Page 77 of Crimson Fate
“Anthony had me followed, and when he realized something was going on between Eva and me, he thought maybe I was playing him.”
“What do you mean playing him?”
“That I didn’t actually plan to marry Gia. He wasn’t wrong. I planned to expose him—at the meeting with the captains. I knew there was no way I could get that paranoid fuck here unless he thought it was somehow benefiting him, so I let him think it was to announce the engagement to Gia.”
“Vincent...” Amelia says in a disapproving tone.
“I know, I know. I thought if I got him here and agitated him enough, he’d eventually show his true colors. The greed, the betrayal, he’s endangered the family for his own gain, and I needed the other capos to see that. And he did, but...” My stomach churns as I think of Eva, scared and alone out there. My hand clenches around the phone, each word fueling my resolve.
“Go on,” Amelia presses, sensing my hesitation.
“When I confronted him tonight, he realized he was fucked, and he told us he has Eva.” The words taste like poison on my tongue, but they’re out now, hanging between us like a guillotine blade.
“He what?” Amelia exhales sharply.
“I didn’t want to let him go, but he made it clear that if I didn’t let him walk away, he would hurt her,” I explain, my voice laced with regret.
“We’ll be right there.”
“What? No, there’s nothing you can—” Before I finish my sentence, the line goes dead, and I know there is no use arguing with my sister. She will be here shortly, whether or not I’m okay with it.
There is a knock on my office door. I look up and instruct whoever it is to come in. My heart pounds in my chest, hoping against hope it’s someone with good news. But when the door swings open, revealing Marco’s stoic face, I know deep down that it isn’t the answer I’m desperately seeking.
“What is it?” I ask, my voice strained with the weight of anticipation.
His gaze lingers on me for a moment before he speaks. “Boss, I wanted to inform you that the other captains have left. They’re all heading to talk to their crews and tell them anyone still working with Anthony is no longer protected by the King family. They’ll reach out as soon as they hear something about where Eva might be.”
My blood runs cold at the statement. “Where she might be? I want to know where the fuck Eva is, and I want to know now.”
Marco’s face tightens, his jaw clenched. “We’re doing everything we can to find her. But it might take some time.”
Time. My patience wears thin, my frustration bubbling beneath the surface. I grit my teeth, my voice strained with desperation. “We don’t have time. Eva could be in danger.”
“I understand,” Marco says, his voice low and steady.
“Amelia and Alexei are on their way here. When they arrive, show them to the dining room,” I reply sternly. “I will be out after I make this call.”
He nods, and I can tell he has questions but knows I am in no mood to answer them.
I stare at the closed door after Marco leaves. Every second that ticks by feels like an eternity, and all I can think about is finding Eva and bringing her back to safety.
With trembling hands, I reach for my phone and dial Gia’s number. I know what I have to do, but I’m not surprised when it goes straight to voicemail.
“Gia,” I say, my voice strained, “I know I hurt you, and for that, I’m sorry. If I had seen any other way to do what had to be done, I hope you know I would have. Please, I am not a man who begs, but I am begging you. Help me find out what your father has done with Eva. She’s not part of this and doesn’t deserve what’s happening to her. This is me, trying to be the good man you thought you saw. Help me.”
I hang up the phone and do the only thing I can. I wait.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Every moment Eva’s not by my side, every second she’s out there with them is a shard of glass in my chest. My thoughts move between the desperation to bring her back to me and the desire to beat Anthony to death with my own two hands. I want to feel the life leave his body.
The phone connected to the front desk rings, and I watch Marco walk over to answer it, peering at the security monitor. He looks at me and says my sister is downstairs with two men.
“Send them up already,” I bark at Marco. Marco replies to who I can only assume is Walter and then moves to the elevator doors. I see him check his gun multiple times as he waits for our guests.
I don’t blame him for not trusting my sister’s new Russian husband and associate. Most of the time, I feel similarly, but none of the things that bothered me before seem to matter anymore. I only want Eva back.
The doors swoosh open, and Nikolai’s and Alexei’s towering frames emerge with Amelia posted between them. Marco eyes them suspiciously as he follows them, guiding them into the dining room where I’m already sitting at the table.