Page 82 of Deceitful Oath

My phone dings, pulling me from my thoughts. As I grab it from the cup holder, a barrage of dings sends my fingers flying across the keyboard to unlock it.

There are a bunch of texts from Enzo.What the hell is happening?

>>Boss, call me ASAP.

>>Shit, where the hell are you? This is bad.

>>Rafael. Lux is in trouble.

Ten missed calls from Enzo.Fuck.I almost dial him back, but a text from Lux sends a jolt of fear down my spine. I quickly click it to read the whole thing.

>>On the way to my old place. Vince is there. Don’t ask me how I know this, I may have gone exploring today.

Oh no. No, no, no.

Rocco keeps glancing at me, concern clear on his face. Joe is passed out in the backseat, showing his age for once. I instantly click her name, waiting for the dial tone. The call doesn’t even connect.

I try again and again, until a call from Enzo interrupts my madness.

“Enzo, what the fu…”

“Vince and Mancini got Lux,” Enzo blurts, breathless. I hear his fingers flying across a keyboard in the back. “They’re heading out of the city in Mancini’s BMW. Plates are JH5578.”

“What happened?” I roar into the phone, making Joe jump in the backseat.

“Didn’t you get the alerts?”

“No, asshole. If I was getting security alerts I would have answered your calls.”

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Enzo grumbles, but he’s clearly as stressed as I am. “Mancini and Vince broke into her place. I saw it on the security cams and messaged you. Didn’t think much of it until she showed up there. They tied her up and threw her into the trunk.”

The phone falls from my shaking hand, and I punch the dashboard, growling like a caged animal. Rocco and Joe are yelling, trying to figure out what’s happening, while Enzo’s voice calls for me from the phone at my feet.

“I’m pulling over,” Rocco says hesitantly and slides over to the shoulder of the freeway. I hop out of the car, swiping the phone from the floor as I snap at Enzo.

“Relax, relax,” he tries to placate me. “The good news is she’s alive. And I’m keeping track of their movements through the traffic cams I hacked. I think they’re heading to Mancini’s main compound.”

“On it,” I bark. “I need you to round up the whole crew. No, only the ones who are family. Get them to meet me there.”

I shove my phone into my pocket and give Joe and Rocco the short version of the story. We jump into the car, ready to destroy our enemies. Rocco floors the vehicle, and we zoom down the freeway, correcting our course toward Mancini’s mansion.

I shut my eyes, praying that Lux is alive and well. Needing to see it all happen for myself, I pull out my phone again and click on the security alerts.

I watch as Lux strides into her building, all sass and confidence. I see them capture her, bind her, and threaten her. Her eyes shine with fury, even in the low-quality videos.

I’m coming sunshine. Just hold on.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Lux

The intensity with which rage hits me at the sight of that fucking man in my apartment scares me.

It takes a lot to make me angry, or very specific situations—animal cruelty, being rude to service staff, bigotry, for example. My body shakes as I watch Vince stalk around my apartment, opening drawers and poking around.

What makes it worse is that he’s fully aware someone’s watching.

He’s taunting Rafael. Showing him where the power lies.

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