocking of your lives.”
Carmen watched him go, her red hair a fiery cascade down her back, a stark contrast to the cold dread settling in my gut. She leaned against the sofa, arms folded as if shielding herself from the weight of her own revelations.
“Look, if I’d known this was what he was planning to do, I would’ve told you in the first place,” she said.
“Really? I don’t see you picking up your phone to tell me about this.”
She ignored me. “Before all this...,” she began, her voice quieter now, “Silvio considered aligning our families differently. He wanted me to marry into the Rossis.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “A Rossi?” I echoed, the name leaving a bitter taste.
She nodded solemnly. “It was a different time. Malachy’s shadow loomed large over the city, and Silvio was feeling the squeeze. He thought a marriage could unite the Italian fronts.”
“Which Rossi?” I pressed, trying to piece together the twisted history before me.
“Doesn’t matter now,” Carmen dismissed with a wave of her hand. “I never liked Nick, and Gio? Even worse. He’s a brute. Doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together.”
“Then why call off the deal? Why go to Malachy instead?” The questions were tumbling out faster than I could process them.
“Silvio changed his mind. Maybe he saw something in Malachy, or maybe he just saw me refusing to be part of that world.” Her laugh was hollow, devoid of any real humor. “He knew I wouldn’t stand for it.”
“Orsini pragmatism,” I muttered, more to myself than to her.
“Survival,” she corrected with a knowing look.
“Right now, none of that matters,” I said, breaking the connection as I turned away. “We need to find Adriana. Can you help us?”
“Of course,” she answered without hesitation. “She’s my sister. I’ll do anything.”
“Good,” I replied, the next steps already forming in my mind. “Because we’re going to need all the help we can get. And Carmen,” I added, pausing at the door, “keep this between us.”
