Page 18 of The Don
“What is offal?” she asks with her Italian accent.
“Things like brains, liver, kidney, heart.” I gulp and nearly barf at the horrible memory. “Pig’s or chicken feet.”
“I no eat that too.” She screws her mouth up. “No.” She holds a finger up. “I eat kidney and liver. But, you no like, I no make.” She stands and reaches across to rub her hand up and down my arm. “I cook nice things.” She smiles proudly and gives me a comforting wink. Maria is like what I imagine a warm, loving grandmother to be.
“Thank you.”
“Eat what you want now, and I take the rest. The boys in the guardhouse, they’ll eat it.”
“Oh, I’ll have this and a pancake.” She spears a pancake and flicks it onto my plate. “Thank you.” Storm nudges me, but I’m not sure what he eats. I’ll find Ruben once I’m done and ask.
But for now, I’ll have my coffee and breakfast.
Ruben
“Signore.” Maria knocks on the office door.
“Yeah.” I look over the screens and wait for Maria to enter. “What do you need?”
“The workers.” She points above us. “They no can find Miss Eliza.”
“What do you mean they can’t find her?” I push up from the chair. “Where is she?” Maria lifts her shoulders and her brows. Where the fuck is she? “Where’s Storm?” Again, she lifts her shoulders.
Fuck.
Eliza came to find me after breakfast to ask about Storm, and I told her Dante would give her whatever information she’s seeking. I had to get her out of my office or I would’ve kissed her, and not only is she too young, but she’s not ready to be kissed by a man like me.
“Thank you, Maria, I’ll deal with it.”
Maria backs out of my office, and I head up to Eliza’s room. The workmen are cleaning and stop when I enter. “Sir, we’re waiting for Mrs. Sacco for instructions. As you can see, we’ve torn everything out, but can’t go any further until we speak with her.”
“Have you seen her?” I ask one of the men who shakes his head. This is all last minute, so of course they’re waiting for instructions. I button my jacket and head out of her room. Where the hell is she? I pull my phone out and dial Dante.
“Sir,” he answers on the first ring.
“Check the cameras.”
“What am I looking for?”
I start opening all the bedroom doors in case Eliza has slipped into one to take a nap. “Eliza’s missing.”
“Missing?” Dante’s as shocked by this as I am. “She hasn’t left the grounds, sir.”
“When was she last on camera?”
“I’m checking the footage now. Give me a minute.” I feel my jaw tightening as every second slips past without knowing where my Amorina is. If Adrian has somehow gotten onto my land and taken her, I’ll fucking hunt him down and kill everyone around him while he watches before I slice through his limbs one by one.
“Anything?”
“Not yet, sir.” I hear the click of the keyboard from Dante. “Call Storm.”
I check my bedroom in case she’s in there, but she’s not. “Venire,” I shout loud enough for Storm to hear the command regardless of where he is in the house. The only way he won’t hear me is if they’re outside.
I hear Storm’s toenails scraping against the marble downstairs. “I’ve found her.” I hang up and slide my phone back in my pocket. I run down the stairs and see Storm is coming from the back of the house. “Where is she?” Storm stops at the bottom of the stairs as if he’s waiting for me. He turns and with quicken steps leads me to the mudroom. He sits in front of a cupboard and wags his tail.
I approach the cupboard and can hear the faint sound of crying.
Fuck.