Page 44 of The Queen's Vow (Ruthless Games 2)

“WHAT THE FUCK?” ANTHONYyelled in my phone loudly enough for the flight attendant to hear.

“I didn’t have a choice. I have crawlers all over the internet looking for Russo. I forwarded everything to a new secure laptop.”

“This is unacceptable, Giancarlo.” For years, Anthony acted like he was in charge of me and Sebastien because Rebecca had been promised to him.

Like my father had said a couple of weeks ago, that marriage deal between Anthony Messina Sr. and Giovanni Domenico could not have been more dead. “I don’t answer to you, Messina. Oh, and here’s a thought... Why don’t you look for Becca? Why don’t you look for Russo? Why don’t you look for Vale? Isn’t that what you do for your father?”

“You’re damn straight that’s what I do. You claimed to know how to find her better.”

“Either Vale or Julian has her. One’s her bodyguard, the other’s FBI. They’ll keep her safe.”

“That’s my fucking job,” he screeched.

“Mine too.” I couldn’t fight my father and Anthony, but I understood his panic. The only thing that kept me from losing it was the thrill of the chase to find Julian Russo.

“Then why are you on a plane?”

“My father showed up and gave me an assignment. We still work for our dads, Messina. And we don’t know if they’re behind this. I had to leave town. Where’s Sebastien?”

“Home, probably cutting himself again.” The pain in Messina’s voice came through. What it meant to him that Bastien kept his cutting a secret all these years to deal with the pain of losing Rebecca. To Anthony.

It stalled my next bitchy response to think how much Messina cared about Bastien. “This is not the same thing. I doubt it.”

“Fine,” Messina clipped, sounding done with me. Done with letting me be in charge and that terrified me.

“Wait...” I pulled the phone up to my ear. “You love a fight. Why are you giving in?”

“As good as you think you are, Giancarlo, she’s now beyond your cyber tracking. I have dozens of men I can unleash in all different directions. Track and hunt her down the old fashion way. You can’t find them because Julian’s gone dark. But he’s still breathing. He still needs a place to sleep. They still need to eat.”

“I know, Anthony.” I shuddered at the idea of the sleeping arrangements. Julian Russo was another old high school friend of Rebecca. She trusted him. And from what I saw that afternoon on the sidewalk, the guy wasn’t exactly ugly. If he hasn’t let her call us, I guessed it was because he didn’t know about our relationship with her. Or he thought one of our fathers ordered the hit.

“My guys will find her, and now that I know what some prick is willing to do?” Anthony sawed off bitterly. “What lengths a sick motherfucker will go to to see her destroyed? I may not be letting her out of my sight. That means the last time your dick was in her, could have been the last.”

“I’ll be back in a week, Messina. Calm the fuck down. Let’s talk every day at—” I squeezed my phone when the call ended.

Fucking Messina.

I thought I only had to worry about Julian taking her away from me. Now Messina might find her and make her disappear all over again.

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