I took a red-eye flight home, and I’m exhausted. The second my car pulls up beneath the mansion’s porte-cochère, I know something’s wrong. No staff at the door. No movement. Nothing but stillness.
I step out, my jaw tight, senses on high alert.
Inside, the halls are dim. Empty. My steps echo through the corridor like a warning bell. I head straight for our suite. I left Eva here safe, surrounded by guards. I shouldn’t be feeling this way.
I open the door. The bed’s untouched, her bag’s gone.
No note. No trace.
My stomach drops.
I check the closet. Her clothes are missing though her scent still lingers. The room feels hollow, stripped of warmth.
I yank out my phone and call her. Straight to voicemail.
Again. Same thing. Fury flashes like lightning behind my eyes.
I’m about to call one of my men when a knock sounds at the door.
“Dante,” my mother’s voice.
I turn. “What?”
“It’s Lombardi. He backed out of the meeting and won’t return my calls. His people are stonewalling. Something’s brewing.”
“Let it brew,” I grit out. “I’ll burn his house down and salt the earth.”
Her tone sharpens with distaste. “Dante.”
“No.” I step toward her. “He wants to play games while I’m gone? He’s done. I’m done. No more diplomacy.”
She purses her lips then says, “We have another problem. There are Russians downstairs.”
My eyes narrow. I came up the back staircase and did not see them. “Abramovics?”
She nods. “They say it’s about Eva. Only they didn’t say Eva Smith. They said Eva Petrova.”
I stop dead in my tracks.
“They saw her with you and now they can’t reach her. They’re here for answers.”
I clench my jaw. “They don’t get to make demands in my house.”
Her voice drops. “Dante. Did you know?”
I don’t answer at first. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. “She’s gone,” I snap. “She left. And yes, I know she’s Eva Petrova. Apparently, the whole damn city knows now, too.”
For once, my mother is speechless.
“I don’t know where she is,” I say, my chest tightening with worry and fear.
“We can’t ignore the Russians,” she says quietly.
“No,” I agree. “We’ll deal with them first. Then I’m going to find Lombardi. After I’m done with him, I will find Eva.”
I stalk out before she can say another word, my fury trailing behind me like smoke.
If anyone hurts her, they won’t live to regret it.
I storm into the study, every stride fueled by anger.
Three Abramovics—two men, one woman—stand against the wall in perfectly tailored suits. Their postures stiff, their eyes cold. As soon as they see me, dark seriousness clouds their features.
The woman steps forward, chin lifted. “Mr. Bellacino. We’ve been waiting.”
I cross my arms, no intention of being polite. “I hear you want to talk about Eva Petrova.” My voice could ice over a volcano.
They exchange glances, then the older man clears his throat. “Da. We heard she was with you, under your protection, yet now she’s vanished. We want to know where she is.”
My jaw clenches. “I don’t answer to you.” I glance toward my mother, hovering nearby, tense. “If Eva left, that’s her decision. She’s not your prisoner.”
The woman’s stare hardens. “She’s not yours, either.”
My temper surges. “I never claimed ownership, just protection,” I correct. “What do you want with her?”
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 carrying my child. 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.
Losing her is not an option.
