Chapter 55

Albert

Waiting for the police to clear the road was tortured, but by the time it was clear, Ivan called me back.

"Boss..."

"What is it?"

"That... car is part of the fleet."

My eyes bulged. I gripped the phone tightly.

"What?"

"It's... the car issued to Dimitri in this city."

"... I'll fucking kill him. Get people on it."

I ended the call and took a moment to gather my thoughts. Fuming and left with a gnawing fear that I might not find her in time. The thought of what might be happening to Mia while she was out there made my blood run cold. I had to find her. We would find her. We had to.

I slammed my fist against the side of the door, frustration boiling over. The city was vast, and with the tracker offline, we were working blind, but there was a clue.

Just one.

"Take me to wherever Lorenzo is and have Ivan meet me there."

"Yes, boss. Are we expecting trouble?”

"Yes. Bloody, vicious trouble."

"...Should we call Sasha?"

"Send men ahead to secure him. I don't want him slipping away, and no. I'm going to beat the shit out of him myself."

As we drove to Lorenzo’s location, the city lights blurred by, and my thoughts turned to Mia. She was out there probably with Dimitri. The son of a bitch was vicious at the best of times.

He'd kill her given half the chance.

I called him, but the bastard's number had changed.

I grit my teeth.

Fine. He wanted to play games. We'd play.

When I arrived at Lorenzo’s house, my men who were guarding the place let me in without prompting. Sasha and his brother were both there, but they seemed only to be a round to keep Lorenzo's men at bay.

They nodded me up the stairs.

"Still sleeping like a baby. His wife's being held elsewhere."

I took the stairs two at a time up the stairs and kicked in his bedroom door. He let out a cry of surprise as I crossed the room. He was still pale from the day before. His hands were heavily bandaged but reattached, and he looked up at me with a mix of anger and fear.

I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him out of bed. He flailed and I punched him in the face.

"What the--"

"Where's Mia, you son of a bitch?"

"The little bitch ran from you--" I punched him again. Teeth went flying and I yanked him off the floor.

"You've been running your fucking mouth and now Dimitri has her. Where is he taking her?"

He sneered. "What's in it for me?"

I threw him against the dresser, slamming him into the large mirror that cracked and shattered over him.

“I’m not here to play games,” I said, my voice cold. “Your hands were just the beginning. If you don’t start talking, I’ll be taking cut of flesh from you myself. Where is she?” I demanded, my voice a low growl. “Where’s Dimitri taking her?”

Lorenzo spat out a glob of blood and looked at me like a man who knew he'd run out of chances, his face pale and sweating.

“I-I don’t know!” he stammered. "I--"

He threw up his hands as I pulled out my gun and struck him with it.

"Don’t play games with me, Lorenzo. You’ve been in contact with my father. You know!"

Lorenzo let out a pained sound. "I... I really don't--"

I cocked the gun and put it to his temple.

"I can call!" Lorenzo cried. "I have his number. I can call!"

I dragged him up and over to the bedside table to where his phone was, keeping the gun to his head.

"Dial."

Mia

The car jolted forward, and I felt a surge of panic as I tried to figure out my next move. The older man still hadn't said anything as we drove. The fear from before had turned into a cold knot in my stomach.

"Why aren't you--"

His expression darkened. He pulled out a gun, the metallic click echoing in the confined space, and pointed it directly at me. My heart raced as I froze.

“Shut up,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “I don’t want to hear another word from you.”

I tried to ignore the fear gnawing at me and focused on staying calm.

“Please, just let me go,” I begged. “I don't even know you..."

He sneered at me, a twisted smile curling on his lips. “You think you’re in a position to make demands? Albert’s choice of wife, and yet here you are, screaming and carrying on like a child.” His words were venomous, and each insult felt like a personal attack, but they were too personal. He hated me, but there was something else. “Loud and unrefined, fat, and ugly,” he spat out. “He should’ve picked someone more suitable. But I guess that’s what happens when a child decides to rebel."

A child?

He sounded a lot like Lorenzo...

Was this man related to Albert in some way?

I clenched my teeth, trying to ignore his degrading comments. My thoughts raced, trying to figure out how to get myself out of this situation. I glanced out of the window, hoping to see some sign of familiarity or any landmark that could help me understand where we were going.

The city lights faded behind us, and the landscape outside shifted to open roads and fields. We were leaving the city, and my sense of dread grew. I had no idea where we were headed, and I definitely had no way of getting back.

I turned my gaze back to the man, who was now watching me with a cold, indifferent expression. The gun was aimed at me steadily, but unlike Lorenzo, I couldn't tell whether he actually planned to kill me or not. The car continued to drive, and my anxiety mounted with each passing mile. My heart pounded, and I tried to calm my breathing, focusing on the small glimmers of hope that Albert would find me. I could only hope that he was tracking me somehow and that he’d come for me before it was too late. I had my phone with me after all.

The car came to a stop, and I was jolted forward by the sudden motion. The man with the gun remained as impassive as ever. We'd come to a halt on a desolate stretch of land. I looked out of the window, trying to make sense of our surroundings.

Then, the door was yanked open, and I was roughly pulled out of the car. The cool air hit me, and I shivered as I took in the scene before me. The ground was uneven, and there was a gaping hole—a grave—already dug and waiting. A shovel was stuck upright in the dirt beside it. My heart sank as I realized the gravity of the situation.

This man was going to kill me. His drive marched me to the side of the hole. Then, the older man pulled a set of documents from his coat pocket and tossed them onto the ground near the edge of the grave. His expression was cold, almost clinical.

“Sign these papers,” he said flatly. “Or you’ll end up in that grave.”

I could barely breathe. I glanced at the grave and then back at him, my mind racing.

“Did Lorenzo send you?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Does he have some other mafia man he’s trying to marry me off to?”

The man’s eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. He studied me for a moment before a smirk played on his lips.

"Sophia still too good to do a daughter's duty to the man that actually raised her?" I asked, my eyes stinging with tears.

He smirked. “Lorenzo Biachi, hm? I see. Clever. I didn’t realize you were his daughter." He scoffed. "Though I can see why he wouldn’t mention you when he has Sophia. Beautiful little thing she is."

I let the insult slide off me, not caring what he thought of my looks.

“If Lorenzo didn't send you, why are you doing this?” I set my jaw. "Knowing Albert, his deal with Elio can't still mean much of anything."

If anything. The man blinked then he laughed, it was proud and mocking. Again, I thought of Lorenzo. There was something... paternal in his laughter.

"I warned that old fool about his vices," the man said, glancing over me. "You must have been thinner at some point." He snorted. "Either way, I have no reason to explain myself to an insolent bitch who doesn't know her place." His expression remained impassive. “Sign the papers or die. The choice is yours.”

Then, a phone started to ring. It wasn't mine, but his. He pulled it out and cocked an eyebrow at the screen.