Page 74 of Isle of Beauty

I stand and punch a hole in the wall, consumed with rage.

“Go back to 4:04,” Igor asks and Giulia does it for him while I keep myself turned. I can’t see this again. “There, stop. The man on the right side. Fuuuck. It’s Dimitri Baryshev.”

“Who the fuck is Dimitri Baryshev?” I ask.

“He’s Misha Petrov’s second.”

“Wait… What did you just say?” I turn and look at the man Igor just identified.

“Why would your brother send his second to kidnap Lana?” Giulia asks dumbfounded at the same time and my eyes widen.

“His brother?”

“Yeah, Misha is Igor’s fucking psycho brother. He usually never leaves Russia. Why would he send for Lana? That makes no sense.”

Oh but it does.

“I know who’s threatening us.” Calm settles over my body and my heart rate slows. My voice is collected and clear. My insides are burning with hate so profound it’ll raze everything in its wake. But not yet. No, I reserve that for the person who really deserves it.

I pick up my phone and call a number I’d never thought I’d use. He answers on the third ring, fucking bastard.

“Cugino, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Fuck, I hate the sound of his pretentious voice.

“My wife’s been abducted.”

“I didn’t even know you were married. Congratulations, but what does that have to do with me?”

“I need your help.”

Andrea is silent for a moment but I clearly hear the smirk on his lips and can’t wait to punch it off his face. I need to reign in my temper if I have any hope of finding Lana and quickly.

“Pierce Security Company is yours.”

The fact that he doesn’t answer tells me he wasn’t expecting me to back down. We might not be close but Andrea Capaldi knows a good deal when he sees one and if his father taught him an ounce of family loyalty he has, he’ll help us.

“You’ll have to come to me. I’ll send the coordinates. In the meantime, send me all you got.”

He hangs up abruptly and Giulia, Igor and I agree to take the jet in the next hour to fly to the UK.

I’ll damn my soul and sell everything I own to have her back.

THIRTY

GIULIA

DID I JUST GET MARRIED?

“Do you have news?” I ask Pierce who's been eerily quiet the entire flight.

I’m on edge, just as much as he and Igor are. Lana’s been gone for less than twenty-four hours and we haven’t heard anything for a potential ransom, which is the worst that could have happened.

No contact from anyone is bad news. I already know it but I can’t help checking in every five minutes.

“No, but Andrea wouldn’t call unless he had actual information to locate Lana. And I doubt he’d give it for free.”

“You already gave him your company.”

---