Page 39 of Fierce Hearts

"That's all? She's not said anything else?" I pressed, relieved to know she hadn't had a clue about any of them being here.

"That's all, Gray. If she says anything I think either of you need to know, I'll tell you. I'll ask her about the Savoca too. Who was it?"

"Her Uncle, Ernesto, Marco's father. I would assume he's running things now, so perhaps there's more going on involving Sof if he's here," I said, meeting Leo's gaze, who nodded the confirmation.

"That's not good. I'll see what I can find out. She wants to talk, so I'll update you both, especially if it's something major."

"I just want to know she's okay," I said, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

"You seem to care an awful lot about Sof all of a sudden. Something I should know?" Her voice hitched with intrigue, and I ground my teeth in frustration.

Leo was also watching me with interest. "She's family to you, which makes her family to me. We look out for family."

"Right," Meredith said, clearly not buying it but letting it go. "I'll let you know if there's anything serious. I have to go, we're here."

She hung up before I could say anything else. I set my phone down and found Leo still watching me.

"You and Sofia Savoca," he said, not quite a question.

"Drop it."

To my surprise, he did, turning back to his computer. "I've got people looking into Marco's death. And—" His phone buzzed again, and he checked the message. "Shit."

"What now?"

"The Ference family is in town too."

My stomach dropped. The Ference family, the main rivals of the Savocas, known for their brutality in our circles, especially toward women. Their main business was human trafficking and prostitution—the kind of operations Leo and I refused to touch.

"What the hell is going on?" I muttered.

Leo was already on another call, his face growing darker by the second. When he hung up, he looked at me with an expression that was not promising in the slightest. Whatever was going on was not something we were going to like.

"There are rumors of a marriage alliance being arranged between the Savoca and Ference families."

Now it all made sense. Sofia was from the main line of the Savoca family. The thought had my blood boiling. She'd wanted out, it was the reason she'd told me no, that she wanted nothing to continue between us. If this was happening, then it was not her wishes. It couldn't be. She'd never agree.

But I'd heard the rumors of Ernesto Savoca and why he'd missed out on being the head of the family. He was a cruel man just like Sofia's father, but he made bad calls without a care for the family.

"No," I muttered as I grabbed my phone and called Sofia again, my heart pounding. Voicemail. Of course. So I fired off a text instead.

Please call me. It's important.

The thought of Sofia—my Sofia—being handed over to someone from the Ference family made something primal and possessive rise in me. I'd only had her once, but it was enough to know I wouldn't let anyone else have her.

Especially not someone from that cruel, twisted family.

"We need to put eyes on her," I said, my voice tight.

Leo nodded, already texting someone. "I can probably have someone hack into her security system, it's the same company who did ours."

"Do it. And I want men watching her house. Not just Jackson. We need her safe."

"Gray," Leo said carefully, "you need to tell me what's going on with you and Sofia. Sure, as Meredith's best friend, I don't want this for her either, but if she's agreed, it's a matter of another family, one we don't want to get involved with."

"She never would have agreed unless threatened. We both know she wants nothing to do with this world anymore."

"She's still remained friends with Meredith, odd for someone so desperate to have no connection to this world," Leo said, his voice neutral.

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