“I’m not a fucking babysitter,” he butts in.
“And I’m not a child,” Cynthia retorts.
“You’re going to stay with her,” I order.
He shakes his head. “And what about you? We don’t know who had her or how many men there are.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Christian, but you’re being reckless.”
I take a moment, unsure if I should tell either of them what’s really going on in my mind. The truth is, he’s right, but considering the circumstances surrounding it all, I have my suspicions. Tony has been in my corner for years, and while he technically works for my father, I know I can trust him, and Cynthia—well, I might not be able to trust her, but when it pertains to Siân's safety, we see eye to eye.
“I’ll be fine. Something tells me that whoever took her wants me.”
“And what tells you that?” He fights.
I stare at Cynthia for a moment, not wanting to set her off more than she already is. Then I take Tony by the arm and pull him out of earshot.
“I need you to stay here and keep an eye on Samuele.”
He frowns. “He’s been weird lately. Siân’s presence has upset him more than it needs to, and something tells me he might be behind this. No one knows who she is except for us, yet someone has come after her three times. I need you to stay put and make sure he doesn’t leave.”
“And what are you going to do? How are you supposed to find her and be sure it’s not all a setup?”
I bring my phone to his face and show him the tracking app. “The engagement ring I gave her has a tracker embedded in it. Whoever took her has only come after her. Even with what’s been happening with all the dead mafia family members, the only person they came after is Siân. Not me, not Samuele, hell, not even you. He’s gone out of his way to make it known that he is bothered by her presence.”
“What are you saying?”
“Think about it. Everyone this mystery killer went after is someone who is in rivalry with my father. The doctor who attacked Siân, only we knew she was here. And only we knew about the hotel I took her to. And only we knew about the wedding?”
“You think it’s an inside job.”
“I think there is more to the story my father has shared with us.”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“You don’t know him as well as I do, Tony. He’s a master at manipulating and deceiving. So I need you, the only person I trust aside from myself, to stay here. I will be okay. If I’m right, this isn’t an ambush.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Trust me.” I turn on my heels while ripping my tux jacket from my body and dropping it to the floor. Quickly I prepare myself, stuffing all extra clips and slipping my holster on my body.
Not caring about anything else, I shove the device into my pocket, ensuring that I have all of my weapons, including the one I keep tucked in my ankle holster just in case. They are still on my tail, followed by the slew of other people here to enjoy the festivities.
I ignore them all, storming toward my Ferrari with a mission in mind. I’m going to find my woman, and if it turns out that my father really has something to do with it, killing him will be the least of the torturous things I want to do to him.
Once I'm behind the wheel, I pull up the GPS to the blinking location where Siân is and floor it. In my rearview mirror, I see Tony, Cynthia, and even Samuele lining up in the driveway. I push them to the back of my mind and focus on the road.
According to the app, they are on the outskirts of the village in an abandoned area located right off the docks. It’s been years since the civilians of the surrounding villas have used the place, leaving it open to all sorts of riffraff.
My engine roars loudly as I hit the curve at a one-hundred and twenty miles an hour. I need to get to her before it’s too late. If I’m right, they aren't really after Siân. Had that been the case, they would have killed her already. Instead, they tried to take her from the hotel and again tonight. Which tells me they aren’t after her. Why take her when they could have just killed her right away and moved on.
No, there’s a reason behind all of this. Whomever this is, it’s me they are after, and I’m prepared to give them exactly what they want. And soon enough, they’ll learn they’ve fucked with the wrong person. There is one thing I hate more than being tested, and that’s fucking with what’s mine.