Vow to Protect (Vow To Protect 1)

He snorts his agreement and shifts in his chair to snag his phone off the table. “It’s Kai. He’s on the fiancé and says he’s acting stranger than usual.”

I consider this new information. With Val’s father out of town, that leaves Sal alone with her and her friend she mentioned…Rosa, Rose…What would make him start acting erratically?

It bothers me, a low thrum in my gut, that I feel like I’m missing a key part of this puzzle. And once I find that missing piece, I’ll regret slipping it into the slot to see the entire picture. It doesn’t matter, leaving it unfinished isn’t an option.

“Go, follow him, let Kai figure out what the elder Novak is up to. If you get anything weird, send me a text so I know immediately.”

Vincent scoops up his keys, pockets his phone, and leaves the room without another word. Something I like about the man.

I trust my men, but the itch to have her here under my own gaze is too much, so I try to focus on other things. An upcoming job we were hired to facilitate that should go off without a hitch. Even with Kai at the helm, as he usually is since my father’s death, there shouldn't be any problems. So why do I still feel so off?

I resolve to stop being so fucking pussy whipped, especially since I haven’t even had her yet, and get back to work. It’s not until Kai throws a file folder on the table in front of me later in the day that I realize I’d finally managed to focus and get some shit done.

“What’s this?” I ask, already opening the brown kraft folder to peruse the contents.

“It’s the surveillance I ordered on Novak. He’s in New York. He has been for over a week maybe? There wasn’t any definitive answer on when he left. And my spy on the inside of Novak’s place was MIA when I tried to contact him.”

I shove the maps I’d been working on to the side and bring the file flat onto the glossy surface. While thinking, I slip out of my jacket, roll up my sleeves, and settle back into the chair. Novak is working on an oceanic smuggling deal. The idea looks lucrative with very little oversight from law enforcement if they’ve already lined up a ship and forged customs documents.

Knowing this stuff about my enemy always helps inform my next move, yet I’m annoyed there isn’t one mention of Valentina.

“What about the girl?” I ask, still scanning the images he provided.

Kai shakes his head. “She hasn’t left the house in days from what I can tell and was last seen on the night she came to the casino. Maybe she decided to hide out since her father is gone and her creepy fiancé is lurking around.”

“Why is Sal around? Doesn’t he usually go with Novak on these trips? What’s he been doing all this time while Novak has been gone?”

Finally, Kai takes the seat beside me and settles in to talk. “From what I can tell, he’s been beating on prostitutes and spending Novak’s money right under his nose. Mostly on the prostitutes and then to their pimps to keep them from bashing his head in. It helps his family has a solid foothold in that industry.”

If an industry is what you could call it. I always preferred the term human trafficking for what Sal and his family get wrapped up in. While I have no problem putting a bullet in someone’s ear, I draw the line with hurting women and children like that.

A vision of my mother’s face flashes in my mind for a heartbeat before I shake it away and look back over Kai’s report. “Get Vincent back here. He hasn’t texted me, and I want to know more about what this jackhole has been up to since his babysitter has been gone. And for fuck’s sake, find out where Val is.”

“She’s at the house, boss,” he supplies. “I’ve had people on it since we took her home the other night. She hasn’t left the place once. Why does she need to with the size of her staff?”

With Sal out doing whatever the fuck knows what, and Novak in New York seemingly indefinitely, this might be the only shot I get. I check my watch and then the window. The sun will be going down soon. Perfect.

“Round up the team. We’re going in to get her.” The minute the words are out of my mouth, I know they are the right move. I can feel it under my skin, urging me to find her, take her, touch her.

“What are you thinking?” Kai asks, not even pretending to move on my orders.

I drag him up by his very expensive suit collar. “We’re going after her, and once she’s here, I can stop thinking about her and actually get some work done.”