Page 41 of Controlled

I glanced at the photograph, chuckling under my breath.

The woman looked remarkably like Bella only her hair was much lighter. The man was dressed in a suit, his smile more a leer. It was obvious by how close they were dancing that they were very close. “Where is he now?”

“Released from prison less than a month ago.”

Maybe Kane was right. In my world, if you believed in coincidences, you were dead.

“Hunt him down. I want to know exactly where he is at all times. Do you understand?”

“I figured you’d say that. I already some feelers out but he disappeared into the woodwork.”

“Find him. Don’t fuck with me on this. It’s entirely possible the man kept tabs on his daughter, which could mean he was at her performance.”

Kane opened his eyes wide. “That’s a longshot, boss.”

“Maybe so, but I want him tracked down. If he’s dared step foot in Chicago, you will bring him to my hunting grounds. Is that clear?”

“Will do. I don’t need to tell you that he has a lot of enemies. But he also had a lot of friends. The Italians like to stick together, blood or no blood.”

“Perhaps but the hunger for wealth and power allows them to eat their own with a dash of hot sauce. Keep that in mind. I’m going to set up that meeting with Frederico. Perhaps we’ll get to enjoy some fireworks in the upcoming days.”

“You are one evil man.”

“Yes, I am.”

As he walked toward the door, I fumed more than I had in years. Why did I have the feeling that my lovely Bella had no clue who she was or the level of danger she was likely in? If she really was the man’s biological daughter, then she had a target on her back. If my Capo could discover the information about who she was, anyone could.

“Before you leave, I need you to do something else for me.”

“Sure, boss. What do you need?”

I grabbed the file regarding her mother, tossing it to him. “I’m going to send you the name of a facility later. I want you to make arrangements to have Carmine Rothschild transferred there. I’m paying all the expenses.”

He opened his eyes wide. “Okay. I’ll take care of it.”

It was time to get ready for the board meeting because I had something to do afterward. Her forty-eight hours were almost up and it couldn’t be too soon.

She needed my protection the way I needed her light to my darkness.

“Soon, perfect dancer. Soon.”

CHAPTER 14

Bella

I checked the clock on the wall for the umpteenth time. Practice had been early this morning, maybe too much for Sleeping Beauty since he’d had a date the night before. Still, I was nervous why he hadn’t shown up at all.

Or why he hadn’t returned my texts.

“What’s wrong?’ Grace asked as soon as practice was over.

“It’s not like Jonas not to show.”

“Maybe he wasn’t feeling well.”

“Then why didn’t he call?”

“I don’t know.”

---