Page 1 of Savage Reckoning
CHAPTER ONE
NICO
“Find her!”
The command tears from my throat, a ragged sound that betrays more emotion than I ever allow. My injured ribs protest, sending hot pain through my chest. I ignore it. Pain is information, nothing more.
I barely register my uncle Alessandro’s hand on my shoulder, the silent warning to control myself. I shrug it off, and the movement reopens the wound there, a fresh warmth trickling down my back.
“Sir, we’re deploying thermal imaging,” the estate’s head of security says from the doorway, rain-slicked and wary. “Three teams are covering all exit points. We’ll find her.”
“She’s alone,” I say, my voice returning to its measured calm, though it costs me an effort. “Barefoot. Disoriented. In this weather...” I glance toward the window where lightning illuminates the driving rain. “She won’t get far.”
The security chief nods, turning to leave, but I stop him with a single raised finger.
“I want her unharmed,” I add. “Completely unharmed. Anyone who lays a hand on her answers directly to me.”
The implied threat is clear. He nods again, understanding perfectly, and disappears back into the hallway.
Alessandro moves to the window beside me. “She knows about her mother,” he says, his tone neutral. “That changes everything.”
I don’t answer. Lea Song knows that her mother is a North Korean operative. She knows that her entire career was engineered. She knows, or believes, that I’ve manipulated her from the beginning. She is a journalist with devastating information, the daughter of a spy I’m tracking, and a woman I have physically claimed. An asset, a liability, and a possession, all at once.
“Nephew,” Alessandro presses, his voice edged with caution. “You need to consider that we may not be able to contain this.”
I turn to face him, letting a fraction of my cold fury show. “I always contain my situations,” I reply flatly.
Before he can respond, sounds are coming from the hallway, a purposeful stride I recognize. Blake. My new right hand after Marco. I straighten and turn toward the door.
Blake appears in the threshold, rainwater still dripping from his black tactical gear, shoulders squared, his face set in lines of grim duty. Six-foot-two of disciplined muscle and calculated precision.
“Sir,” he says with a respectful nod, eyes taking in my blood-stained shirt with a microsecond of concern before returning to my face. “I came as soon as I received your message.”
I study him briefly. Blake Reeves, formerly my third-in-command. For years, he’s been shadowing Marco, learning the systems, observing the protocols, understanding the nuances of my operation. Now, abruptly, he’s been promoted by a bullet.
“Marco was a good man, sir,” Blake adds quietly, reading my thoughts with unexpected accuracy. “Loyal. Big shoes to fill.”
He’s right, of course. But emotion is a luxury I cannot afford. “Are you ready?” I ask directly.
He meets my gaze without hesitation. “I’m ready to step in, sir. Your orders?”
I give him a curt nod, accepting his new role without further ceremony. There will be time for vengeance later. For Moretti to pay in full measure for taking Marco from me. But right now, there is only the need to retrieve Lea before she becomes collateral damage.
“We’ll join the search,” I tell Blake, moving to Alessandro’s desk to retrieve a secure phone and earpiece. I ignore my uncle’s concerned expression as I pull a Sig Sauer from another drawer, check it from habit, and slide it into my shoulder holster.
“I’m going out there,” I tell Alessandro. “If Moretti’s people make any moves, let me know immediately.”
He sighs heavily but doesn’t try to stop me.
Blake falls into step beside me as I stride down the hallway. His presence is jarringly wrong.Not Marco. Never Marco again.The thought is another distraction, so I push it away and keepmoving, my pace steady despite the pain lancing through my side.
“Status report,” I demand as we reach the exit to the gardens, and beyond them, the forest where she fled.
“Teams Alpha and Bravo are sweeping the east perimeter,” Blake replies. “Charlie is moving along the southern boundary.”
I nod. Alessandro’s estate sprawls across thirty acres of dense woodland. Lea won’t know that. She’s running blind, emotional, and betrayed. In her state, strategy gives way to panic every time.
“She’ll head for cover,” I tell Blake as we step into the punishing rain. “Deep into the trees, away from roads.” Lightning splits the sky, illuminating the vast, blurry gardens. Beyond them, the tree line is a dark maw. “The light?”
