Page 93 of Forbidden Sins

What the fuck?I tense, straining against my zip-ties with some small hope that I might hear Estella’s voice on the other end. But Antony is standing too far away, as if he’s determined to deny me even the smallest crumb of solace before I die.

He stands there, frozen, every muscle in his body tense. And then the hand holding the phone drops to his side.

Antony turns to face me, slowly. His face is ashen, bloodless.

“What happened?” I strain uselessly at the zipties, forgetting all about the circumstances I’m in. All I can think about is that I need to get to Estella. I need to find her.

“Vito has Estella.” Antony’s voice is hollow. “He didn’t bring her back here, like I expected. He’s got her somewhere in the city. He says if I don’t sign everything over to him—the businesses, the house, the properties, all of it, he’ll kill her.”

Antony runs a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. “Fuck!” He curses aloud. My heart beats rapidly behind my ribs.

“How the hell does he think he’s going to get away with that?” I demand. “The other bosses?—”

“Will believe I’ve decided to retire early and hand over the reins to my daughter’s new husband, if I sell it,” Antony bites out tersely. “After my son’s death, who wouldn’t understand? Vito has thought this out, clearly. And if I refuse to play ball, Estella’s life is at stake.”

“Untie me,” I say immediately.

Antony’s eyes narrow. “Why the hell would I do that, Sinclair?”

“Because I can help you get her back.” I lean forward as much as I can, my gaze holding his. “Your men are good, but no one is more motivated to protect Estella than I am. I’ll move heaven and earth to get her back safely, away from Vito. My life means nothing compared to her safety. I promised her.” I stare at Antony, my heart beating hard. “I will help you get her back, sir. Just let me go. Let me help.”

Antony stares at me for a long moment, calculatingly. “You kidnapped her,” he says slowly, and I huff out a sharp, exasperated breath.

“To protect her from Vito!” I shake my head, hard. “Do you not believe me yet, Gallo? Do you not believe that I saw Vito trying to hurt her before they were even married? I knew you wouldn’t fucking listen, and you’re proving me right, again and again. So I took her away. And yes, I wanted her for myself. I love her. But ultimately, I wanted her safe.”

Antony draws in a deep breath, shoving his phone back into his pocket as he starts to pace. I can see the war he’s fighting—the need to save Estella battling with his hatred of me. With his determination to make me pay for all the lines I’ve crossed.

He turns to me, eyes narrowed. “If you try to run with her again?—”

“I won’t,” I promise. “I swear on my life.”

He snorts. “Your life means nothing to me.”

“Then I’ll swear on hers.” I hold his gaze steadily. “Let me help you, Gallo. You can kill me after, if you want to. I won’t even fight. But right now, she needs all the help she can get. Let me help you get her back.”

Another long beat passes. Antony shakes his head, pulling a knife from his pocket and clicking it open. He circles behind me, cutting the zip-ties loose, and the blood starts to flow into my stiff fingers.

“Get him up to the house and seen by a doctor,” Antony orders. “Tell Brick to start searching for where Vito might have a house around here, an apartment, anything. Go!”

Two men stride forward, pulling me up from the chair. Pain slices through my leg, but I don’t care.

All I can think about is getting to Estella.

—

Six hours later,I’ve had my wound tended to, stitched, and bandaged, and enough painkillers in me to allow me to walk on it. That’s probably causing some damage, but I can’t bring myself to care. I’m no use to Antony on crutches, and I’m probably not going to live much past this anyway.

All that matters is bringing Estella home.

I’m taken to Antony’s study, where he’s looking at a map, surrounded by Brick and several other men.

“Sinclair,” he greets me coldly. “We’ve located the penthouse where Vito is holding her. We have men and weapons ready. Are you capable of coming along?”

I wonder what he’d do if I said no. Probably order me dragged out to the barn. I’m not really in a state to be on a rescue mission, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone go after the woman I love without me.

I need to see her one more time, at least. To know she’s safe, before I die.

“I’m good,” I say as firmly as I can manage. “Get me some hardware, and I’m ready to roll.”

---