Page 48 of Cruel Redemption

“No one else is like Luka and me.” I smiled sadly. The pit in my stomach was hard and growing. My phone was silent. He and Ciro had to have reached the Vieux Carre by now. “We’re unique. We can make the partnership work. We want the same things. We have the same goals.”

“You two? Competitive. Territorial. Alphas. You and Luka Novikov?”

I nodded. “Yes. Luka Novikov and me. We can rule New Orleans.”

“Does that mean you’re going to marry him?” she asked.

There was no ring on my finger. No proposal. Only the hint of what Ciro had told me. Ciro had dropped a lot on me in the car yesterday.

“He hasn’t asked,” I replied. “Not something I have to think about right now. There’s no offer on the table.”

Barbara chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She winked at me and picked up a cup of coffee. “Thank you for filling me in. This is starting to make more sense.”

I opened one of the folders. “I’m not sure about that. But your counsel is always appreciated, Barbara. Always.”

Bella stepped into the room. I was about to wave her away. We had plenty of coffee, tea, and she had already stocked the bar for cocktail hour.

“Ms. Amato, there are guests,” she announced. Bella looked exhausted. I had realized how the stress of the kidnapping was affecting everyone under my roof.

“Who is it?” There were no meetings today.

“Mr. and Mrs. Barone.”

“Oh shit,” I whispered. “All right. Send them to the sitting room. Offer them something and I’ll be right there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Barbara looked at me. “Should I attend this meeting?”

I nodded. “It might be best. It could be about the reward fund we set up for Enzo.” I looked at Barbara. “But I need just a minute. I don’t know how to face his mother again.”

“Take your time.” She patted my hand and stepped out of the room.

Twenty-Six

Luka

Why did I feel as if I had ripped something out of Amara’s heart? That look in her eyes. The pain. A glimpse of betrayal. I denied her. I defied her. I’d beg for her forgiveness when I brought Enzo back.

Ciro drove like a bat out of hell once we left the compound.

“Are you going to tell me what the lead is?” I asked. I grabbed the handle over head so I wasn’t thrown into his shoulder when he cut hard right.

“His phone pinged.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. But it’s at the exact spot of the Vieux Carre, so my guess is he was underground and either someone brought him up or his phone. Idiot didn’t check. Could be a trap. Always assume it’s a trap.”

My heart pounded. I kept thinking about what Amara said how Enzo wasn’t cut out for torture and discomfort. It was best my sister was still asleep when we left the house. One less person to worry while we tracked down what this meant.

“I thought Amara controlled the access to the tunnels. How could anyone else get down there?” I asked.

“There are other points of entry outside the Vieux Carre. I check them regularly. Someone with knowledge of the schematics would know, though. Narrows the suspect list.”

“And the shipping activity?” I posed the question, curious as to how much Ciro would reveal.

“We don’t have anything running this week,” he explained. “Tunnels are clear of our contractors.” It wasn’t much, but it was enough to explain that the tunnels ran on a schedule. A schedule Ciro knew. And a schedule some other contractors were privy to.

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