out of the SUV. I doubt I’ll need it, but I’d rather have it than not.
The car with Matteo’s men pulls up behind me, and the two guys get out of the car a moment later. I try to ignore their presence completely and concentrate on finding the woman I love.
I don’t know what I expected when I showed up here, but it wasn’t this. Crossing the lawn, I walk around the side of the house. There are more men, more dead bodies. Reaching the side door, I don’t bother opening it since it’s already kicked in.
As soon as I step inside, I smell it. Death. Blood. Mayhem. It’s everywhere. It coats the walls, the floor, the air. There is only one thing in my mind as I walk down the hall… please, don’t let her be dead.
Ignoring the bodies, and the smells assaulting my nose, I make a quick sweep of the house, checking every room as I go. Before I go into each room, I fear that I’ll find her dead inside, lying between the other bodies. But over and over again, I find the rooms empty, a short burst of relief rushing through me every time.
Not finding her dead might be a relief, but not finding anything at all intensifies my anger. I need to find a clue, anything that will help me find her.
When I find a door that leads down into a basement, my heart skips a beat. Running down the steps, I’m desperate for something, anything. Before me is a long hallway, and as I start to walk down it, I find that there are cells on both sides. The space is far too quiet to have anyone in it. Still, I can’t let the hope in my chest die.
My eyes scan each cell, looking for the slightest clue. I grow more and more disappointed as each cell leaves me with nothing. Reaching the last one, my heart leaps out of my throat, and I rush into the room, grabbing the thin jacket I gave Dove the day we left the bunker. It’s lying on the floor next to a dirty mattress. There is a bucket in the corner of the room where she was most likely forced to piss. The place is… it makes my stomach churn. It’s hell on Earth.
This is where they kept her? On a soiled mattress, in a cold and bare room. My Dove.
She doesn’t belong in a place like this. She should be safe and happy. Scanning the room one last time, I note that there is no blood, and no clothing tossed aside, other than the jacket. Both are good signs, and I’m going to hold on to them. They don’t prove that they didn’t hurt her, but all I can do is hope that they didn’t and that she’s not completely broken when I get her back.
Fisting the material in my hand, I bring it to my nose and inhale deeply. The faint smell of vanilla tickles my nose, and I suck that precious scent deep into my lungs. She’s a drug to my senses, to my mind, and body.
My sweet Dove.
At least I know one thing. Her not being here means that, at the very least, she is still alive. The question now, is how do I get her back from Xander Rossi, one of the most feared mafia men in the United States?
27
Ivan is quiet as he drives us to god knows where. I’m sandwiched in the back seat between the two guys that found me in my cell. I’m afraid to move, breathe, and damn well, too scared to talk. I do my best not to think about what’s going to happen next. Surely, if that Ivan man was going to kill me, he would’ve done it back in that cell, right?
Of course, there are worse things than death…
A million and one scenarios play out in my mind. The car jerks to a stop, and I blink out of my thoughts, realizing we’ve arrived wherever it is that we were going. Peering out the windshield, I see a massive compound ahead. There’s a ten-foot iron fence that cages the place in. It all but says no visitors welcome.
Two guards usher us in, and Ivan drives up the long driveway, past guard towers, and some smaller buildings. I guess escaping is out of the question.
In the center of the place is a giant house, or mansion even. It looks fancy. When we get closer,