Page 74 of The Last Vendetta

“Giulia?” I called out as I searched the house. This place was large, designed for hosting large parties and accommodating big groups of guests at once.

I didn’t know why she’d wander or give herself a tour. I didn’t care if she did. This woman was already sneaking into my heart, so it seemed backward to give a shit if she felt nosy and wanted to snoop around.

The further I went through the house, my suspicions grew. No alarms had been set off. I’d made sure to keep the security system on because no guards were around to offer backup. I wouldn’t be so stupid with her safety.

Yet, it seemed like someone had gotten in. Not only that, but they’d done so with access to deactivating and resetting the alarm system.

“What the fuck?” I muttered to myself. Her earring remained in my pocket. As soon as I saw the bed empty and found her piece of jewelry, I got dressed and set out to find her. This little piece of shiny metal seemed to be all that was left of her. Like she’d vanished into thin air.

“Where the fuck are you?” I whispered to the empty and silent house.

If she hadn’t tried to leave on her own, intimidated by the depth of my feelings for her, or vice versa, then someone had to have come here and grabbed her.

Precisely to avoid my interference.

And with caution to avoid tripping the advanced security system this place was rigged with.

As I considered the infuriating idea that someone could have been watching us, spying on us to know that I’d taken that call outside with Dean, I let my anger build up. The need to destroy something filled me, so when the sounds of the alarm panel being engaged reached my ears, I stormed over there with my gun in hand.

I wrenched the door open, cutting off the guard who was inputting the numbers. On the stoop stood Giovanni. He raised his brows at me, expectant as ever, and finished his call. Always on the phone. Always in action somewhere and somehow as the remote leader of us all.

He stepped in, and I narrowed my eyes at his stern, almost annoyed expression.

“Yes. That will work. I’ll call you back shortly.” He lowered the device as he stepped inside the foyer, glancing around the space. I didn’t get the impression he was searching for something. More so, he seemed to stall in confronting me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He had come here for a reason. The man was too busy to make a three-hour-long drive for the hell of it.

The timing of his arrival set me on edge. He’d arrived just after I discovered Giulia missing. While it helped that she wasn’t here, I didn’t want her gone from my side. Sooner or later, I’d need to begin taking the steps to make him aware that Giulia would be with me, but that wasn’t today.

“I came to speak with you.”

I shook my head. “How the fuck did you know where I was?” Once the words flew out of my mouth, I growled and held up my hand to stop him from replying. “Never mind.” It wouldn’t be hard to track me. All the vehicles could be traced. He hadn’t been happy with my explanation that I was leaving the city, and I bet as soon as I’d given him a proverbial fuck-you of leaving town against his wishes, he’d tracked my route.

“You are not to mix with that woman.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What woman?”

“Don’t play stupid with me,” he warned, lowering his voice and sounding more sinister. “You know who I’m fucking talking about.”

I set my gun down and crossed my arms. “Enlighten me.”

He stalked over, but I didn’t flinch at his hurried approach. It would take a lot more to intimidate me than my father scowling and rushing toward me with anger.

“I don’t have to enlighten you, you spoiled punk.”

“I thought I was supposed to be second in command now,” I retorted.

“Then act like it!”

I shook my head, biting my lip as I realized he had to have caused Giulia to be absent from here. You’ll pay for that, you motherfucker.

“How am I not acting like it? I don’t hover over the capos like Luka did. I’m not a control freak. And shit still gets done. Maybe the men and soldiers in the organization will appreciate the respect and have a higher morale.”

“Fuck morale. They’ll do what we say, and that’s the end of it.”

“What the hell is this? You drove all this way to bitch at me about my supervision methods?” With a fleeting, tempting thought, I borrowed a page from Giulia’s book. The lure of running away and forfeiting my role in this Mafia Family had never appealed more than it did at this moment.

“You want to act like a second in command, you should be focused on finding your brother’s killer. I told you to avenge him!”

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