Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 65987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
I glanced around wildly, looking for a security camera I could make sure to look at directly. Once Dario realized I was missing, he’d have his security people looking for me. If for no other reason than to keep his new toy. Dario Luca absolutely would not let anyone take something belonging to him.
We reached the service door, and the second man pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit corridor. The moment we crossed the threshold, my survival instinct kicked in. I twisted violently, driving my elbow into the ribs of the man behind me. He grunted but didn't release me. Instead, his arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me off my feet as I kicked and struggled.
"Enough," the first man hissed, producing a cloth from his pocket. He grabbed my jaw roughly, forcing my head still as he pressed the fabric against my face.
A sweet, chemical smell filled my nostrils. I held my breath, thrashing wildly, but eventually my lungs burned for air. When I finally gasped, the chemical flooded my system. The corridor tilted and spun around me, lights blurring into streaks of color.
My last conscious thought was of Dario's face, the way he'd looked at me that morning as I'd dressed in clothes he'd provided, in a room in his house, behind walls he'd sworn would keep me safe.
Darkness closed in from all sides as I felt myself being carried, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. A door opened. Cold air hit my face. The sound of an engine. Then nothing.
***
Dario
I checked my watch again, irritation prickling at the back of my neck. Belle should have returned with the coffee twenty minutes ago. The executives droned on about shit I cared nothing about but helped them feel necessary in the grand scheme of things, oblivious to my growing discomfort. Something felt wrong. I'd spent decades honing my instincts, and right now they screamed with warning. My phone remained silent, no message from Belle. No call from Marcus, who should have been headed her way. I was about to excuse myself when the double doors crashed open, and Marcus burst in, his typically unflappable demeanor shattered. One look at his face told me everything.
"Belle's been taken," he said, confirming my worst fear.
The room fell silent. Eight executives in bespoke suits stared at Marcus, then at me, bewilderment clear on their faces. I didn't offer them an explanation. They didn't deserve one. I rose from my chair, a strange calm descending over me like a shroud of ice.
"We'll continue this another time," I said, my voice perfectly controlled despite the murderous rage already building beneath my skin.
"But, Mr. Luca, the merger papers—" Chambers began.
I silenced him with a single look. The blood drained from his face as he recognized something in my eyes that rarely surfaced in these boardrooms, the part of me that had built our family's empire in blood.
Marcus held the door as I strode out, already pulling my phone from my pocket. "Tell me," I demanded, keeping pace with him as we moved toward the security hub.
"Two men in the lobby. They made her breathe something to knock her out. Took her through the service corridor to the loading dock. Black SUV, tinted windows."
"Rossi?"
"Oh, yeah. We have positive ID on Anthony Rossi's men. Malcom Jenks and Terrance Cole." His voice tightened. "I take full responsibility. I should have—"
"Later," I cut him off, punching Vittorio's number. My brother answered on the first ring. "Belle's been taken."
“Yes. Already on it. My men caught it the same time Marcus did.” I should have known my brother would be on top of the situation. It was his superpower. “Come to the security hub. We’ll work this from here.”
The security hub occupied the entire basement level of High Tower, a space unknown to most who worked in the building. It served as our war room, equipped with a network of computers capable of hacking into more than just the city wide camera feeds, and the brain power to make the most of every resource. As Marcus and I entered, the space already hummed with energy.
Matteo looked up from a table where he was checking an impressive array of firearms. "Ten minutes," he said, no greeting necessary. "Gabriel's bringing up the tactical gear."
I nodded, moving directly to the wall of monitors where Vittorio stood, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied the security footage. He stepped aside as I approached, allowing me an unobstructed view.
The footage played in crystal clarity. Belle at the coffee shop. The two men watching her. The interception in the lobby. The spilled coffee. Her futile struggle as they forced her toward the service exit. My hands clenched into fists as I watched them press a cloth to her face, her body going limp, then being carried to the waiting vehicle.