“Aria—”
“No,” she whispered. She began to shake, backing away until her back hit the kitchen counter. Tears burst from her eyes. She put a shaking hand over her mouth, gasping for breath as her anguish stole it from her. I wanted to touch her, to console her but I wasn’t sure if she wanted my touch. I was the reason for all this. Marcella had become a target because of my actions in the past. “She’s alive,” she said—not asked, as if her saying it would make it true.
“Yes, of course she’s alive. The president probably wants to blackmail me. They won’t kill her. They know I’d pulverize them and every MC in my territory and beyond in revenge.” I didn’t trust in Earl White’s word or his honor, but I had to trust in his instinct of self-preservation. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt her. But even if they didn’t Marcella had to be terrified in the hands of those men, terrified of what they might do… I didn’t want to consider the horrible options.
Aria closed her eyes, swallowing. “Oh Marci.” Aria sagged against me with a choked wail, her fingers digging into my arms. I caught her and pressed her against my chest.
Her pain cut me worse than any blade ever had. “I’m sorry, love. Our daughter is paying for my sins. I’ll never forgive myself and I don’t expect you to ever forgive me either.”
Aria pulled back slowly, wiping her eyes before she looked up at me. She clutched my hand. “These men are at fault, not you, Luca. There’s nothing to forgive. When I married you, I knew of the risks of being with a Capo.”
The marriage had never been her choice though, even if we’d chosen each other over and over again in the years since our wedding day.
“I’ll offer to exchange myself for our daughter. It’s me they want, not her.”
Aria’s expression became unexpectedly fierce. “Save our daughter and kill those men. They can’t survive or we’ll never be safe. You’re the strongest man I know. Show them, and don’t you dare not come back to me.”
Aria’s unwavering faith in me was the greatest gift I could imagine and a burden I gladly carried. I wouldn’t disappoint her trust. I’d save our daughter with sheer brutality and with my life if necessary.
Amo stepped into the dining room, and his face didn’t bode well. I got up at once. I hadn’t been hungry anyway. The only reason why I was at the dining table was because Aria wanted to preserve a semblance of normalcy for Valerio. He knew more than she wanted, but he humored her pretending he didn’t.
Aria and Valerio fell silent.
I moved closer to Amo, keeping my voice low as I asked, “What’s wrong?”
Amo’s face was red with anger. “The bikers posted a video of Marcella on the internet.”
Aria got up and approached us. “Is Marcella all right? What happened?”
“What kind of video?”
Amo’s phone beeped repeatedly with incoming messages. He slanted a look at the screen. “Fuck. I’ll kill them all.”
I grabbed his wrist. “Amo, what kind of video?”
My own phone began to buzz with messages.
“They posted a video of Marcella naked and tagged her on social media. It’s all over Insta, TikTok and Twitter.”
I balled my hands into fists, my fury so overwhelming, I had trouble reining it in. Valerio and Aria were watching me worriedly, and I needed to keep my fucking composure until I was away from home.
Aria glanced down at her cell phone and the color drained from her face.
“Mom?” Valerio asked, but she didn’t react.
I went over to Aria and touched her shoulder. She lifted her head. “I want them all dead,” she whispered softly. As if she had to ask. They would die, one way or another. Either by my hand or by Amo’s and Matteo’s after they’d killed me.
I hunched over my desk, glaring at my phone. My last call with Earl White had been yesterday. I hadn’t heard from him since then and I didn’t have a number to call. His last words made me fear the worst for Marcella.
Matteo paced the room. “He wants you to beg. I can’t wait for the tables to have turned and to make him beg.”
I’d as good as begged, not in the exact words and keeping my fury at bay had been close to impossible after the video of Marcella that the MC had posted but I had offered myself to Earl White on a silver platter, but he’d refused. If my men were closer to finding Tartarus’ current hiding place, then things would be easier. I’d pulverize every biker. Fuck, I’d enjoy it more than anything I’d ever enjoyed before.
“I dream of killing the Whites every night. It’s all I can think about,” Amo said from his spot on my couch. He had spent every waking hour searching for Tartarus and his sister since she had been kidnapped. Even Aria who was usually so adamant about him focusing on the upcoming school year hadn’t argued.