Page 48 of Corrupt Desires

He rubs the back of his neck, wincing as he does. “Yeah, I guess so. What do we do now?”

“Let’s regroup at James’s house. Franklin is there watching the camera feeds for any sign of Emilia. I’ll take the loaner with Matteo. We’ll follow you back, James,” says Kayden, always the one with a plan.

Just as I’m about to turn to leave, my phone vibrates signaling a text message. Glancing at my phone, I notice it’s Franklin. Heart racing, I hurriedly open my messages, relief and dread filling my body equally.

James. They brought Emilia to the house.

She doesn’t look hurt, but they led her intothe part of the house that has no cameras.

I have no idea what’s happening in there.

Knowing exactly what they do to women in that house, my blood fills with rage as I imagine all the ways they could hurt her.

“Kayden, we have to go. Emilia was brought to the house.”

Kayden looks at me sharply, rage and something else simmering within his gaze.

“I’ve had enough of these sick-headed assholes taking our women,” Kayden spits out.

I can only assume he’s talking in regard to Melody, and now Emilia, as I’m pretty positive he doesn’t have a woman to be taken.

I look at him, confusion written plainly on my face.

“You know what I mean… Melody is family, as well as Emilia.”

“I understand,” I reply, although I still feel like something is off. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

The drive home feels like forever, my anxiousness taking over my body. It’s a miracle I am able to drive without crashing.

The morning sun peaks over the ridges as we get to the house and park our vehicles in the garage.

Walking into the house feels so incredibly empty without Emilia. Little does she know she took my heart with her, which means I have no qualms about doing what must be done to get her back.

Thirty-Two

Emilia

Cracking open one eye, I wince at the pain in the back of my head as I peer down at my legs. Fucking hell, these bastards just love to knock people out with their big guns.Must be compensating for something, I think to myself.

The humor leaves my body as quickly as it came as I go to move my arms and realize I’m tied down with rope around my chest, wrists, and ankles.

“Ah, ah, ah,principessa. You’re not going anywhere anytime soon—struggling is useless here.”

Hearing the one voice I least expected to find here, I finally lift my head and stare into the eyes of betrayal.

“Fuck you, Lorenzo. Why did you do it? My parents, my fucking parents, Lorenzo! You killed them. What the fuck did the Romanis offer you that was so good you had to betray the only people that actually gave a fuck about you?”

“Ahhh, but that’s where you’re wrong, Em. They didn’t care about their lap dogs. And that was all I was ever going to be to them. I heard your mother and father talking one night, how Matteo could take over the dynasty should you ever want to get out of the business. They had a backup plan, one that didn’t involve me,” he spits out, his fists clenching at his side as his jaw feathers. “They said I would need to be replaced, that my age was making me a hindrance—aliabilitythey said.”

“FUCKING REPLACED, EMILIA,” he shouts. “LIKE I WAS NOTHING!”

He continues to pace the concrete room, but then stops abruptly, tugging a hand through his hair as he stops in front of me. The Lorenzo that I knew was always stoic and silent; to see this rageful person in front of me is turning my world upside down.

“And that is where the Romanis come in,principessa.” He bends down and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear before I can whip my head away from his grimy hands. He strides away, once again pacing in front of me.

“Anthony is offering a seat at his table, so to speak. I’m not just some guard dog anymore, Em.”

Glaring at him with the utmost amount of hate in my eyes, I spit at his feet, my lip curling in disgust. “And what do you call this? Bringing me in here, doing his dirty work? Looks like a lap dog to me,” I say, sneering at him as he moves quickly in front of me, backhanding me so hard my head whips to the side, and I feel a trickle of blood running down my cheek.

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