Page 80 of Fiercely Protective

Blaze closed the door behind us, leaving us alone in the office. “No, I contacted him via text, asking him if he was aware that Petros had made a move against the Bratva in Las Vegas. He pretended to know nothing of the attack. When I asked if he knew where Petros was at or heading to, he said he would find out and get back in touch with me.” He scoffed as his eyes narrowed. “The old bastard even wished us his best saying he was worried for our safety. It was all I could do not to call him out for the liar that he is. I have already decided that I am going to cut out his lying tongue when the time comes.”

I moved to the desk and leaned back against it. “It will be no less than what he deserves. I made a call of my own and received confirmation that Sevan is indeed behind Petros’ aggression. He has been playing us for fools.”

Blaze’s face darkened. “Who is the source?”

Blaze probably knew me better than anyone. We had seen each other’s most dangerous sides and taken on many challenges backing each other up, but even he didn’t know of my past, of the connections to my father’s family. I wasn’t ready to reveal anything about my ties to the Irish mafia or my fatherand uncle. I wasn’t sure if I would ever let anyone know. I had spent years denying them after my father abandoned me on the streets. I had made my way without them, created an empire without their name or connections.

“They are a reliable source.” I recounted the details I had learned from my earlier conversation with my uncle and waited for Blaze’s reaction.

“Hmm, so we will need to kill Petros and the scheming Sevan.”

It was a statement, not a question. “If his sons are involved, they will have to be dealt with as well. I can’t let this kind of deception go unanswered.”

“Did you call Nik and let him know what you discovered?”

I shook my head. “No, they will not dare attack him again. Once they regroup and form another plan, they will go after us, but we will be waiting for them. But until we have taken care of Petros, we must play Sevan’s game. I don’t want him getting word that we know of his treachery. You know how much I love surprises.”

Blaze grinned as he sank into the seat in front of the desk. “How did Bri take the surprise you had for her?”

“I haven’t explained everything yet. I told her that I would not be able to spend time with her until this business with Petros was over. I haven’t told her about the estate, just that she would be leaving the penthouse. Speaking of surprises, I should warn you that Alessio will be arriving tomorrow.”

Blaze abruptly stood up. “I suppose that son of a bitch Tomas will be coming with him.”

I tried to bite back the smirk forming on my lips. “Alessio is bringing Eden. You know as well as I that he has assigned Tomas as her personal guard. Besides, Tomas can be handy. Maybe he would be willing to help you plan out a strategy for capturing Petros.”

“Fuck you, Rogue, and fuck Tomas! I don’t want nor do I need that arrogant prick’s assistance with anything.”

I never flinched. “If that is the case, we need to come up with something before he arrives. I can take Bri back to the penthouse and we can meet at my office there in the building.”

The mention of Tomas had blackened his mood and while Blaze was dangerous any day of the week, when he was angry, he was positively lethal.

“I have a liaison scheduled upstairs, but as soon as I have had my fill, I will meet you. That will give you more time with Bri before you take her to the mansion. You should enjoy what time you have left with her because we have no idea how long it will take to find and rid the world of Petros and Sevan. Then we have that damn Tony Galante to take care of, but that will be more fun than work.”

I frowned at the thought. Not having Bri with me, not being able to put my hands on her whenever I wished would be difficult, but it had to be done. Blaze was right, I should make wise use of the time we had together. “I will meet you later then.”

I stood from where I had been perched on the edge of the desk when the fire alarms began blaring in my ears. The security lights flashed, and the ear-piercing screech of people yelling and screaming filled the air. Blaze and I exchanged worried glances and rushed for the door just as the sprinklers went off.

“What the hell? Sprinklers don’t go off unless there is a fire,” Blaze yelled over the alarms, but I couldn’t think of anything but getting to Bri.

We rushed through the office door and down the hall back into the heart of the club where chaos and panic had already taken hold. People were screaming and running to the door. Pushing and shoving each other in the pandemonium to reach safety and get away from the streaming water being sprayed on top of everyone. I couldn’t see over the crowds, but I pulled my pistol in case I needed to be ready. Blaze was shoving his way through the mass of people toward the booth beside me. When we reached it, she wasn’t there. Neither were the two guards I had posted to watch her.

“She probably ran with the crowd. Maybe the guards took her to the car,” Blaze said as I continued to scan the club looking for any sign of her.

The sprinklers were still going off and I heard sirens from fire trucks in the distance.Fuck!I didn’t need this shit right now. I looked around, there was no smoke, no sign of a fire. Nothing that would have set off the alarms and the sprinklers.

“This was intentional. Find Bri!”

A sickening feeling began to settle in my stomach. I rushed to the doors, pushing everyone out of my way. Once outside, I looked toward the car. The windows were tinted, and I couldn’t see inside. I ran forward and opened the door to find the back seat empty. She wasn’t there. I frantically began searching the crowd of people that were flooding out the door. I didn’t see her. Blaze rushed forward.

“She wasn’t in the car. Where is she? Where are the two fuckers that were supposed to be watching her?”

Blaze’s face was hard. “I found one of them inside searching the bathrooms. When the alarms went off, they grabbed her and headed for the exit, but in the mayhem, they were separated. They were pushed and somehow lost their hold on her. She was carried away in the crowd of people and vanished. The other man is still searching for her among those that left the club.”

Anger threatened to take over any rational thoughts I might have had. My wife had disappeared in the chaos, the two incompetent assholes that were supposed to be watching her had lost her. They would be lucky if I didn’t kill them for this mistake, and if I didn’t find her soon, that was exactly what I would do. I would not tolerate this kind of uselessness in my organization.

A million thoughts rushed through my head. Had Petros taken her? Was this what he had planned all along, or was it Tony Galante? Both men were dangerous, and my angel could be in their hands right now. The thought infuriated me as much as it terrified me. But I couldn’t focus on that right now, I had to find her and when I did, I would bring hell down upon the person that dared take her from me.

Three Hours Later

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