Page 125 of Righteous Enforcer
The way he says it sends ice crawling up my spine.
Ivan studies me. "You still have value."
"What are you talking about?"
His smile is chilling. "Adriano Dante is fiercely protective of what he considers his. And despite your betrayals, he still considers you his."
Understanding dawns. "You're going to use me as bait."
"Smart girl." He reaches out to touch my cheek, and it takes everything in me not to recoil. "The enforcer of the Dante family, rushing headlong into danger to rescue the woman he loves. It's almost poetic."
"He won't come alone," I say, trying to sound confident. "Alessandro would never?—"
"Alessandro doesn't need to approve," Ivan interrupts. "You think Adriano will wait for his brother's permission when he learns I have you? When he hears what I'm doing to you?" His fingers tighten on my jaw. "Men like him are predictable in their chivalry. It will be his undoing."
I know he's right. Adriano will come for me and walk straight into Ivan's trap.
31
ADRIANO
The building before me is a monument to ostentation, a sprawling estate that screams of Bratva blood money.
Two guards patrol the perimeter while security cameras sweep across manicured grounds. Beyond those walls, Eva waits. My Eva.
Alessandro's words echo in my head. "This is exactly what Ivan wants. You're walking into a trap."
He's right, of course. But I don't have a choice. Not only that, but I’m doing this alone as Alessandro refused to let me bring a team.
"We're not risking our men for a woman who betrayed us," he'd said.
So here I am. One man against the Bratva. It's suicide, probably.
Still, my brother Luca did it once, and I remember grilling him about how he did it.
I imagine the Bratva shored up their defenses, but I’m determined. The thought of Eva in Ivan's hands makes my stomach burn.
I slip past the first camera's sightline, moving through shadows.
Years of working with my family have taught me how to become invisible when needed.
A guard rounds the corner. I press against the wall, waiting. He passes within arm's reach. I could snap his neck, but bodies raise alarms. Better to remain unseen.
The service entrance is locked but yields to my pick in seconds. I move through the kitchen past a sleepy-looking cook who never sees me coming. One quick compression on his carotid, and he slumps quietly to the floor.
The basement is my target. In places like this, they always keep prisoners below. I find the stairs and descend into dim fluorescent lighting.
The corridor stretches with a half-dozen doors on either side. Behind one of them, Eva waits. I draw my silenced pistol and begin checking each room. Empty storage. Laundry. Wine cellar.
A gnawing fear crawls up my spine with each empty room. What if I'm too late? What if Ivan's already killed her?
I open another door. This one looks like a cell or interrogation room. It’s empty.
My control slips as panic rises. I can't lose her again. Not like this.
I move faster, less careful now. Another door. Nothing. Eva isn't here.
I've been in this business long enough to know what that likely means. Bodies disappear. They get buried, burned, dissolved. The thought of Eva meeting any of those fates twists my insides into knots.
