Page 103 of Thorns of Desire

“What happened?” I barked into the phone.

“The Triads,” he wheezed, his breathing labored. “Someone must have betrayed us. It was an ambush. They knew we’d be there.”

“Cazzo. Where is my wife?”

“They grabbed her.” I squeezed the cell in my hand. “I’ve been shot, but the bulletproof vest eased the hit. Before I could get myself together, they were gone.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Did you see who took her?”

“No. I made it near the emergency exit and then I was down. The moment I was up, I called you.”

Dread spread through my body like poison, the voices on my call nothing but white noise as I attempted to think rationally.

“Does she have her wedding ring on?” Unbeknownst to Athena, I had a tracker inserted in her ring even though I hoped I’d never have to use it.

Umbrio coughed. “I don’t know.”

I disconnected the Omertà call, then put Umbrio on speaker as I pulled up the tracking app. The software instantly connected and a red dot blinked, displaying my wife’s whereabouts.

Cazzo, the distance was growing by the minute.

“They didn’t waste any time. They’ve taken her off the island,” I gritted. “Can you get back to the castello or should I have someone pick you up?”

“I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

I cut the line and called my men in. Time was of the essence.

I replayed the video of the masked men barging into the doctor’s office a thousand times, searching for any clues I might’ve missed. Something was nagging at me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. Their intel was from someone close to us because they knew exactly where they were going, bypassing all the other doctors’ rooms until they reached Athena’s.

How did the Triads know she was on this island? Nobody, not even the Omertà, knew I had a place here. Did they have a contact at the hospital? Did someone alert them of her appointment?

“There’s someone here to see you,SignoreMarchetti,” one of my men announced, cutting into my spiraling thoughts.

“I’m not taking visitors,” I barked, shoving a gun in my ankle holster.

I continued to stare at the red dot flashing on my phone screen, terrified it would disappear if I so much as blinked.

“I’d say it’s a perfect time for a visit.” A familiar voice had my head snapping up. Danil Popov and Soren stood in the doorway of my office, dressed for combat.

Something dark and hungry for destruction awakened inside my chest. In the blink of an eye, I was on him, my gun shoved against his throat.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I bellowed. “Who are you working with?”

Nobody was supposed to find us on this island. Fucking nobody.

A black hole threatened to swallow me at the thought of losing Athena. An abyss of darkness unleashed, eager for slaughter and punishment.

“You need my help,” Danil stated calmly, ignoring my gun pressed against his Adam’s apple.

“Did you betray your own sister?” I hissed.

“I didn’t,” he said matter-of-factly. “I told Enrico her mother was not to be trusted. You should have heeded my warning.”

Soren’s hand came to rest on my shoulder and I wanted nothing more than to slice it off.

“Manuel, be practical. Why would we be here if we were working with the Triads?” He was making sense, but when it was my wife and unborn child who were in danger, it was impossible to keep a level head. “We’re here to get Athena back.”