Page 98 of Wounded King

"No, Marcello, don't. Wait. Stop." She sounds a bit more forceful. "Things happened. Things I can't talk about right now, but I'm fine. I'm with a friend. I just needed to let you know so that you can stop worrying about me."

"What the fuck is going on?" I demand. "You know you can tell me anything. I'll help you."

"I know. I swear to you I'm fine and safe. I will explain everything to you. Just not now. Okay?"

"Nothing about this is fucking okay, Sophia."

"Ti amo," she says and hangs up.

"Sophia!" I yell uselessly.

The balcony door opens, and a sleepy Violet turns to me, concerned.

"Did she call you?"

She steps over and puts her arms around me. I want nothing more than to kiss her right now, but I need to work fast. With one arm, I press her against me, and with the other hand, I call Luciano.

"I'm on it, boss. She called from a park not far from here. Four men are already on their way, and ten more are getting ready." Luciano greets me.

At least my organization is working seamlessly, if nothing else. I let out a deep sigh. "Find her."

"If she's still there, I will," Luciano promises. "But she turned the phone back off."

I disconnect the call, "Fuck."

"What did she say?" Violet asks.

I run my hand through my hair. "That she's okay, and that she'll explain everything later."

"Do you think somebody forced her to?"

"It's possible," I allow, my mind working a million miles an hour. I'm not used to sharing my thoughts with anyone besides Luciano, but the way she presses into my embrace feels so natural and perfect that I think out loud. "But no, I don't think so. There is nothing to be gained from allowing her to call me just to ease my mind. They know I won't stop looking for her until I have her back."

"To play mind games with you?" Violet theorizes, making me smile at the effort she's putting into helping me. It's sweet and… soothing. My usually hot temper is not nearly as hot as it would be.

I shake my head. "No, wherever she is, she's there of her own free will," I conclude.

"Okay." Violet nods, and I realize she just manipulated me into coming to that conclusion and saying it out loud. It's more effective that way. She's right, too. I'd be driving myself nuts right about now if I hadn't said it out loud.

"You're amazing."

"I try," she smiles up at me.

We grin at each other like idiots until my phone rings. "She's not here," Luciano tells me what I already know.

"Okay. Then back to the other issue. Bring the family here, we need to have a meeting."

Violet arches a brow at me. "We need to talk," I tell her.

"Oh, why does that sound so bad?"

"It's not. Not entirely," I try to assure her, but the truth of the matter is that I have no idea how she might feel about what I'm about to disclose to her. I wish I did. I wish we had been given the time, like a normal engaged couple, to get to know each other better. But we aren't, and I'm not a person to keep wishing for something that isn't. I will remedy it in the future, but for now, we are where we are.

"Oh shit," Violet wiggles out of my arm. Alarmed, I try to hold her back, pull her behind me, but then I realize it's the damn cat. Felix. About to explore the veranda.

"He loves the outside," Violet tells me, while she's slowly making her way over to the cat.

"So let him," I don't see the problem.