He stalked out onto the roof terrace. It was better that way. We would have been at each other’s throats soon.

Turning to my men, I told Sandro, “Leave. I don’t have time to deal with you now. Not a single word about this to anyone.” He pushed off the sofa at once and hurried toward the elevator and disappeared, fucking relieved that he didn’t get his ass handed to him today. Then I turned to Romero. “Go call Sami, and find out where Gianna is heading.” Romero gave a quick nod, then pulled out his phone and headed for the kitchen area.

With a sigh, I raised my mobile to my ear, hating what I had to do now. After a few rings, Scuderi picked up. “Luca, I didn’t expect your call.” There was a hint of suspicion in the asshole’s voice. And right he was. We had messed up. I had messed up.

“I have bad news. Gianna ran off.”

There was silence on the other end. Then, finally, “Ran off?” Scuderi sounded as if he wanted to reach through his phone and strangle me. “You swore that you’d protect her. I trusted your word. In Chicago the word of a Capo means something.”

Fuck him. As if things always went according to Dante’s plan. “Your daughter isn’t exactly easy to guard, as you very well know. It isn’t the first time she’s acted up.” I tried to keep my voice civil—after all, it was one of my men who had fucked up and let himself get drugged.

“What about Aria, did she help her sister?”

He didn’t need to know that Aria had been involved. It was bad enough as it was. No need to add fuel to the fire. “No, she didn’t know anything. Matteo will go search for Gianna immediately. She won’t be gone for long.”

“I will send two of my own men with him. I don’t trust you to handle this on your own.”

I had to bite my tongue not to insult him. We needed peace between the Outfit and the Famiglia. “That’s understandable, but I assure you Matteo will find her. He’s very intent on marrying her.”

“Still? She could be whoring around as we speak.”

I doubted Gianna would use the plane ride to fuck a random guy; she’d be busy trying to figure out a way to stay ahead of us. But later? Yeah, she would spread her legs, no doubt about it, but that wasn’t my problem.

Romero appeared in my field of vision and whispered, “Amsterdam. Schiphol.”

“We know she took a plane to Amsterdam. That’s where Matteo will be heading with the next plane.”

“I’ll make arrangements so my men will be there as soon as possible. Dante won’t be happy about this. That I can promise you. This will have to be discussed in depth.”

I didn’t give a fuck about Dante. New York was my concern, the Famiglia was. “Sure.” I hung up, stifling the urge to throw my phone at the wall. Instead I used it to book Matteo on the next flight. It was the worst time to lose my best soldier. All because of Gianna and Aria. A new wave of blinding fury rolled over me, and I really thought I’d lose my shit, but I needed to keep my calm and stay in control. I was Capo.

I headed outside and stopped beside Matteo, who was braced against the banister with a determined expression on his face. He would catch Gianna. It was only a matter of time. “I called Scuderi. He’s furious and blames us, of course.”

“Of course,” he said quietly.

“He’s sending two of his men after Gianna.”

He still wasn’t looking my way. He was still pissed because I’d spared Aria. As if he would have tortured Gianna to get information. We were killers, maybe even sadists, but definitely not toward the women we cared about.

“I will go with them,” he said.

“I figured you would. I told Scuderi as much. You will meet them in Amsterdam.”

That got his attention. He straightened and turned to me. “Amsterdam?”

I nodded. “I got word that she took a plane to Schiphol.”

“When do I leave?” He was going into hunter mode.

“Four hours.”

“I need to leave sooner.”

“Impossible. I tried everything I could.”

“Damn it. Gianna will be long gone when I arrive.”

“You’ll find her. You are the best hunter I know. She doesn’t stand a chance.”

He touched my shoulder. “You let me go, even though you need me here.”

The Famiglia needed him. I needed him more. The Bratva was a pain in the ass. My traitorous family was breathing down my neck. “You aren’t of much use to me if all you can think about is Gianna.” Even my trust in Matteo had its limits. He didn’t need to know how much I relied on his support.

“It could take weeks,” he said. “I won’t return until I’ve caught her.”

“I know. If Aria had run, I would have done the same.” I would have followed her to the end of the world. I hadn’t wanted to marry, but Aria had changed everything. She was my wife, and I would never let her go.

He nodded.

“I will make a few arrangements to have guns delivered to you in Amsterdam. I’ll check if I can find Rolfo so he can call his family in the Netherlands. You should pack what you need. You should be at the airport in two hours.”

“You should tell Rolfo to get a fucking mobile. The guy is still stuck in the 1970s.”

“He is almost seventy. I doubt anything in this world could convince him to use a mobile. I’ll drive to the Roma. He’ll be having dinner there. I’ll be back before you have to leave.” With that, I headed inside. In passing I told Romero, “I’ll be gone for a couple of hours. Make sure Aria stays in the apartment.”

“Will do, Boss,” he said as I stepped into the elevator. Romero wouldn’t let anyone drug him.

ARIA

I was tired, and I missed Luca. After my quick shower, I had crawled into bed. I was still sore but I didn’t mind. I only wanted things between Luca and me to return to how they were before today. It wasn’t even that late yet, only around seven o’clock, but the day’s events had been draining. I sat up when the bedroom door creaked open. The movement was too cautious, too quiet to be Luca. I slid out of bed when Matteo slipped into the bedroom, then turned to me.

My spine stiffened. “What are you doing here? And where’s Romero?” I moved around the bed but stopped halfway between it and the door.

Matteo’s lips pulled into a dangerous smile. “He’s outside, taking Luca’s call.”

For a moment neither of us moved. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to call out for Romero’s help—yet. For one, I wasn’t sure if he could hear me out on the roof terrace, and I didn’t want to overreact. If I called Romero now, he’d have to tell Luca about this, and then things between him and Matteo would turn sour. I didn’t want that to happen because of me. I’d messed up enough already.

He advanced on me and I staggered back. “Why are you here?” I asked with forced calm, but I couldn’t suppress the small tremor in my voice.

The coldness in Matteo’s eyes tightened my stomach with icy fear. “Getting the information Luca is incapable of obtaining. We both know you planned everything with Gianna.” He stalked closer and I whirled around. This wasn’t Luca. This was Matteo, and he was a man out for blood. A man who was used to getting what he wanted, and Gianna was the one thing he wanted more than anything. I rushed toward the bedside table, reaching for the drawer with the gun. I wasn’t even sure what to do with it. I could hardly shoot Matteo, or shoot at him. My fingers brushed the handle when Matteo’s hands clamped down on my hips. I was suspended in the air for a second before I landed on my back on the mattress, the air leaving my lungs in a whoosh. And then he was over me, and I froze. I had never been in bed with someone other than Luca. I began shaking.