Page 19 of Savage Prince

My righthand man saunters down the aisle, stopping just in front of Serena, a stupid smile on his face.

“Do you really thinkthat”—I tick my head toward the cockpit— “was the best use of your time and mine?”

“Sorry,capo. You took longer than I expected—” His words fall away as his gaze wanders toward Otto. “What the hell happened to you?”

“I happened,” Serena grits out. “And you’ll be next if yourcapodoesn’t release me at once!”

A deep chuckle vibrates Pietro’s barrel chest. “She seems feisty. Maybe we should have stuck with the original target.”

Serena’s head whips in my direction, her eyes smoldering with rage. “The original target?” she hisses.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Pietro,state zitto! Can’t you keep your mouth shut?”

“Who?” Serena glares at me, eyes narrowed, fingers clutching the armrest between us.

I see it the moment she realizes the answer. All the fight in her eyes vanishes, her entire body deflating.

“Isabella…” she whispers. “You were going to take my cousin.”

“This isn’t about you,” I grumble, unsure why I feel the necessity to explain. “It’s about my family business, my father’s honor and the way my brother pissed all over it forher.”

“Let’s just go,” she mutters. “I swear I’ll be a good little hostage. Get the plane in the air or whatever the hell your plan is. You’ve got me, so now let’s get the hell out of here so we can getthe negotiations rolling.” She reaches for the folded-up blanket on the seat and drapes it across her scandalous romper.

I gape at her for a long moment, caught completely off guard by this sudden change in demeanor. What happened to the feisty, spirited woman jabbing tongs at my men and jumping out of moving vehicles?

“You heard her,” I bark at Pietro. “Tell the captain we’re ready for departure.”

Despite the metal cuffs and Serena’s reassurances, I don’t dare close my eyes the entire flight. She sleeps beside me, chair stretched out so that it lays totally flat. Her breaths come in soft, measured intervals, her chest slowly rising and falling. Apparently, someone is completely at ease in my presence. I’m not certain if I should be insulted or flattered.

I should be content. In the grand scheme of things, my mission was a success. I have Serena and, in a few hours, once we land, I’ll contact Dante and if everything I’ve heard about the man and his love for his daughter is true, I should have the Ferrara territory whole once again within the week.

Then why the fuck does the victory feel hollow?

Serena murmurs something in her sleep, and I inch closer, that voice, even now, waking something raw and primal deep within my core. “No,” she whimpers, her expression darkening. “Not Bella… anyone but her.” Tears fall, stealing down her cheeks, and my insides twist. “Take me instead, just leave her alone.”

She continues to whisper, to plead and with every passing moment, that guilt squeezes my gut tighter. I’d always heard theValentinos were close, but to prefer to give up her own life for her cousin? It’s completely unexpected.

They’re not even sisters…

My thoughts whirl back to a time when I had twofratelli, two brothers that I would do anything for. When the hell had our relationship gotten so fucked up?

Papà.

The answer comes from that dark voice in the furthest recesses of my mind, the one I refuse to accept. Our father had broken our bond long ago. Even Giuseppe and I weren’t close, not really, not when it counted.

Serena shifts beside me, drawing my attention away from my muddled past. Her eyes slowly open, meeting mine. The moment of shock passes quickly, the haze of sleep vanishing as she takes in her surroundings.Papàoften pitted us against each other, dangling the business’ fortune over our heads. Though I was his enforcer, his heir, he often insinuated given the right circumstances Giuseppe could steal it all from my grasp.

Now I often found myself wishing my brother was still here. I’d hand it all over to him happily.

“Dammit, I was hoping it was all a bad dream,” she mutters, drawing me away from thoughts of the past.

“Hate to disappoint you,tesoro.” My lips slide into a smile, unbidden.

Her bound hands pop up from beneath the blanket as she runs slender fingers through her disheveled hair, revealing angry red skin ringing her wrists beneath the metal. Another twinge of guilt rears up. I could uncuff her… There’s nowhere to go here and given her familiarity with guns, she wouldn’t be stupid enough to start a midair shootout.

“I have to pee.” She presses the button on the leather seat, and it adjusts until she’s sitting upright, matching my pose. “Are hostages allowed bathroom time or what?”

I nod and slowly rise, my legs stiff after six hours of little movement. “This way.” I tick my head toward the door in the back which boasts a full bedroom and second bathroom. I can’t explain why I don’t take her to the bathroom in the front, which everyone else uses. I tell myself it’s because it’s too close to the cockpit, and I’m afraid she’ll try something desperate.

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