Page 168 of Broken Mafia Prince
“Did we lose anybody?”
“Nah, but Tommaso’s not looking too good.”
“I’m fine,” I hear him bite out.
“You’re not fine. You took a bullet to the shoulder.”
“I’m fucking fine.”
“Stubborn ass,” Matteo murmurs. “Congratulations are in order, I believe. We’ll be there soon to try to scare Giulia off. Or was she smart enough to stand you up at the altar?” He laughs.
A dark weight settles in my stomach. “Something’s wrong. She didn’t show up, and I can’t reach her or Isa.”
“What the fuck!” he barks. “I’ll track her when I get there. We’ll be there in five.”
The next few minutes feel like hours, time dragging eternally while I bury my head between my legs and try to breathe. I can’t describe the feelings tumbling inside of me. A mixture of so many contrasting emotions: rage, terror, worry, violence,despair, guilt, helplessness. I’m choking on all of it, but I can’t afford to fall apart.
If Giulia is in trouble, I have to save her. Nothing can happen to her. I don’t know what I’ll do if she gets hurt. It’ll be all my fucking fault.
“I just know you’re beating yourself up, convincing yourself it’s your fault,” Matteo’s voice reaches me a moment after the chapel doors fly open.
I raise my head slowly and see the two men standing there. They look worse for wear, and Tommaso has a makeshift bandage around his arm.
I rise to my feet. “She’s in trouble, I can feel it.”
“I tried to track her phone on the way here, but my limited resources couldn’t do the job,” Matteo admits. “I need to retrieve my stuff from my office and do a deep dive.”
“Do you think your father’s behind this?” Tommaso asks. “If he is, we can expect to hear from him soon. He’ll either want us to surrender or fall back in line.”
“I doubt he’ll trust me to even run his car wash business.” I snort. “He gave me an ultimatum and I flashed him the metaphorical middle finger.”
“Are we ruling out that Enrico has her?” Matteo points out. “He could have found out about her plans to escape and locked her up. I doubt her father will watch her go with a merry wave. Or… she might have changed her mind.”
I wish I could say that I believe she’s changed her mind about being with me, because at least that way, I’d know she’s safe. But I know Giulia—she’s the boldest, bravest, most outspoken woman I know. She won’t just leave me hanging like this; she’d have made it clear to me that the wedding is off.
I shake my head. “No. Something’s wrong. She’s in trouble. I can feel it.”
“You think your father’s behind it, then?” Matteo repeats. “Sending his men after us could just have been a way to keep us distracted and occupied.”
I hate the feeling of hopelessness more than anything. I’m always the man with the plan and the solutions, but at the moment, I can’t even get my head together to form a single thought, no matter how illogical. If my father has her, and he hurts a single hair on her head, I’m going to tear him limb from limb.
I’m far from being the weak boy who couldn’t do anything when his cruel treatment led Mother to her death. If he has my bride, he’d better start writing his will.
Because no force on earth will keep me from getting her back.
I turn to Matteo. “How long will it take you to find her?”
“Depends.”
“Use every tool in your arsenal. I want her back and in one piece.”
He nods. “Done.”
“And if it’s too late?” Tommaso meets my gaze, not flinching when my body moves of its own volition toward him, blood filling my vision.
“Then I’ll raze this entire city to the ground,” I promise. “Every fucking last bit of it.”
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