Page 3 of Damon

"Any idea who ordered it?"

"That's what we need to figure out. Someone's trying to start a war between us and them, make us look like we broke the truce. Roberto will think we did this."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. This is exactly the kind of clusterfuck that gets everyone's families targeted. "What do you need me to do?"

"Come home. We're calling an emergency meeting with the underbosses. And Damon?" Dad pauses. "The daughter's missing."

"Missing how?"

"Her bodyguard's dead, and word is, she wasn’t in her bedroom. Window was open, looks like she snuck out. Roberto's going out of his mind thinking we grabbed her."

Shit.

If Viviana Bonacci is dead, every peace agreement we've built over the past decade goes out the window. Roberto will come for us with everything he's got, and we'll have to respond in kind. Blood in the streets, cops asking questions, bad for everyone's business.

"I'm on my way," I say, ending the call.

When I turn back to the booth, Tommy's already standing, reading my expression. "Time to go?"

"Yeah, we—" I stop mid-sentence, looking back at the dance floor. The brunette is still there, still dancing, but something about her face in the light looks familiar.

Big dark eyes. Heart-shaped face. Long dark hair with a hint of wave.

I've seen that face before. In surveillance photos. In the background of newspaper articles about Roberto Bonacci's "legitimate business interests."

"Holy fuck," I say.

"What?" Tommy follows my gaze.

"The girl I've been watching all night." I can't quite believe it. "That's Viviana Bonacci."

Tommy's eyes go wide. "Boss, you sure?"

I'm sure.

Roberto's precious princess, the daughter he keeps locked up tight, is grinding on some college boy in a club that's supposed to be under my protection. She sneaks out the same night her family gets hit, and now she's dancing without a care in the world while her bodyguard bleeds out in an alley.

"Get the car," I tell Tommy. "Bring it around to the back entrance."

"We taking her?"

"We're saving her ass." I start moving toward the dance floor. "Someone tried to kill her family tonight, and she's out here partying like it's fucking prom night."

Tommy disappears toward the exit while I push through the crowd. Viviana Bonacci has no idea how much danger she's in, or how many people died tonight trying to protect her. She's about to find out.

The college boy is getting handsy with her again, and she's laughing it off like it's all a game. Like everything in her life is a game. Princess living in a tower, playing at being normal.

Not anymore.

I reach them as the kid tries to pull her closer.

"That's enough."

He looks up at me, and I watch all the color drain out of his face.

"We're done here," I tell him, and he scrambles away like his ass is on fire.

Viviana turns around to see what scared off her dance partner, and those big dark eyes focus on me. Up close, she's even prettier than her pictures.