Page 10 of Tormented Hearts

“Where is she?”

There was a pause on the other end, then Miguel’s voice, wary and confused. “Boss, what are you—”

“Phoenix!” Luca snarled, his hand clenching around the phone so tightly he thought it might shatter. “She’s gone. Where the fuck is she?”

The silence that followed was deafening, and Luca’s fury burned hotter, consuming every rational thought. He could hear the sudden chaos on Miguel’s end, the sound of men shouting, scrambling to check the feeds, to find out where she had gone.

“She was supposed to be guarded!” Luca roared, his voice echoing off the walls. “How did this happen?”

“Luca,” Miguel’s voice was tense now, his words rushed. “We’re checking the cameras. She was last seen leaving her suite an hour ago. Gabriel was handling security detail on this floor, but... Fuck, I don’t know how she slipped through.”

Luca’s blood ran cold. Gabriel. One of his most trusted men. His friend. And he had failed to keep Phoenix safe. Fury and betrayal roiled in his chest, threatening to spill over.

“Find her,” Luca hissed, his voice low and deadly. “I don’t care what it takes. I want every man we have searching the city. Now.”

He ended the call, his heart pounding with a mix of rage and fear. Phoenix was out there, somewhere, alone and vulnerable. She didn’t understand the danger she was in, didn’t know the kind of men who would hunt her down just to get to him.

But she would learn. And so would they.

Luca turned on his heel, storming out of the room, his mind a blur of violent thoughts. He had given Phoenix everything—in his own way. And she had thrown it all away. She had run from him, defied him.

She was his. And no one, not even Phoenix herself, would take her away from him.

Luca’s steps echoed through the penthouse as he made his way back to his office, the fury building inside him like a tidal wave. He slammed the door behind him, his hands trembling with rage as he grabbed the edge of his desk, his knuckles white.

How dare she. How fucking dare she.

The thought of Phoenix out there, running from him, sent a cold, murderous rage coursing through his veins. He had been careful, so careful to protect her, to keep her safe from the dangers that lurked around every corner of his world. And this was how she repaid him? By slipping away like a thief in the night?

His phone buzzed on the desk, the screen lighting up with a message from Gabriel. Luca grabbed it, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached as he read the words.

No sign of her at the club or the safe house. We’re expanding the search.

Luca’s breath came in sharp, ragged bursts, his vision blurring with fury. His men were searching, but it wasn’t enough. He needed to find her, to feel her under his hands again, to remind her who she belonged to. His mind raced with images of what he would do when he had her back, how he would punish her for daring to leave him, for making him feel this... panic, this fear.

He had been foolish. He had let his guard down, let her get too close. And now she had run, but he would find her. He would bring her back. And he would make sure she never even thought about leaving again.

He had let this happen. He had been too lenient, too trusting. But that was over. He would find her. He would bring her back.

And then she would understand. She would know what it meant to belong to Luca Tempo.

Minutes felt like hours as Luca paced the length of his office, his thoughts consumed by images of Phoenix—terrified, alone, running through the dark streets of Palermo. His stomach twisted with a sickening mix of fear and anger, the emotions tearing at him, ripping him apart.

He should have been there. He should have known.

His phone buzzed again, and Luca snatched it up, his heart pounding. Another message from Miguel.

We have a lead. She was seen near the old port.

Luca’s breath hitched, his mind racing. The port. It was a labyrinth of abandoned warehouses and shipping containers, a maze that could swallow a person whole. She could be anywhere, hiding, desperate, afraid.

But she was still in the city. She hadn’t escaped him yet.

His heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing with a thousand different thoughts, each one darker and more desperate than the last. She was out there, somewhere, alone and vulnerable, and the thought of her running from him, slipping through his fingers, was driving him to the brink of madness.

How had this happened? How had she escaped? His security was supposed to be airtight. His men were trained, vigilant, always on alert. But she had found a way to slip past them, to disappear into the night, and the realization of her betrayal burned in his chest like a hot coal.

He had been too soft. Too trusting. He had let her get too close, had allowed himself to believe that she would stay, that she would accept her place at his side. But Phoenix was a fighter, a survivor. She had defied him before, and now she was doing it again, and the fury that surged through him was like nothing he had ever felt before.

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