Page 111 of His Tesoro

And then I’d wake up and fuck her a couple of times.

But too much stood between me and that fantasy.

I got off the elevator and found Angelo standing outside the apartment. His face was a mask of rage and he didn’t meet my gaze. I clenched my jaw at the insubordination, but he was Sofiya’s guard, and I understood why he was pissed at me. I would address him later.

“Do you want me to come in for backup?” Romeo asked.

He probably should, if only to prevent Sofiya from wrapping me around her finger. I needed to question her, to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. I nodded and swept past Angelo into the apartment.

Noodle greeted me at the door, bouncing with energy. I went to pat him on the head, but he ran away into the bedroom.

Fuck, even the dog didn’t like me right now.

“Sofiya?” I called out. She must be in our room.

My steps were heavy with exhaustion. Before I could get to the room, Noodle ran back out, throwing Sofiya’s medication bag at me. A jolt of panic went through my chest. Was Sofiya hurt?

I rushed into the bedroom, but it was empty. I called out for her again and checked the bathroom. I ran back to the living room.

“She’s not here,” I said to Romeo, who was pulling something out of the fridge.

He immediately put the container back, springing into action as my second-in-command. He beat me to the front door, throwing it open.

“Angelo, where is Sofiya?” he asked.

Angelo turned, looking at both of us with confusion. “She’s where you left her.” He looked straight at me as he spoke, his eyes filled with fury.

It took a moment for his words to sink in.

Where I left her?

“She’s still in the fucking basement?” I roared.

Romeo swore behind me. My hands shook as I pressed my finger to the elevator reader. It opened right away.

“Get in,” I said to Angelo. “And fucking explain what’s happened.”

“You said Mrs. Rossi should stay in the cell and that no one should let her out but you,” Angelo said.

I slammed my fist against the elevator wall. “And no one thought to do something when I didn’t return after a few hours?”

“When you didn’t return, I tried to get her out. Domenico said he called Romeo, who confirmed that she needed to stay there until you returned.”

I swung my head towards my brother, who held up his hands. “He didn’t call me. I never said that. I assumed she was back in the apartment, too.”

Domenico was a dead man.

My heart raced and I wanted to scream at how slow the elevator was. The second the doors opened, I sprinted through the basement to the cell Sofiya was in. No one was posted outside it, and the keys were nowhere to be found.

“Get the spare keys from my office,” I screamed at Romeo. I turned back to the door. “Sofiya, tesoro, can you hear me?” I knew she couldn’t. This was the room we used for torture. It was soundproof.

But that didn’t stop me from calling her name through the metal, letting her know I was here and she’d be out in a minute.

Romeo was out of breath when he returned with the keys.

I unlocked the door with shaking hands and then flung it open.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

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