Page 117 of Empire of Temptation

All the air left my body in a rush. “Fuck!” I punched the back of the leather seat three times, my skin stretched tight with fear and anger. Segreto had Valentina. Had taken her away on an ATV. I was going to chop that motherfucker into tiny pieces when I found him. I punched the seat again.

“Calm down,” my brother said under his breath. “Do not lose your shit. We need to find her.”

“How badly is Roberto hurt?” I asked into the phone.

“Bullet went through his calf. He’ll be fine according to the medics.”

“Any other details? Anything else that could help us find her?”

“Her father took both of their phones. Said he would kill you if you tried to follow them.”

I wasn’t afraid of Flavio Segreto. The man was a coward, hiding out and sneaking around. I was not a coward; I dealt with my problems directly. When I killed someone, they knew exactly who was responsible before they took their last breath. And my face would be the last thing Segreto saw before he died.

“Anything else?” Sergio asked Giovanni.

“She reassured Roberto that her father wouldn’t hurt her. Then they drove off into the woods.”

I told Giovanni to deliver food to the firemen today, then we rang off. Sergio and I locked gazes. I saw the determination in his eyes, the blaze of fury and retribution, and no doubt he saw the same in mine. No one fucked with Benettis and lived.

“Find the crash site and stop,” I said. “We’ll get out there and start searching.”

“They could be anywhere, Luca.” Sergio gestured to the woods around us. “And Segreto knows how to hide.”

The boat was the key. I knew it in my bones. Segreto had traveled by boat to my estate to start the fire, and it reasoned he was living either on the river or near an inlet. “He’s near the water.”

Sergio made a dismissive noise. “Everyone is near the water. Have you seen the length of the river? It’s as bad as the woods.”

“Look.” Aldo pointed as we turned a corner. “There’s the car.”

A lone sedan had skidded into the grass, its two flat front tires lurching awkwardly. My stomach dropped. She must have been terrified. Two police cars were parked nearby, and a man was writing notes by the empty car.

“Pull over,” I said. “Let’s talk to them and then we’ll begin searching.”

Once we stopped, I walked toward the officers. Another car with my other brothers and two guards followed, and they parked behind Aldo. When I approached the officers I gave them a humble, non-threatening smile while letting my accent thicken. “Ciao, officers. Come stai?” I offered my hand, which they all accepted. “Do we know what happened here?”

An older officer shook his head and rested his hands on his utility belt. “Some nut put spikes in the middle of the road. Caused that car there to skid to a stop.”

“That is terrible,” I said sympathetically. “And the people inside the car?”

“We can’t share those details yet,” the younger officer said. “We’re still looking for the suspect.”

“I see. May I speak to the other officer, the one making notes? I live nearby and perhaps can offer some insight.”

They looked skeptical, but they shrugged. “Go ahead. I think Detective Antonelli is almost finished.”

I thanked them, then told my brother to wait. There was no need for both of us to approach the detective and scare him off.

“Signore,” I said. “May I have a word?”

He looked up from his notebook, his eyes weary with a dash of suspicion. “Who are you?”

“I’m a man who will be very, very grateful for any information you can give me regarding what happened here.”

“Listen, I don’t have time for this. I need to get back?—”

“You aren’t listening.” I moved closer and lowered my voice. “My name is Luca DiMarco and trust me, I am someone you should like to have on your side, detective. I’m very generous to those who help me.”

He rose to his full height, and I was surprised to learn he was as tall as me. Young, in good shape, with a short dark beard covering his face. Definitely of Italian descent. “Are you bribingme?”

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