Page 29 of Stolen By the Enemy

And the look of satisfaction on Carlos’ face is not something I am willing to see.

The night with Grazia was exactly what I needed. Now that I have had her, I can go back and focus on the important things.

I haven’t heard from the Baldinis yet, so I am going to need to send them another message and make sure that they know I am not going to wait around forever.

The sun's just starting to show itself when I pull up to my house. The car's engine goes silent, and there's a mix of tension and something else in the air.

Spending the night with Grazia has left its mark, and I'm feeling it as I step out into the quiet morning.

The smell of coffee hits me in the kitchen, and the morning sun is coming through the windows.

The house staff moves about quietly, knowing not to bug me this early in the morning.

Lost in my thoughts, I play back the moments with Grazia in my head.

Duty and something else are all mixed up in this situation, and just for a bit, I let myself imagine a different kind of life.

I head up to my office, and reality hits again. The computer screen lights up with cartel business, and the night with Grazia is like a shadow in the background.

The tough reality of my world takes over once more.

I send a check-up message from my burner phone once I get back to my office. Then I go up to my room.

It’s been a long and busy night, despite the sun just starting to rise, I need to get some sleep so that I can work properly when I wake up.

Once I’m showered and in bed, images of Grazia appear in my head, almost as vivid as when I was thrusting into her in real life.

***

It’s been three days, and all I have heard from Luca is that they’re working on sending me the money.

I told them I want that first, and that it will secure the safety of their sister.

But here I sit, with no money and no replies, and a headache building from having to deal with these stupid Italians.

I’ve already had Carlos try to stop me, but now that he’s back in Mexico he thinks he’s going to be able to control me again.

I met with him to deal with our usual business, but have told him that this job with the Baldinis is my thing now.

He did exactly as I suspected, cutting me off and replacing me with some young and stupid boy.

That’s Carlos’ own problem. He wanted to be greedy, so now he will lose his most loyal man.

I dial Luca’s number from my burner phone. It rings a total of ten times before Luca Baldini answers it.

I’ve been calling him at different times of the day for these last three days, and every time he answers, he pushes back on the deadline I’ve given him.

Part of me wants to torture him already by asking him if he knows what a sex freak his sister is.

But I won’t antagonize the man until I have my route deal signed and sealed.

I’m sitting at my desk, a bottle of aged tequila to keep me company, and I’m running out of patience.

If these Baldini brothers don’t hurry up and make decisions, I’m going to have to start making the choices for them.

I’ve had a long week of stupid business meetings or putting out fires, and I’m at the end of my rope.

"Marco," Luca's voice reaches me, strained and far from what you'd expect to hear from a newlywed.

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