Page 278 of Untamed

“You think I had something to do with that?”

“I don’t think,I know. You’ve wanted her gone since the beginning. No one would benefit more from her disappearing.”

Luciano folds his hands slowly, watching me like I’m a child throwing a tantrum.

“Like I said, I haven’t seen Jordyn since the night she left with you. If she’s gone now and didn’t tell you... that’s on you, figlio. Maybe she finally realised who you really are. Saw the blood on your hands, the storm in your eyes, and ran. Just like I warned you she would. I told you she wasn’t built for this world.”

No. That’s bullshit. If she was going to run, she would have done it when I told her everything I've done. When I showed her the real me. She vowed that she would stand by my side and burn with me if that’s what it took. Why would she run now? No, it’s something else. Someone got into her head and spooked her.

I step around the desk, draw my gun without another word and press the barrel to his forehead.

His eyes never leave mine.

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” I say, voice shaking from the storm boiling under the surface. “Where. Is. She?” I hiss through clenched teeth.

Luciano exhales slowly, like he’s bored. Like he’s indulging me. Then, with infuriating calm, he says, “You’re really pointing a gun at your father… over some girl?”

“Shemygirl and you...you’re not a father,” I hiss. “You’re a puppet master with no puppet. Just strings rotting in your hands.”

His eyes narrow slightly. Still no fear. Just calculation. “I’m ready to burn this world to cinders,” I whisper, pressing the muzzle harder into his skull. “Do you think I won’t end you right now?” Luciano holds my gaze for a long, taut second.

“You always did mistake recklessness for strength.”

“And you always did mistake control for love.” I retort.

Silence crackles between us. He thinks he still owns me, he doesn’t realise, I’ve already lit the fucking match.

“She was taken an hour ago,” I growl. “Both her and Bianca dragged off the road. Intercepted by two SUVs. Precision hit. You expect me to believe that’s coincidence? I don’t fucking think so.”

Luciano doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. Just watches me, this man who made me, broke me, shaped me into the blade he never had the guts to hold himself.

But something flickers behind his eyes now. It's not fear, no, it's awareness.

He knows I mean it. He knows I will kill him without hesitation.

“You always were dramatic, figlio.” he says at last, voice low. “Fire in your blood. No leash long enough to hold you. Just like your mother.”

The mention of her snaps something clean in my spine. My finger tightens on the trigger, and I press the barrel of the gun harder into his temple. “Don’t fucking talk abouther.”

Before he can respond, Enzo’s voice fills the room. “Ares!” I don’t at look at him “Put the fucking gun down,” he shouts, stepping into the room.

“Stay out of this,” I say, eyes still locked on Luciano. “This is between me and him.”

“What the hell is going on?” Enzo demands, breath ragged, his footsteps halting behind me. “What happened?”

Luciano speaks before I do. Smooth and composed. “Your brother seems to think I had something to do with Jordyn’s disappearance.”

Enzo goes still. “Disappearance? What is he talking about?”

“She was taken,” I snap. “Intercepted on her way to the airport by two SUVs. No trace. I found her tracking bracelet on the side of the fucking road. Blood on your wife’s car.”

Enzo stumbles forward a step. “What?” he utters baffled as he steps to stand beside me. “Bianca’scar?”

“Yes, your wife was driving her to the airport,” I grit out, every word sharp enough to draw blood. “But they never fucking made it. Jordyn and Bianca, gone. Taken right off the road. And your father?” I shoot Luciano a glare like a loaded barrel. “He’s about to tell me who the fuck helped pull it off. Because someone knew. Someone planned this. And if it wasn’t him… maybe it was one of his friends, like the fucking Mancini’s.”

I glance back just enough to see the confusion and concern etched across his face. There’s no sign of guilt.

It’s shock. Genuine shock. Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe Luciano didn’t let his lapdog in on the plan where he used Bianca to lure Jordyn into a trap. Doesn’t mean I trust him, though.

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