Page 26 of Alessio DeLuca

But first, I have to find her. I have to bring my girl home, wrap her in my arms and never let her go again.

“Round up the men,” I tell Luca, my voice lethally calm. “We move on the plant in 30.”

He nods sharply. “And him?” He nudges the lump at my feet.

I glance down, lip curling in disgust. The rage is still there, simmering in my blood, but it’s sharper now. A cold, focused edge that will serve me in the fight to come.

“Bring him. He might be useful.” I slide my gun back into its holster, already turning to the door. “And Luca?”

“Yeah, boss?”

My smile is a dark promise, dangerous and unforgiving.

“Fucking load up. We’re not taking any prisoners tonight.”

His answering grin is just as ruthless, a baring of teeth that would make even the most hardened criminal piss himself. “You got it, boss..”

Twenty minutes later, we’re rolling, an armored convoy of blood-hungry wolves disguised as blacked out SUVs. I’m in the lead, Luca at my side and a dozen of my most loyal soldiers at my back.

We’re prepared for war, armed to the teeth and ready for anything. But all I can think about is Maty. My stubborn, brilliant, beautiful Maty, who burst into my life in a blaze of bravado and challenged me in ways no one else dared.

She’s my beating heart, the very air in my lungs. And I will storm the gates of hell itself to bring her back to me.

Hang on, baby. I’m coming for you.

And when I find the bastard who took you…

There won’t be enough left of him to fill a fucking ashtray.

Twelve

Chapter 12

Maty

Time loses all meaning in the darkness of my prison. Minutes bleed into hours, hours into days, until I’m no longer sure how long I’ve been trapped in this nightmare. The only constants are the gnawing hunger in my belly, the parched desert of my throat, and the never-ending cycle of fear and despair.

Ghost hasn’t returned since that first awful confrontation, but his presence lingers like an evil specter. I flinch at every noise, every flicker of shadow, terrified that each moment will bring his revenge crashing down on me.

But in a twisted way, the waiting is almost worse. It gives me too much time to imagine all the horrors he has in store, each scenario more brutal than the last. Will he torture me first, drawing out my agony until I’m begging for death? Or will he simply put a bullet in my head?

And what about Alessio? Has Ghost already set his plan in motion, using me as bait to lure my love to his demise? The thought alone is enough to send me spiraling into panic.

I can’t let that happen. I can’t let my past destroy the one good thing in my life. Alessio is everything to me - my heart, my home, my salvation. And I’ll be damned if I let Ghost rip that away.

But what can I do, tied up and helpless in this godforsaken place? I’m no match for Ghost’s cruelty, his single-minded obsession with making me pay for sins I never meant to commit.

Desperation claws at my throat as I strain against my bonds for the thousandth time. But it’s no use. The ropes are too tight, the knots too well-secured. All I’m doing is rubbing my wrists and ankles raw, fresh blood trickling down my skin to join the rust-brown stains already marking the floor.

A sob wrenches itself from my chest, my head falling forward in defeat. I’m so tired, so broken down by thirst and hunger and terror. Maybe it would be better to just give up, to let go and drift away into oblivion…

No. No, I can’t think like that. I have to stay strong, stay focused. For Alessio, for our love. He’ll come for me, I know he will. He’ll move heaven and earth to bring me back to his side.

I just have to hold on a little longer. Just a little…

The screech of rusted metal jolts me from my feverish thoughts. My head snaps up, my heart pounding against my ribs like a wild thing as the door creaks open.

Ghost stands silhouetted in the entrance, a cruel smile playing on his lips. Two hulking shadows loom at his back, their features obscured by the harsh glare of the outer lights.

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