Page 75 of Crimson Fate
The words are a lie, but they are also a kindness I am giving her. One she will never realize or understand.
She hesitates.
“I said go!” I shout louder. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”
Anthony commands Gia to come to him, and she obeys, the hurt heavy in her eyes.
“Fuck you,” she mutters under her breath as she walks past me, and I know I deserve all her hatred.
“Remember, Anthony,” I call after him as they back toward the elevator, side by side. “Eva better be unharmed, or there’s no corner of this earth you’ll be able to hide.”
He doesn’t bother responding, but the slight stiffening of his shoulders tells me he’s heard. The elevator doors open, the pair step in, and the doors close.
I glance around the table, meeting the eyes of each captain in turn, and announce, “From this day forward, Anthony Casaletto is an enemy of this family. Nobody will give him refuge because if they do, they too will become an enemy.”
“We’re with you, Vincent,” Bruno calls out. “That piece of shit won’t see the sunrise.”
“No!” I exclaim. “Nobody makes a move on Anthony until Eva Martinez is no longer a captive of his.”
The room nods in unison.
“And Gia isn’t to be touched,” Marco’s voice interjects. “She’s just as much a victim of her father’s treachery as the rest of us.”
I look at my cousin, the concern heavy in his eyes, and a fleeting thought hits me as I wonder how I could never have seen the true depths of which he cares for Gia. “Marco’s right,” I confirm. “Gia needs to be kept safe.”
“What do you want us to do?” Smitty asks.
“I want Eva found,” I order, my voice laced with urgency.
“I can reach out to some of my boys who have worked with Anthony’s guys before and see if they’ve heard anything about a girl being held somewhere,” Bruno offers, his eyes hard. “They won’t be able to keep her hidden forever.”
I nod, the idea solidifying in my mind. “It’s a good start.”
My phone vibrates again, and I slip it out, hoping it’s Anthony coming to his senses. Amelia’s name flashes across the screen, an anchor to a reality I’m not sure I can now face.
For now, only one thing matters: getting Eva back. And I will. No matter what it takes.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I turn to Marco, his steady gaze meeting mine. “I need you to use all your resources to find out where Eva is.”
I watch as his expression hardens, a testament to the seriousness of the situation. I don’t question Marco’s loyalty; it’s as absolute as the law of gravity. “I’ve already started making calls. Don’t worry, we’ll find her. I promise.”
With a nod, I turn away from him and make my way to the study. The wooden door closes behind me, sealing me inside my sanctum. I retrieve my phone from my pocket. Amelia’s last call still burns in my digital history. I exhale, trying to quell the cocktail of anxiety and desperation bubbling up inside me. She’s halfway across the world, and as much as I fucking hate to admit it, I need her more than ever.
“Come on,” I whisper, a silent plea for her to pick up. The thick air of the room constricts around me, every second stretching longer than the last. Then, finally, a click, and the line comes alive.
“Vincent?” Her voice crackles through the speaker, immediate and alert. “What’s wrong?”
The urgency in her tone strikes a chord within me, and for a fleeting moment, I’m grateful for the bond we share, even oceans apart.
“Amelia,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. The words clog my throat, a dam holding back the flood of fear and uncertainty. Despite the need to tell her everything, I know that being a world away from me, she can do nothing to help. I have no desire to add to her already stressful situation. “I saw I had missed a couple of calls from you and wanted to check in and make sure you were okay.” The lie rolls easily off my tongue.
“Why are you lying to me?” she snaps.
“I’m not,” I insist.
“And what about Anthony?” she inquires, and my stomach sinks at mentioning his name as I wonder how she could know he took Eva.