Page 66 of Stolen Bride for the Don

HUDSON

“Come on, hurry the fuck up!” I command, my voice hoarse from yelling Andrea’s name when I heard the sickening crunch of what sounded like her car crashing into something.

Tanner wordlessly increases the car’s speed. My face remains glued to my phone, monitoring her movement. She’s been still for the past ten minutes. After her car had crashed, someone probably transferred her to their vehicle. Most likely the black van she had mentioned. And that vehicle moved and kept moving for an agonizing fifty minutes, only coming to an eventual stop on Boston street.

My grip tightens on the phone. Somebody has my fiancée, and I have no idea who. He better pray to God that not a hair is harmed on her head, or I’m going to make him see God…and not in a good way.

“Are they still at that address?” Crew asks. He’s sitting next to me, his knees bobbing up and down. I give him a short nod and return my gaze to the tracker.

“We’re almost there, Massimo. We’ll get her and the bastard that has her,” Isaac says from the passenger seat. I nod again. I will get her. Behind my Jeep are four more cars filled with my men. Whoever took her is going to regret it.

Crew tries to say something else, but I shut him down. My fingers start tapping on the screen rhythmically as I shut out intrusive thoughts. I’m about to crawl out of my fucking skin with how antsy I am.

Nobody tries to talk for the rest of the drive until Tanner slows the car down a few blocks away from the actual address. We’re trying to catch them by surprise. Whoever has her probably has no idea that she wears a tracker; they might relax, thinking there’s no way for me to find her until they reach out. Going in with a convoy of cars will ruin the element of surprise.

My men and I silently get out of our cars. I glance at them all. “Crew and Isaac, you’re with me. The rest of you, you can have everyone else, but whoever is in charge is mine. Keep him alive for me.” They nod in unison, and we’re off.

We walk silently through the streets, melting into the darkness. It’s an industrial area with a line of warehouses, one of which Andrea is being held in. Isaac grabs my arm, stopping me. “Hold on, Massimo. Something feels off. What if it’s a trap?” he asks in a low voice.

“Do I look like I fucking care?” I snarl.

“Look, all I’m saying is what if Andrea isn’t here at all, and they somehow know her ring is being tracked–”

I hold up a hand to stop him. “She’s here.” Why does everyone keep thinking I put a tracker in her ring? I shrug his hand off and make my way to the warehouse the tracker is showing Andrea is in. I close the app and tuck my phone in my pocket; then I pull out my gun as I approach the door.

I nod at Crew to open the door; as soon as he does, a scene straight out of a nightmare is waiting for me: Andrea’s sitting on the floor, a line of blood dripping from her temple. Her feet are cuffed to a fucking chair; a man looms over her with a curved knife hanging from his hand. I cock my gun.

The man stiffens, obviously hearing the sound; then he moves fast, positioning himself behind her. Isaac gasps behind me when we see the man’s face: Dominic Rossi. Fuck, I should’ve known. He’d been quiet, too quiet.

He locks his hand around her neck and yanks her up. I don’t miss Andrea’s wince as he uses her body to shield his, positioning his knife against her neck. “Take one step closer and I’ll slit her throat. Don’t test me, Massimo.”

I go still, my gaze dropping to Andrea. How can she look so calm? “Don’t listen to him, Hudson, shoot,” she says.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch.” He presses the knife deeper into her skin until the delicate flesh breaks and blood slowly beads out. Raw heat washes through my body as I watch; my body shakes with barely-contained rage. Movement catches my eye at his back. It’s Tanner, Eli, and three of my men coming through the back door.

I give the slightest shake of my head when Tanner raises his gun at Dominic. What if the bullet passes through his body and into Andrea’s? I can’t risk it.

“You know what you’re doing is a break of the truce act and is punishable by death?” I ask Dominic calmly, trying to distract him so he doesn’t notice Tanner slowly closing in on him.

“Not only your death, Dominic. Your brother… and the men you have here. And your loved ones,” Isaac adds next to me. “I read a copy of the contract.”

“So what? I have nothing but my life left, anyway. All because of him!” Spit flies out of his mouth as he glares at me, but my focus remains on Andrea. “I am the rightful king of Providence. I would have been the one controlling the city if he hadn’t swooped in and stolen it from me,” he continues angrily. “But that wasn’t enough. He had to go after the small slice of territory I had left as well.”

“That was because you tried to kill me. And if you recall, a man of your choosing replaced you. That’s hardly me going after your territory.” I remind him calmly even as my heart thunders desperately. He’s unhinged.

“Shut up! You think I care about semantics and–” Tanner is right behind him and hits the back of his head with the butt of his gun. Dominic’s eyes go wide, and for a terrifying heartbeat, I think he’s going to slash the knife around Andrea’s throat, but it clatters out of his hand as he crumbles to the floor.

Without the support of that bastard behind her, Andrea sways. I rush to her, grabbing her before she can hit the floor. “I’m here, pet. I’m here.” I murmur as I hug her tightly. Just then, the soft sounds of silenced gunshots fill the air outside. My men are disposing of Dominic’s accomplices.

“Take me home, Hudson. I want to go home,” Andrea whispers. I move away from her so I can place one arm under her knees, the other around her shoulders, and carry her out with her head tucked protectively against my chest.

As I leave the warehouse, I instruct Eli, “Cut out his tongue and take him and his brother to the ranch.” I’ll deal with them after taking care of Andrea. Tanner, Isaac and Crew cut a path to where the cars are parked, and I take my queen home.

Killian is waiting for us at the front door. He follows Andrea and me up to our bedroom, where he looks her over. He glues the wound on her temple shut, but she also has bruises from the seat belt cutting into her and a knot at the back of her head. Seeing her like that stokes my anger. I inhale deeply to calm myself. I’ll get to Dominic; he’s going to wish he was never born.

“Can we talk outside?” Killian asks as he packs up. I go to stand up, but Andrea grabs my hand.

“Don’t go,” she whispers, and that’s that. I remain seated next on the bed and adjust my hand so that our fingers are linked.

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