Page 90 of His Son's Ex

One of the men steps forward, his brow furrowed. “She’s a Petrov. The Abramovics and Petrovs have deep ties—family, territories, alliances. We thought she was dead, but then we saw her, recognized her. We’ve been tracking her, but now she’s missing. That’s concerning. Do the Bellacinos plan to harm her? Use her?”

I let out a short, bitter laugh. “Bellacinos don’t harm women. She came and went as she pleased.”

The woman narrows her eyes. “Then where is she? We tried contacting her to no avail. Some believe your family’s holding her hostage. Or worse.”

I take a menacing step forward. “Watch your accusations. Eva chose to be with me.” Guilt stabs deep, but I bury it under the fury. “Trust me, I want her found more than anyone.”

The older man glances at Isabella. “She’s vanished, and nobody knows where. That’s a problem. The Abramovic leadership is nervous about a potential war. If you’ve harmed her?—”

I cut him off with a snarl. “Why the hell would I harm her? She’s pregnant with my child.” The words tumble out before I can think about them, shock sweeping across their faces. “I’d kill to protect her.”

Silence fills the room briefly until my mother mumbles something about spilling secrets. I ignore her. The Abramovics mutter amongst themselves in Russian, probably rethinking every assumption.

Eva Petrova is pregnant by a Bellacino.

Finally, the younger man speaks, grudging respect in his tone. “We want her safe as well. The Bratva won’t risk a war with the Italians unless forced. But if she’s been harmed...”

I grind my teeth. “Nobody’s touched her. She left on her own, from what I can tell. I intend to find her. I will find her.” My voice drops to a lethal tone. “But if any of your people even think about using her as leverage?—”

“Leverage? No.” The woman’s eyes flash. “We respect the Bellacino name. We simply question your motives.”

My temper soars. “My motive is to keep her safe. She took off alone, perhaps something spooked her. If the Abramovics want to help find her, great. Otherwise, don’t come in here barking orders. I don’t work for you.”

My mother cuts in, cool and composed. “We all want Eva safe. Let’s not escalate. If you have any leads, please share them. We aren’t hiding her.”

They exchange another round of tense glances. The older man finally nods. “We’ll report back. Both sides have a stake in finding her.”

The younger man throws me one last look. “Be careful, Bellacino. If she ends up in the wrong hands...” He leaves the threat trailing. The other two offer curt farewells.

They file out, leaving me seething.

“Why did you tell them about the baby?” she demands. “Now the Russians know.”

I glare at her. “I’m done with secrets. Eva’s alone, pregnant, and unguarded. Abramovics, Lombardis… everyone wants a piece of her. I’ll kill them if they try.”

She exhales, rubbing her temples. “The Lombardis are dodging us, the Russians think we’re hiding Eva, and you just lit a fuse by announcing her pregnancy.Dio mio, Dante.”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “I don’t care. She’s carryingmychild. I’ll burn this damn city down to find her.”

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “We need a plan. Eva might’ve left on her own. She’s capable and she’s smart.”

I clench my fists, anger threatening to spill over. “Then why vanish without a word? Unless she discovered something that made her bolt, though speculating gets us nowhere. I’m going after her.”

She grabs my arm. “And do what? Bust down every door until someone talks? You’ll confirm every rumor that you’re on a warpath.”

I yank free, my voice cold. “Then let them fear me. Let them be forced to remember who this city belongs to.”

Without waiting for her comeback, I stalk out. Eva’s gone. The Russians are circling. Lombardi’s laughing somewhere, thinking he’s outsmarted me. My own men—idiots—let this happen. Maybe she did outsmart them.

Damn it, Eva.

I know there’s a missing piece here, something made her run.

As I stride toward the front hall, a swirl of conflicting emotions nearly chokes me. My mind’s on worst-case scenarios:kidnappers, Lombardi’s men, the Abramovic’s motives. None of them will get to her.

Over my dead body.

I dial my top lieutenants, summoning them like hounds. We’re on the hunt. I’ll tear this city apart if I have to.