Page 78 of Crimson Fate
My voice comes out like gravel. “Thanks for coming, not that you offered me much choice.”
Amelia crosses the room, ignoring my hostile remarks, and throws her arms around me. “I am so sorry, big brother. We’re going to find her, okay?” I close my eyes, enjoying the embrace, but only briefly. I stiffen and clear my throat.
“Of course we will,” Alexei adds reassuringly. Amelia sits next to me, and Alexei and Nikolai sit farther down the table when she does. Marco moves to sit opposite Amelia, his eyes continually scanning the unwelcome men in the room.
Marco looks like he wants to object, to say this isn’t their war, but one look at my face tells him now’s not the time.
“Anything from the other captains?” I ask Marco.
“No. Not yet. Smitty says he went to look for some guys in Anthony’s crew, but none were at their usual hangouts.” Marco replies. “He’s heading over to check Anthony’s place.”
“Anthony knows everyone will be looking for him,” I state flatly. “He won’t make finding him easy.”
“It’s New York. Nobody can hide their entire crew in a city that never sleeps,” Nikolai interjects, and my entire body tenses in response to his heavy Russian accent.
Marco ignores Nikolai’s comment and asks, “Is there any way he asked for amnesty with DeLuca?”
I shake my head. “There is no way DeLuca sticks his neck out for that guy. He’s pissed that Anthony lied to him about me being in on the whole thing.”
My phone vibrates on the tabletop, and every head in the room snaps toward me. My hand holds the device with a vise-like grip as I pick it up. I hold my breath when I see Gia’s name flashing on the screen.
“Quiet,” I command tersely, my thumb swiping the answer button. I bring the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Was any of it real?” Her voice is a venomous whisper laced with betrayal and hurt.
“Every damn second,” I grind out, words edged with frustration. “It had nothing to do with you. I had every intention of trying to make a life with you.”
Her anger crackles through the line. “You made a fool of me. What was it? Were you fucking her within a couple of days? Or was she the reason you raced away from our weekend together?”
“No!” I exclaim. “She had nothing to do with that. Honestly, I should’ve seen what I felt for Eva a long time ago... But when I was with you, I was still so fucking confused about her.”
“I hate you,” she bites back at me.
“I don’t blame you. You should hate me, but that doesn’t mean any of this is Eva’s fault. She’s not part of our world, Gia. She doesn’t deserve this.”
The line is silent for a moment before I hear her hiss in a low tone, “I know.”
“So you’ll let her go?” I ask, unable to hide the desperation in my voice.
“I need you to promise me you won’t come here if I tell you where we are. I’ll make sure Eva is safe, and I’ll notify you once we’re gone.”
“I promise.”
“Vincent, if he sees you coming, I don’t think I can keep her safe. Do you understand me? If you want to get her back in one piece, you can’t come after her. I will help you get her back if you listen to me.”
“Fine! I just need to know where she is and she’s safe.”
“He has her on our boat. I’m packing a bag and heading there to meet him. We’re leaving.”
“What do you mean you’re leaving?”
“I don’t know. Daddy said something about a contingency plan in the Caribbean or something.”
“What about Eva?”
“He said he would drop her off at a port south of the city once we are safely away. He promised me he has no intention of actually harming her,” Gia explains, and all I can think is she can’t possibly be this naïve. Desperation claws at my insides.
“Just leave her there before you set sail. There’s no reason to take her with you,” I argue.