Page 120 of Righteous Enforcer
When the door closes, I round on my brother.
"I need people at every Bratva front we know about. Now." Not just my men, but his too.
Alessandro raises an eyebrow. "Why bother? They're probably taking notes on whatever Eva's telling them about our operations."
"She knows nothing!" I slam my fist against his desk. It’s not his face, but it helps channel some of my fury. "She has nothing to offer Ivan. You know it. She hasn’t seen or heard anything that goes on in our business."
He shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe not. She’s shrewd, Adriano. She's fooled you before. Think with your head, not your dick."
“You don't know her."
"Neither do you." He looks at me with pity. "That's the problem."
I turn away, unable to face the truth in his words. Because underneath my rage burns the sickening fear that he might be right.
"Ivan will kill her," I say.
"You survived the last time she died. You'll survive again."
Something inside me snaps.
My fist connects with his jaw before I realize I've moved.
Alessandro staggers back, catching himself against the desk as blood trickles from his split lip.
"Don’t you fucking dare… ”
"I deserved that." Alessandro straightens, wiping blood from his mouth. "But don't think you'll be allowed to hit me again."
Our eyes lock in confrontation. We've fought before, as brothers do, but never like this. Never enforcer against Don.
"I'm going after her," I say finally. "With or without your help."
"And if I forbid it?"
"Fuck you." I turn toward the door. "Family means everything. That's what Father taught us. Eva and Mirabella are mine."
I need to plan how I’m going to save Eva, but in the meantime, I need to check on Mirabella.
I push the door open.
Sophia sits beside the bed, dabbing Mirabella's forehead with a cool cloth.
My daughter's face is flushed with fever, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.
"How's my princess doing?" I ask, keeping my voice soft.
Mirabella's bottom lip trembles. "The bad men took Mommy."
I nod to Sophia, who quietly slips from the room. Taking her place, I brush damp hair from Mirabella's forehead. "I know, but I'm going to get her back."
Fresh tears spill down her cheeks. "They're going to hurt her like they hurt Nonno."
Her nonno?I realize that Mirabella may have information that can help me understand what Ivan wants and maybe how I can save Eva. It feels wrong, though, to seek answers from a three-year-old. But if anyone knows what Eva's been running from, it's the one person who's been with her these past three years.
"Your grandfather? Your mommy’s father?"
She nods, clutching her stuffed unicorn "Mommy said they made him go away forever." She curls up smaller, like she’s trying to hide from what she knows. "They were mean to him."
