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My fists clench as I stare into the dark, hoping someone will walk through the doors of the building.
“That party is crawling with cops and federal agents. You’re not going to kill me so close to them.”
He grins then, and the smile is so unnerving, my skin crawls. Why the fuck didn’t I just go home with Christian? If I survive this, he’s never going to let me live it down. He’ll keep me locked up forever. I’m going to die in that mansion, if I don’t die here today.
“I’m not going to kill you, Ms. Evans. As for the cops and feds in the building…” He flashes me another grin. “Unlike your fiancé, I’m considered one of the good guys, Ms. Evans.”
There’s no warning, no time to prepare myself. He rushes forward and I only have a split second to take note of the white handkerchief in his hand, right before he uses it to cover my mouth. My eyes are blurry as they meet his.
“Sleep well, Daniella,” Richardson says, and everything goes dark.
When my eyes open, there’s sunlight streaking through the large windows of a room I recognize to be inside a warehouse. It takes a moment for me to notice the men standing guard around the room. My heart thudding in my chest, I count at least a dozen. Richardson is in a corner of the room. I try to move, but my hands and legs are tied to a chair. At least they didn’t gag my mouth.
One of the men strides forward. He’s wearing a suit, but there’s something about his gait that tells me that the suit isn’t for board rooms. He’s in the mafia, just like Christian. I have no idea who this man is. He’s in his fifties, with short dark hair and hard eyes. He doesn’t smile as he approaches me. His expression is serious, almost grim.
“Let me go!” I scream, trying to pull at the bonds holding me in place.
He studies me for several seconds, his eyes black and cold. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Ms. Evans.”
“Who the hell are you?”
He finally smiles, one crack in his icy façade. “My name is Romano Santos.”
CHAPTER26
Christian
Carlo holds the security guard by his collar and punches him in the face. Blood and spittle fly through the air. My muscles are coiled tight as my eyes catch and narrow onto the other man kneeling on the ground. I move instinctively toward him but my brother comes to stand in front of me, pressing a hand against my chest.
“No! You’ll kill him.”
“Let me fucking go!” I shout.
Daniella’s missing. Last night, I got a call that one of my men was found dead in the parking lot of the Colby party an hour after I left. The minute I heard Bronx was dead, my blood turned to ice. I rushed back to the party, but it was no use. Daniella was gone.
“You need to calm down, Don. We’ll find her.”
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. My heart hasn’t beat right since last night.
It’s seven in the morning and I’ve never been so terrified. I’m used to spreading fear, not feeling so much of it that I can’t breathe.
When Carlo’s grip releases, I brush past him and kick the man he was beating up in the ribs. He tries to block the blows with his arms. Fucking mistake. My boot connects with his balls and his cry of pain fills the room.
Carlo pulls me away. “What is wrong with you, Christian? This isn’t their fault!”
He yells something else at me in Italian but I barely hear him. He’s right, the two men aren’t the reason Daniella’s gone. But they were in charge of manning the gate that led to the party. And they should have fucking seen something, dammit.
“How could no one have seen anything?” I ask my brother.
His expression is pained as he looks at me. “I’m sorry, Chris. It was late at night. I already questioned her friend Cara and all she had to say was that Daniella told her she was leaving and left. Anything could have happened.”
Anything could have happened.The words ring in my ears and I let out a grunt of pain, leaning against the wall. If anything happens to her, I swear I won’t be able to handle it. I’ll never forgive myself.
“I should have been there,” Carlo says.
“No. I never should have fucking left her alone,” I say, refusing to let him blame himself for this.
It’s my fault. She’s gone because of me.
