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MIRABELLA

I haven’t heard from Kilian in three days. He said he would be back yesterday. But I am trying to keep a positive attitude around Aria. Deep down, I am worried sick. I saw that look on his face when he was on the phone. I know something was wrong. And I have an inkling it has to do with my family. The entire reason I even know Kilian is alive is because of my dead brother. But if something happened to him, I don’t know what I would do.

Go after my uncle? My cousin? Both of them would kill Kilian in a heartbeat. Dante wanted to kill him ten years ago.

And I can’t help but worry about the threat Giancarlo made. About my life and Aria’s. Would he get rid of Kilian and come after me? He has to know I’m not home. He has to know Kilian is the one protecting us.

“You okay?” Cam asks me as she sits next to me on the terrace. “You look like you’re about to chew your lip off.”

I didn’t realize I was chewing it. My thoughts are in so many different places.

She puts her hand on mine. “Hey, you know I’m here if you need to talk. You have so much going on right now. And I know you’re worried about Kilian too.”

I look over at her. “Has Bastian heard anything?”

She shakes her head. “But Kilian wouldn’t contact him. Not if it would risk your life and Aria’s.”

I glance over the hedges to where Aria is practicing drills. “We didn’t tell her.” I pause. “I mean, I never did. She has no idea he’s her father. And I am so worried that he got himself into trouble or killed and she will never know him as her father. Just the man I’m dating.”

Cam squeezes my hand. “Kilian is resilient. He is alive. You would feel it in your heart if you thought he wasn’t. That’s the feeling that kept me hanging on to seeing Bastian again. When I found out he was arrested, I was so pissed, but I wasn’t allowed to see him. That’s when I found out he wasn’t really in prison but being tortured by The Partners. I worried he was dead so many times but, in my heart”—she pauses and puts her hands against her chest—“it’s like I could still feel the part of his heart he gave me beating here. And I held on to hope he was alive. For two months, I held on.”

A tear falls from my eyes. “I still worry.”

“Of course you do, you love him.”

She stands and starts for the house. “I have some emails to catch up on. Let me know if you need anything. A friend, a glass of wine.”

I smile at her. “Thank you.”

She heads back inside and I try to focus on the book I was reading but my thoughts are still all over the place.

I must fall asleep because I am woken up to my phone ringing, Maria’s name on the screen. “Hello?”

“Mira, oh my gosh, I am so happy you are out of town.”

“Why?” I ask, confused.

“It’s just awful. Magda and Salvatore were killed last night. Someone just walked into the place after closing last night and killed them both. And Luigi. I kept thinking, what if you weren’t out of town? What if you were there last night?”

I’m in shock. Because I know that was no random hit.

“It’s just so awful. A tragedy,” Maria cries into the phone. “The police have no idea. No leads. At least that’s what my cousin is saying who works at the station.”

Of course the police have no leads. Because they were either paid off, or the hitman Giancarlo used was thorough. It was a message for me. To return home before he kills someone else. I only hope it doesn’t mean Kilian is next.

I hang up the phone and run into my room. Throwing random clothes into a bag and booking a flight back to Cefalù. He has to be waiting for me to come home.

I rush into Cam’s office. “I need you to watch Aria.” The words a jumbled mess as they fly out of my mouth.

“What?” Her voice high pitched.

“I just need you to protect her. Keep her safe. I need to go home.”

“What are you talking about?” she asks as she rises from her chair.

I take a deep breath. “My uncle left a message for me back home. I have to go. I have to set things straight. But I can’t bring Aria with me. I can’t risk it.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Bella. It could be a trap.”

“Then it’s better I leave Aria here. If it’s a trap, at least it’s just me.”

She rounds her desk and walks toward me. “I think you should wait until Bastian gets back. Or let’s call him at least.”

I shake my head. “No, I have to go now. Before someone else ends up dead.”

“Bella…”

“Please, Cam. I have to go.”

“I really think we should let Bastian know. He could help. His brother could help.”

“What if Kilian is next? What if my uncle kills him?”

“Bella,” she sighs. “This is a really bad idea. You could get killed.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“What about Aria? What if something happens to you?”

I walk backward. “I can’t think about that. I just… I know if I go to my uncle, he won’t harm her. I… I have to go.”

Cam reaches her arm out for me but I dash out of the room and down the hall, out the front door where the taxi I called is waiting for me.

I don’t even say goodbye to Aria. I can’t.

* * *

By the time I get to my home in Cefalù, I feel drained. I have ten missed calls. Some from coworkers and moms of Aria’s schoolmates. One call from a detective asking me to call him immediately.

I go to unlock my front door but find it already unlocked. I know Kilian would have locked it. Not to mention I made sure the alarm was set from my phone and I never got any notice about it being deactivated.

I take a deep breath as I open the door. I flew commercial so I have no weapons on me. Not even a knife. I creep through the entrance but find nothing out of place, no signs that anyone broke in. The only sign so far that someone was here is that the alarm system screen is black, completely turned off.

An eerie feeling transcends me as I walk through the house. I go to the kitchen and grab the serrated knife I keep hidden under the island counter. I make my way to the stairs and slowly climb them. Although, at this point, I don’t think anyone is here. If they were looking for me, they would have already left. I think.

The guest bedroom is empty, so I cross the hall into Aria’s room. The pictures of us she had on her shelves are broken and smashed on the ground. Homework is shuffled all over her desk and drawers are left open.

My heart skips a beat knowing things could have been much worse if we were here. I find a ripped picture of me and Aria on the ground and put it in my back pocket.

I climb the way to the top floor of my house worried about what I might find but as I push open the door to my bedroom, I see that nothing has been touched.

I fly down the stairs and grab my phone out of my bag. Fear creeping over me as I think about the clear threat that was made on Aria’s life.

I dial Kilian but he still doesn’t answer. I need him right now. I need him to help me figure this out. I try him again and again but he still doesn’t answer. Every call going to a voice mail box that isn’t set up.

I then try my uncle because this is his calling card. Murdering innocent people to get my attention. But his call goes unanswered too.

My doorbell rings and I peer outside to see the cops at my house. I don’t want to deal with them but I know I have to.

Just as I am about to open the door, my phone starts vibrating in my hand. I walk to the other end of the house to take the call. Cam’s name on the screen. I can only guess Aria is mad I left.

“Hello?”

It’s not Cam that answers. “Thank fuck you answered. Where are you?”

“Bastian?” I ask even though I know it’s him. “I’m back home. There was an emergency.”

“Did you take Aria with you?”

My heart drops to my stomach at those words. “What’s going on?”

“I got home from my meeting and found Cam and Lucia knocked unconscious. Nothing was missing. But I couldn’t find you or her.”

“Aria isn’t—” I can’t even finish the sentence because everything clicks into place at once.

“She’s missing, Bella. She was taken.”

I fall to the floor, my heart breaking as I realize I fell into a trap just like Cam said. I was lured out of that house and whoever took her knew I would leave alone. They used that chance to take her. To take my baby away.

“I have to go,” I tell Bastian.

“Bella, wait.” His commanding voice stops me from hanging up. “Don’t leave. I will send help to you.”

I think about the threats from my uncle and Dante. I shake my head. “No, no I need to do this alone.”

“Bella, you need help.”

“No, Bastian. I know who did this. I know who took her.” I start to mumble as I keep the tears at bay. “How did they know where to find me? He shouldn’t have known.”

“Bella, stay where you are. I will head there right now.”

“No. Don’t,” I say as I gather my thoughts. “Take care of Cam. I need to go see my uncle.”

“He could kill you.”

“If he wanted to kill me, he would have already done it. He wants Kilian. And this is the only way he can get to him.”

Bastian sighs into the phone. “I’ll text you my number. If anything seems to be off, contact me right away.”

“Thank you,” I say and hang up the phone.

Fury rages through my veins.

I will not let my family have this power over me.

* * *

“So many surprise visitors this week,” Dante says as I walk through the front door of my family’s estate. I ignore his statement. No idea what he means. Nor do I care.

“Where is Giancarlo?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asks me as he takes in my bitter face.

I pull a gun out of my bag and aim it at him, apparently the guards don’t check family for weapons. “Tell me where he is.”

Dante laughs in my face. “You think I am going to let you see him when I know you’re armed?” I drop the gun and hand it to him. He smirks at me as he shoves it in the back of his pants. “He’s in his office.”

I nod at him and walk down the hall. I’m surprised to see his door open, so I walk through it and shut it behind me.

“Mirabella.” He looks up at me when the door clicks. “What a pleasure to see you finally decided to join the family.”

“Where’s my daughter?”

“You know, I spoke with Kilian recently,” he says, ignoring my question.

What the hell was Kilian doing talking to Giancarlo?

“You seem to have the wrong idea about him,” Giancarlo says as he stands and heads to the bar cart to pour a drink. “Your little lover struck a deal with me. I let him choose between you and The Partners. Can you guess what he chose, Mirabella?”

I stay silent as he sneers at me, his eyes like the devil himself. The burns and scars on his face like a demon.

“It wasn’t you or your daughter. He chose his job over you. I promised him I would hand over the weapons we stole if he left you alone and never contacted you again. And I would refrain from killing you for your treason against this family.”

“He would never do that,” I yell. But in the back of my mind, I wonder if it’s true. He hasn’t returned any of my calls.

“He would to save the life of his daughter.” A devilish grin takes over my uncle’s face.

“You would never kill her. That’s your niece. Now tell me where—”

“You know, in all these years, you never asked what happened to your parents.” He sits on the front edge of his desk, his legs crossed over each other, a smug grin on his face.

“Stop changing the subject,” I spit. “I want to know—”

“This has everything to do with the man you love.”

I fold my arms over my chest as I face off with my uncle. “What are you talking about?”

“Your parents’ death was planned.”

“No, it wasn’t. It was an accident.” A lie I tell him. I never believed it was an accident. But I keep my words quiet, scared of whatever truth my uncle may tell me. Because now I fear he was behind it all.

“Please, child. You know the world we live in. There are no accidents.”

I shake with a quiet rage as I read between the lines. “What did you do, Giancarlo?”

“I only did what I thought was right. I was trying to grow our business. Your father was holding us back. The Partners weren’t happy when Benito pulled out of the deal. The deal I orchestrated, the one where they thought I was Benito. They lost millions. So they ended his life. Such a shame your mother was in the car too.”

“You’re lying,” I mutter.

“Why don’t you ask your little lover boy or should I say former lover since he chose money over you? Not that he will ever admit the truth to you.”

I shake my head. “You threatened his daughter’s life, he would always choose her over anything. He did what he thought he had to do.”

“I must say he is a good man if he would choose to never see you again to save you.” He rounds the desk and sits back in his chair. “Such a pity you won’t ever get to see him again.”

“You killed my parents.” My voice filled with accusation.

He laughs. “Don’t be silly. Francesco would have killed me if I killed his golden boy. No, Alistair Bancroft arranged for the death of your parents. And Kilian was the one that took the order. He has known about it since the first time he stuck his dick in you.”

Fury fills every ounce of me, I swear flames are going to come out of my skin. “You’re a liar, Giancarlo. He didn’t even know who I was when we met.”

“That’s what you think. But that man is one of the best liars in the business.”

The rage is threatening to explode. I pull the other gun I brought with me on Giancarlo. “I don’t believe a word that is coming out of your mouth. You are the liar. You always have been. And a coward. Pretending to be my father to save your own ass if something went wrong.”

“I did what I had to do to have this chair. To be the Don of this family. Something your father never would have done. He was too emotional, too soft skinned for this job.”

“He would have been a much better Don than you’ve ever been. He was calculated. Not ruthless.”

Giancarlo swallows the rest of his drink. “Such a naive little girl. You always have been. You never wanted to see the truth that was sitting right in front of you. And now you are pointing a gun at me, thinking you can run off and escape this life. You should be a mafia princess, not a waitress in a tourist town. And now you are fucking the enemy.”

“Just tell me where Aria is,” I scream as I step closer to the desk, the gun in my hand steady.

“Hmm. Maybe we could work something out. How about you get those weapons back I let your boyfriend have and you kill him.”

“You know I will never do that.”

“Because you were brought up soft just like your father. At least Ezio had some balls on him, was willing to risk his life for this family.”

I release the safety on the gun. “You are not my family.”

“No, I guess we are not. You are just as weak as your father and mother. And that is not the person I want in this family.”

Dante bursts through the door. “Mirabella, what are you doing?” he shouts.

“Giving him what he deserves,” I say, a calmness to my words as everything settles into place. My rage simmering to a slight heat. My mind focused on what I need to do.

I pull the trigger. Giancarlo moves just as I do it but not quick enough. The bullet hits the side of his neck as his head falls against the back of the chair.

“Fuck!” Dante yells as he rushes to him. “What the hell were you thinking?”

I turn the gun on him. “Don’t touch him.”

He ignores me and leans over Giancarlo’s body slouched in the chair. His hands going to his neck to stop the bleeding.

“Where is she?” I demand.

Giancarlo opens an eye and laughs as he coughs up blood. “Where did you learn to shoot?”

“My father taught me.” My voice was gravel. “But you didn’t keep him alive long enough to tell you that.”

I round the desk, pushing Dante aside as he grabs his phone from his pocket. I dig my fingers into my uncle’s neck. “Where is Aria?” I shout.

Dante tosses his phone on the desk and pushes me aside. “What the hell are you talking about, Mirabella?”

A cynical grin takes over Giancarlo’s face as he struggles for breaths, his face growing paler. “That’s the mafia princess I was looking for.” He gurgles up blood between breaths. “I never took your daughter.” He laughs.

I stumble backward at his words. “No. You’re lying. You threatened her life. You took her.”

He only laughs one more time before he passes out. Dante rips his suit jacket off and then his shirt and presses it into his father’s neck.

“Tell me, Dante,” I say, my hand growing shaky as worry takes over me again.

My cousins, Luca and Domenico, rush into the office. Both wide eyed when they see their father seconds from death.

Luca knocks my gun out of my hand and wraps his arms around me, pulling me away from Dante and Giancarlo.

Dante looks up at me, a sadness in his eyes. “If he took her, I don’t know about it.” He looks up at Domenico, who has taken over applying pressure to Giancarlo’s neck. “Dom?”

He shakes his head. “No. He didn’t take her.”

“Magda and Salvatore?” I ask, my anxiety growing.

Dante raises a brow at me. “The ones that own the restaurant you work at. What about them?”

“They’re dead.”

“It wasn’t us, Mirabella.”

My heart drops. As my mind races to piece things together. If it wasn’t him, then it had to be The Partners. They would have been the only ones that knew about Bastian and his house in Mallorca. The only place Kilian would take me.

“Did you know he was responsible for my parents’ death?” I ask quietly.

Dante sighs. “No. Not until yesterday.”

“What about Kilian?” I ask.

“He was here yesterday.”

“And he left?”

“Yes.”

I collapse in Luca’s arms. He lets me go as I drop to the floor. Apparently I’m no longer a threat.

“Mira, I didn’t know about your parents. I may be as ruthless as he is but I never would have taken your daughter.”

“Even knowing who her father is?”

“Especially because of that. I told Giancarlo to stop stealing the weapons from them. That it would only end in bloodshed. That we are better than thieves. But he wouldn’t listen.”

I scramble up off the floor. “I-I need to find my daughter.”

Two men run into the office, one with a medical bag. I ignore them as they try to save Giancarlo’s life.

Dante grabs my arm and drags me out of the office and down the hall into another room.

“I can have our men try to find her,” Dante tells me as he grips my arms.

I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to owe you a favor.”

“Mirabella, you are family, despite what my father says. You owe us nothing. Not for his mistakes.”

I can’t hold back the tears anymore. “She had to be taken by them.”

“By who?”

“The Partners.”