Page 75 of Bound in Vengeance
I sit down, staring at it for a moment before I reach out and open it slowly. Written in a sharp, elegant, and entirely masculine script are just a few lines:
You’re too stubborn for your own good, dolcezza, but I’m going to enjoy breaking it out of you. I have a meeting to attend. I’ll see you later.
- A.
I stare at the words, the paper rough against my fingertips. Before I even realize what I'm doing, I feel a small, involuntary smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
The moment I catch myself doing it because of a note from the man who currently holds me captive, I instantly wipe it off my face. I shake my head, annoyed at how easily he can shift my mood, and toss the paper onto the table.
Determined to ignore him and the strange flip my stomach just performed, I pick up my fork and forcefully stuff a piece of fruit into my mouth, chewing aggressively as I stare out the window.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ALESSANDRO
The heavy iron doors of the warehouse groan as my men throw them open, the sound echoing through the cavernous, desolate space. Dust motes dance in the shafts of the late-afternoon sunlight cutting through the cracked high windows, but there is no sign of life.
"Search every fucking inch!" I roar, my voice booming off the corrugated metal walls. "He was supposed to be here! Find him!"
Instantly, a dozen of my soldiers scatter across the floor. The warehouse is a graveyard of rusted shipping containers, overturned wooden crates, and abandoned machinery. My men start upturning everything in sight, kicking through piles of debris, ripping tarps off old equipment, and shining flashlights into every dark, rotting nook and cranny.
But with every passing second, the silence of the room tells me the exact same story.
He isn't here.
I stand in the center of the concrete floor, my hands buried deep in the pockets of my overcoat, my chest heaving with a mixture of raw fury and exhaustion. We had a solid tip. A high-level informant swore on his life that Luca had been spotted sneaking into this sector of the industrial district less than two hours ago. It was supposed to be a guaranteed trap.
Instead, it’s just another dead end. Every single lead we've chased today has gone completely cold, and it is grating on my absolute last nerve. This is the fifth lead we’ve chased that has turned up empty. Luca is out there, a loose thread with enough classified knowledge to dismantle my operations, and he’s playing me like a fool.
The sound of heavy, familiar boots approaches me from behind. I don't turn around as Valerio comes to stand right beside me, his eyes scanning the chaotic sweep of our men.
"Nothing," Valerio says, his tone tight and thick with the same frustration burning through my veins. "The nest is completely cold. Looks like he cleared out at least an hour before we breached the perimeter."
"He's mocking me," I growl, my jaw clenching so hard a dull ache throbbed in my temples. "He knew we were coming, Valerio. Someone is feeding him our movements."
Valerio frowns, his eyes shifting from our men to look at me directly. "You think we have a rat in the inner circle?"
I nod, my eyes narrowing into slits as I stare at a discarded blanket in the corner of the empty room. "I’m certain of it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be escaping us like this. Every single time we get close, he’s already a step ahead. Someone is telling him exactly where we are looking."
Valerio hums, a dark, heavy cloud settling over him. For a while, we just stand there in the suffocating silence of the desolate warehouse, the echoing sounds of my men kicking through empty crates fading into the background.
I turn to him, my mind made up. "I'm going to go confront the elders."
Valerio lets out a heavy, warnings-filled sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alessandro... I know you're furious, but you know how they are right now. They're already mad at you. Pushing them today might start a war we aren't ready for."
“When are they not mad at me?” I huff, a cold, brutal laugh escaping me. "I don't give a fuck what they're mad about. If one of them is protecting a traitor, they will answer to me."
Valerio sighs again, realizing there is absolutely no talking me out of it. "Fine. But you won't find them at the usual syndicate boardrooms. The elders are currently at a private gathering at the Melvitto Garden, having a get-together to unwind and drink."
"Send me the address," I command, already turning on my heel and walking toward the exit.
I leave the dusty warehouse behind and get straight into my car, the engine roaring to life as I pull onto the main road. I'm halfway across the city, my hands gripping the steering wheel tight enough to turn my knuckles white, before a sudden thought hits me.
I'm going to take Sienna along with me.
I try to tell myself it isn't because she has been on my mind all day, or because I’m desperate to see her again after the way we left things this morning. No. It’s a strategic move. She completely owned the room the last time we met with the elders, standing her ground with that lethal Caruso pride. I need that exact same fiery energy by my side today to show those old bastards that the Gallo empire stands completely unified.
As I navigate through the evening traffic toward the estate, I pick up my phone and send her a quick, direct text:
