list—it was obvious no one was at fault here, other than Eva for being too inexperienced to properly handle whoever had called her. If someone had at all.
“Did she take her cell with her?”
“Yeah. Back pocket.”
He took out his phone.
“No offense, G, but what good will calling her do?” Maks, ever the pessimist was hovering near Vasily, ready to be let loose on whoever his Pakhan had in his sights. “If they have her, taking a call is the last thing they’ll let her do.”
“She’s not one to sit on her ass while someone solves her problems for her. For all we know, she could have faked the call from Vasily and fucked off to try to defuse the situation herself. I wouldn’t put it past her to try to meet up with Stefano…” He had to stop when his gag reflex got busy at the thought of her reaching out to his brother.
He dialed her number and waited through the generic voice mail message. “You call me the second you get this. Get your ass someplace safe and stay there. I’m coming for you, and if you did what I’m thinking, you better hope I’ve calmed the fuck down when I find you.”
Christ, he hoped she’d done what he was thinking. At least she’d be on her own right now.
Caleb’s boots were a heavy beat as he walked in a tight circle, clearly agitated. “In the elevator, she was acting…fuck. I knew something was up. But she said she was stressed and it was that time of the month. Little shit knew I’d close up when she went there.” He rubbed his face like he thought a genie might pop out the top of his skull. “She even threw out that she’s in love with you, for chrissake’s.”
Gabriel’s life ended with those words.
“If there’s anything guaranteed to shut me down, it’s her and Nika talking about that shit.” He looked at Gabriel. “Now I’m wondering if she told me so I’d tell you. You know, in case…”
Gabriel’s lungs burned like he was going under in an ocean of scalding tar. “She didn’t fabricate the call.” Was that his voice? “They got her.” Admitting she loved him proved it.
He brought his phone up, but before he could dial Stefano’s number, Jak banged his way into the suite with a laptop under his arm.
“Get over here.” The stone-faced soldier stalked to the desk and slammed the laptop down, the scar on his face standing out against his paler-than-usual skin.
Everyone gathered, warily leaning in when play was hit on a clip from the security feed.
The slash of light that illuminated the delivery area out back showcased Eva exiting the hotel. Gabriel’s stomach cramped at the sight of her, the knot growing painful when a man stepped into the frame at her back.
“Cocksucker,” Vincente growled as Furio grabbed Eva’s arm.
They exchanged a few words, and then, bless her fuckin’ heart, Eva landed a sweet right hook to Furio’s jaw. As Caleb huffed out a satisfied sound, they watched her go for the door, but Furio grabbed her and slammed her into the bricks before she could make it through.
Vasily’s curse mingled with the biker’s as Gabriel reached out like he could stop what he was seeing. Of course he couldn’t, and they watched Furio haul off and nail an innocent woman across the face with the cast that covered his left hand. Eva’s head snapped back and she fell limp right into the fucker’s arms. They disappeared into the backseat of a black SUV that pulled away the second the door was closed…revealing two bodies lying motionless on the concrete.
“They’re gone,” Jak supplied, his voice solemn at the addition of two more dead.
In that instant, Gabriel Moore, quasi-respectable businessman, died, and Gabriel Moretti was reborn, his wrath unleashed. He gave way to the black rage forming a funnel cloud that spun wickedly through his chest. But rather than send him into orbit, the chaos condensed and brought him to a level of command he wouldn’t have thought himself capable of. Emotion faded into the background of his psyche, taking with it panic and fear.
He met V’s dark eyes. “I want you to contact every member we have who might know Stefano’s exact location. I want it now.”
Vincente grimaced. “I don’t know if they’ll take orders—”
“I don’t give a fuck what you think you know, Romani. You start dialing that goddamn phone and you let them know the request is coming from the head