My rib cage burns as Keller’s massive arm crushes me against him, racing us through the streets.
I jolt as he comes to a sudden stop, and I peek out of one eye. All I see is dull brick walls on either side of me.
He bends and puts me down on my shaky legs. “I need to make a call.”
“Is Luca going to be okay, Keller? Are they going to kill him?”
My chest starts to heave. I can’t lose him.
His strong hands clamp down on my biceps. I stare up into his dark eyes. He might think he hides it, but he’s scared.
“Honestly, Rosa, I don’t know. All I know is, I promised him I’d keep you safe. We focus on that first. We will do everything we can to bring him back to you. I just need you to keep it together.”
“He can’t die, Keller. I-I–.” Choking on my words, he pulls me into his side.
“Shh, Rosa. Luca is a clever guy. And tough as nails. He grew up fighting for his life. He won’t stop now. Especially not now that he has everything to lose.”
He slips out his phone and brings it to his ear, still wrapping me tight. Enough to keep my rising panic at bay for now.
“Frankie. We have a big problem. They’ve taken Luca.”
I can’t make out the words, but I can hear the shouting on the other end.
“She’s with me. She’s safe. I need you and Grayson to come get us. Get Enzo to source my location. I’ll keep us moving, bring the armored truck.” He cuts the call.
“Rosa, we gotta move.”
Before I can agree, he bends and scoops me up again.
“I can walk. I’m not that fragile.”
“Luca tells me you’re the strongest woman he knows. But that’s not why I’m carrying you. I can’t have you lagging behind. You could be an open target.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
My body vibrates as he carries me. With my face nuzzled in his neck, tears stream down my cheeks. The only thing I can think about is being ripped away from the love of my life.
Car tires screech against the road, and I barely look up at the truck before I’m being plonked in the back seat and pulled into Frankie’s chest.
Keller gets in the passenger seat and we take off.
Over the roar of the engine, I can barely hear the men whisper-shouting in the front. I don’t want to hear how bad this is. I just want my Luca back.
“It will be okay, Rosa,” Frankie whispers.
He might normally have the best poker face, but even he isn’t hiding his worry.
“What’s the plan? We have to act fast.” The anger in Grayson’s tone makes me flinch.
“I’m waiting on a phone call. Enzo is on standby, as are our men. I put out the call to every single one of them. We have hundreds ready. I just need his location.”
“Romano?” Keller turns in his seat to face us.
Frankie shakes his head. “Even better, Maria. I can wrap that vile bitch around my little finger.”
I push myself back from my uncle. “You speak to Maria?”
“I worked with them for six years, Rosa. They know what I’m capable of, and they don’t want me as their enemy. I said I’ll do what it takes, didn’t I? I suspect, finding Luca, we should find Eva. They don’t have many options in this city.”
“Y-you haven’t found her yet, though?” Doubt starts to creep up. If we haven’t got Eva yet, how can we get to Luca quick enough to save him?
“Now that they have Luca, they’ll think they’ve outdone us. They knew Eva wasn’t enough to go for control. Luca is. I may have to forge a deal, though.”
Frankie shakes back his sleeve and checks his watch. “Any minute now. Keep driving, Grayson.”
“What deal?”
Frankie looks at me but doesn’t speak.
“What deal, Frankie?” Keller repeats my words.
“It doesn’t matter. They won’t get it, they just need to think they will for long enough.”
Keller’s dark eyes flick to mine, and he shakes his head. We all know he’s talking about me. I’m who Maria wants.
My fingers clutch at his arm. “Just give me over. If that saves Luca, just give me to her. You guys need him more than me.”
Frankie scoffs. “Not happening. If Luca loses you, Rosa, we’ll essentially lose you both. He won’t survive that.”
Luca is strong. He’ll be fine without me. “But–”
“Enough, Rosa. I’ve got this, okay?” Frankie pins me with a glare, the same as he used on me when I was growing up, to let me know when he was serious. I sit back, defeated.
His phone rings. “And here she is.”
The car is silent, and Frankie brings the phone to his ear.
“Maria. Nice of you to finally return my call.”
Even from here, I can hear her screechy voice faintly.
“You have something of mine. So, I’m listening.”
Frankie taps his fingers on his thigh, his face expressionless. My hands instinctively wrap around my throat. God, I can’t breathe.
“Hmm. What makes you think I’d do that? You have Luca, now I run the city, so I get to decide what happens next. You’ve done me a favor, really.” He glances at me and shakes his head.
“And why would I want to work with you? You have my fucking niece. Although, I did enjoy cutting your brother’s dick off.”
I gasp. Keller and Grayson laugh up front. Frankie brings his finger to his lips. I gulp, backing away to the other side of the car until my back hits the door.
Frankie takes the phone away from his ear and rolls his eyes at Maria’s screaming.
“Have you quite finished, Maria? I get it–you’re trying to impress Daddy. Now release Eva back to me, we have a deal. We don’t even need to let your father know about the mess you’ve caused here. Why isn’t he here, anyway?”
What about Luca? The only thing calming my nerves is the calmness from Keller and Grayson. If they believed anything Frankie was saying, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill Frankie, especially Grayson.
“Interesting. It will take quite a while for him to bring his army over from Italy. He’s left you here to die, Maria.”
He cuts the call.
I can’t take much more of this. I run my hands through my hair, I just want him back.
Frankie holds up his cell, watching the screen. “We should have his location in, five, four, three—”
His phone pings.
“Gotcha.”
Ringing fills the car speakers.
Another husky voice comes through the speaker. “I’ve programmed the location into your truck navigation, Grayson. Everyone is on their way now. They’ve been briefed to clear the building for your arrival to get you safely to Luca. Depending on how many men, you may have to join the fight. It’s a big unit, so I’m expecting a small army to greet you.”
“Don’t worry, Enzo, we have that covered. Truck is loaded,” Grayson says.
My palms start to sweat. “We need to get Rosa back to the safehouse, is it on the way? We can divert,” Keller says, looking to Grayson.
“No time. We protect her with our lives. This truck is armored.” Frankie shrugs off his navy jacket and his white shirt follows. He unfastens his black vest at the shoulder and sides.
He shoves it onto my lap and redresses. I stare down at the bulletproof vest.
“You need that more than me! You’re walking into a war zone, Uncle Frankie!” Panic rises. He’s my last remaining family member, and I just got him back. If I lose him, I won’t have anyone. Tears start to run down my face.
His voice is calm as he pats my knee. “I don’t need it. I failed you once, never again. Now put it on.”
We park down a side street, still in broad daylight. “Keller, protect her. Enzo is sending more men as back up. Just stay here; don’t move unless you have to.”
Grayson and Frankie jump out of the car and open up the trunk, arming themselves with guns, knives, and grenades as I watch on in horror.
I pull my legs up to my chest and hug them tight.
Keller turns around to look at me. “Rosa, this will be over soon. Just hold in there for him.”
Of all the things I’ve endured in my life, this moment right here is the worst. There is nothing I can do to save the man who gave me the world. Soon, I could lose everything that has ever mattered to me. I won’t survive that.
I refuse to live without him.
The trunk slams shut. My phone starts ringing in my purse on the floor. I rifle through it and my heart stops when Eva’s name flashes up on the screen.
“K-keller. It’s Eva calling.”
“Shit. Frankie, Grayson, get over here!” he shouts before turning to me. “Answer it, put it on speaker.”
