Page 52 of Tormented Hearts

It was late afternoon, and Luca had just returned from a meeting in Palermo. Phoenix was sitting on the back porch, her hands resting on her growing belly as she enjoyed the last few moments of sunlight. She had been feeling more settled recently, findingcomfort in the routine of planning for the baby and spending quiet moments with Luca.

Phoenix first realized something was wrong when one of the guards came to escort her back inside. But when she turned toward the house, a hand clamps over her mouth, muffling her scream.

It happened so fast. The sky blurred as she was dragged backward, the scent of earth and sweat filling her nose. She kicks and thrashes, but the grip on her tightens, and before she can fully register what was happening, she was thrown into the back of a van.

Her heart races with panic as she tries to fight back, her blood running cold.

A man is staring down at her with a twisted smile, his eyes filled with something dark and dangerous.

“No!” Phoenix gasps, trying to push herself up, but her body is trembling with fear.

The man kneels, his hand brushing a strand of hair from her face “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” he promises.

Phoenix’s stomach twists, panic surging through her as she realizes the depth of trouble she’s in.

LUCA 25

The moment Luca steps into the room, he knows something is wrong. The air is too still, too silent. His heart hammers in his chest as he scans the room, every instinct screaming that something is terribly, horribly off.

“Phoenix?” he calls, his voice echoing through the empty space. There is no answer, just the oppressive silence that makes his skin crawl. He strides across the living room, his eyes darting to every corner, searching for any sign of her. But there is nothing.

The unease that has been gnawing at him all day now twists into a cold, hard knot of fear. He pulls out his phone, his fingers shaking as he dials Miguel’s number.

“Where is she?” he demands the moment the call connects, his voice tight with barely restrained panic.

Miguel hesitates on the other end, his tone cautious. “Boss, what do you mean? She’s at home, right?”

“She’s not here,” Luca snaps, his heart pounding in his chest. “I need every man out looking for her. Now.”

There is a beat of stunned silence, and then Miguel’s voice comes through, urgent and focused. “I’m on it. We’ll find her, Luca.”

But the words did nothing to calm the fear clawing at Luca’s insides. He ends the call, his mind racing with a thousand terrible possibilities. Where could she have gone? Had she run again? Or—his stomach twists with dread—had someone taken her?

He tries to breathe, tries to keep his mind from spiralling into dark places, but the panic is relentless, suffocating. He had thought he had everything under control, had thought he couldkeep her safe. But now she is gone, and the uncertainty is tearing him apart.

His phone buzzes in his hand, he answers it with a bark of desperation. “What?”

It was Gabriel. “Luca, we’re mobilizing the men. No one’s seen her leave the building. Security footage is being reviewed now.”

Luca’s hands shake as he paces the room, his heart slamming against his ribs. “Check every exit, every camera. I want to know who took her.”

“We’re on it,” Gabriel assures him, his voice steady. “We’ll find her, Luca.”

But Luca isn’t listening. His mind is racing with every horrible scenario he could imagine. Phoenix, alone and scared, taken by some unknown enemy, vulnerable because of the baby. Their baby. The thought of her in danger, of something happening to her or the child, was more than he could bear.

He storms into the bedroom, his eyes scanning the space, searching for any clue, any sign of what had happened. The bed was neatly made, her clothes still hanging in the closet. But her phone is gone, her purse missing. His stomach churns with fear.

Had she run? Had she tried to escape again? Or was this something else, something darker?

Luca’s chest tightens with a panic he hadn’t felt in years. The thought of losing her, of something happening to her, was unbearable. She was everything to him, the only thing that mattered in this brutal, bloody world. And the baby—the life they had created together. He couldn’t lose them. He wouldn’t.

He grabs his phone again, dialling Miguel with trembling hands. “Anything?”

“Not yet,” Miguel replies, frustration lacing his voice. “But we’re checking every contact, every safe house. We’ll find her, Luca. I swear it.”

Luca’s vision blurred with rage and fear, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst. “I don’t care what it takes, Miguel. I want every man on this. I want every rat in this city questioned, every safe house searched. Find. Her.”

He ends the call, his hands shaking as he leans against the wall, his breath coming in harsh, ragged bursts. He has never felt so helpless, so out of control. The fear, the desperation, it is suffocating, threatening to pull him under.

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