Page 125 of Wicked Rivals

Val.

“That’s him,” Enzo shouted. “That’s Mr. Luka!”

Then the son of a bitch hit Val hard enough to send her flying across the floor. Even before he’d backhanded her, she looked banged up and bruised.

I hissed out a slow breath, my bones quaking with rage, waiting for Val to roll over, so I could see her face. When she faced the camera again, I didn’t recognize her expression.

Nostrils flared, teeth bared, fire raging in her eyes.

My sweet little barista had transformed into a fierce warrior ready to take on the world. It showed me a side of her I’d never seen, not even the night we fought so many years ago.

That night, yes, she’d been furious with me, but she still appeared to be the same woman.

In this video, she looked dangerous, like a determined survivor, a strong woman who could stand by my side and hold her own. Not a trophy wife or stay-at-home mom.

This woman could give orders, strategize, and help me run my empire. Fuck. It had to be the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, despite the circumstances.

The footage didn’t have sound, so I didn’t know what she said to him, but her eyes told me everything as she stood and squared off against her kidnapper, her stance wide and steady as she spoke.

Whatever Val had said enraged this Luka piece of shit. He said something to her, his shoulders back and chest pushed out to make himself look bigger. He must have been defending himself.

His efforts hadn’t worked because Val laughed. Not with a cute giggle or coquettish simper. No, she tossed her head back, her beautiful dark locks cascading over her shoulders as her mouth opened wide and she belted out wild laughter.

She’d baited him. That much became clear through his body language and hers. Val wantedLuka to yell, scream, make a ruckus to get this worthless security guard's attention, so he would get off his ass and go investigate. Anything to give us a better trail to follow her…

Brilliant idea.

But I’d already seen the photo. I knew what came next on the video playback. The tight grip on my heart squeezed hard when Luka drew his weapon and aimed it at her.

I pulled Enzo over to me, pressing the side of his face against my chest, holding him there, so he couldn’t see what then played out on the monitor.

“Holy fuck,” the guard whispered. “He's one of the teachers here. I know him…”

The man stumbled over his words as he stood, knocking his chair back, and slipping on his own piss without taking his eyes off the screen. He slowly backed away, as if he thought Luka could turn the gun on him and fire through the video footage.

“Explain to me again,” I snarled, “how you sat one story directly below that, surrounded by empty hallways and security monitors, and you didn't hear or see a goddamn thing.”

The guard looked away from the screen but kept his gaze away from me, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his neck.

“I-I… maybe I was out doing rounds? Or maybe he had a silencer on the gun?”

“There was no suppressor on that gun,” I said. “What the fuck were you really doing?”

His shoulders rose almost to his ears, his elbows tucking in against his sides.

“I-I must’ve been doing my rounds and just didn’t hear it. I swear I didn’t hear her.”

When he stepped back to get away from me, I saw what he’d been hiding. A headset and gaming system laid on the desk behind him.

I looked at Enzo with a raised brow.

“We’re putting you in a better school after this.”

Enzo shrugged, then narrowed his eyes.

“You just get my mom back first.”

CHAPTER 27

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