ADRIK
Budimir comes running into my study, eyes wide. “Sir, Eliza has been taken.”
I stare at him for a few beats, letting those words sink in. “Taken?”
He nods.
“By who?”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “By the MC.”
A rage unlike any I’ve ever felt hits me and threatens to swallow me whole as I sweep everything off of my desk in anger, the contents crashing to the floor. “Those fucking bastards.” They came to me claiming to want to have a peaceful discussion and then stab me in the back days later.
“We caught images on our CCTV of one man carrying her through a gap in the south wall.”
“How long ago?” I ask.
His jaw works. “Over an hour ago.”
“What the fuck were the security team doing not to notice it before?”
I notice the way his face pales as he moves forward, sinking into a seat opposite the desk. “The guard on duty was Kenny, and he fell asleep. It’s only because he got caught and forced to run through the tapes while he’d been slacking that they realized.”
The desire to lose control and tear apart the entire fucking security team is strong, but I breathe deeply and try to get a handle on my rage. I pull out my cell phone and bring up the app, which tracks Eliza. My heart sinks as it’s blank, which means they either got the device out of her or she’s underground. I fear it’s the former.
“They have an angle for taking her and it’s not for negotiating.”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
I shake my head, walking over to the window and gazing out onto the grounds of the Estrada Mansion. “They’re setting a trap and using her as bait to get rid of me.” I turn and look at my second in command. “I have my phone bugged in case anyone uses it, and Eliza made the grave mistake of breaking in here and ringing her sister.”
He raises a brow. “And?”
“And Thiago and Enzo are staying with the Morrone family.” I run a hand across the back of my neck. “They’re cooking up some plan to dethrone me and put Thiago back in his rightful place. The offer to have a peaceful discussion at the casino is nothing more than a ruse.”
“Fuck, so what are we going to do?”
I glance at the clock on the wall. “Right now, nothing. The second drop is happening in forty-five minutes at the dock, and I want to ensure that Don Pablo got my message loud and clear.”
After they attempted to blow our product and potentially me off the map, I murdered one of his relations that worked in the cartel and sent his head in a box to Don Pablo. Along with a written warning that the next time he fucks with me, I’ll ensure it’s all of his cousin’s children’s heads that are in a box, including Eliza’s.
Tension coils through me at the thought, as at the time the idea of killing Eliza was a minor inconvenience, but now? I’m not sure I have what it takes to end my wife’s life. She’s become integral to my day to day and now she’s in the hands of my enemies.
I claw my fingers through my hair. “Let’s get moving. Are the men ready and in place?”
Budimir nods. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” I check my appearance in the mirror, straightening my tie. “Let’s go and make sure those Mexican sons of bitches play ball.”
He nods. “Sounds like a plan.”
I walk out of the study with him following me, but for the first time since I took over as head of the cartel outfit in North America, I’m worried. Worried that something might happen to my wife and my unborn child. After all, my claim to the throne relies heavily on her, but I hate that it’s not just that.
Somehow, despite believing it impossible, I’ve come to care for her. She knows me in a way no one else ever has, and I won’t stand by while some bikers and Italians snatch her from me. The question is, will I survive trying to save her?
* * *
Santoro gets outof the vehicle first and I watch him from the passenger’s seat of the SUV. The same men that were with him before exit and then I give my men a nod. “Okay, be ready for an attack.”