Page 39 of Fatal Love

“I got you, Rachel.” Those were the last words I heard before the world stopped spinning and I fell into the darkness of my pain.

Twenty-One

Antonio

I watched as Rachel slept. To anyone else, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully, but I knew otherwise. Her soft whimpers and the twitching of her body told me she was fighting the demons, even in her sleep. Had I listened to Massimo, she wouldn’t be having nightmares. Hell, we wouldn’t be having nightmares.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him lying there, broken and battered on that concrete floor. It’s why I fought to sleep and refused sleeping pills. I was thankful Rachel had agreed to take them. Now, here I sat, watching her fight the monsters in her head.

“We found the guns,” Massimo whispered as he stepped into the room. “Miguel’s men intercepted a transport and kept the driver alive. I’m headed to the club now. He has him there, waiting for Vincenzo and me to arrive.”

“I’m coming with you.” I pushed to my feet and pressed a kiss to Rachel’s temple.

Massimo pressed his palm to my shoulder. “You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I need to do this for her.”

Massimo tipped his chin in understanding and cupped my shoulder. “I’ll call Catarina over to check on her.”

“Thank you.”

I walked through the house like a zombie, forcing a smile at Riley, who sat next to Vincenzo with her feet propped up on the table. She was due any day now, reminding me how long Michael had been gone.

“I’m going to go sit with her.” Riley stood and pressed her hand to her back. “Lord knows I can’t do anything else. Go.” She sighed, waving her hand at the three of us. “See if you can get info about Michael.”

Vincenzo pressed a kiss to her cheek and patted her round belly. “I’ll be back. Drew is right outside if you need something.”

Riley ambled up the steps as we headed out the door and climbed into the awaiting SUV. Freddy, Massimo’s driver, cranked the engine and headed toward Discoteca. The silence in the car was thick. I knew there was a slim chance the man knew where Michael was, or if he was even alive. And if he did, getting the information was going to be a challenge. Good thing I was ready to live up to the Anastasi name in way I'd never done before.

We arrived at the club, thankful it was still early in the afternoon, leaving fewer patrons inside. Massimo keyed the code next to the basement door and waved us through. The room was filled with Miguel and several of his men when we stepped inside. In the center of the room, a man was tied to a metal chair. It was obvious Miguel and his guys had been less than kind to him, and for that, I was grateful.

Vincenzo moved in front of the man and grabbed his shirt. “Do you know who I am?”

“La Lama.” He gasped, his eyes trying to focus on my brother. “I thought you were dead.” His voice raspy as he tried to breathe through what I assumed were broken ribs.

“I’m far from dead… but you.” I watched as Vin pulled his hair, tilting his head backwards. “Are not. Tell me. Where is the man you took from my family?”

“I don’t know.” Vincenzo brought his elbow down, connecting the hard bone with the man's groin. He cried out, bucking against Vin’s hold. “Try again. Where is Michael?”

“Gone.” I stumbled, my hand pressing into the table in the room. The pressure of Massimo’s hand on my shoulder was the only thing reminding me to take deep breaths.

“Gone where?” Vincenzo slipped the blade he had strapped to his belt out and held it in front of the man’s eyes. “This has been itching to carve up Ivanov. But he’s not here, you are. He tried to take everything from my family, and you’ll be the one to pay for his sins—for now.” Vincenzo ran the steel down his shirt, causing the man to whimper. “Now. I can make this quick, or I can drag it out. It’s up to you. Where is Michael Brighton?”

“They were going to take him and dump his body. That’s all I know.”

“He’s dead?” I heard the words slip past my lips. The sound was bitter on my tongue as I tried to swallow down the bile.

“I don’t know. If he survived what Ivanov’s henchmen did to him, I’d be surprised. I didn’t have any part of that. I was only the mule for your weapons. Please… I have a family.”

“Michael had a family,” I growled as my feet moved of their own free will. My hands pulled the blade from Vincenzo’s hands and drove it into the portly man’s gut. My brother's eyes widened with surprise as he fought the knife from my palm.

“Antonio!” he barked, pushing me away from the destruction I had created.

I didn’t care. Michael was my family. This man acted as though his life was more important as he begged for himself. My gaze never left his as I watched him bleed out, his eyes hazing over as the life left his soul. His wide eyes stared unfocused as he slumped forward and took his last strangled breath.

“Fuck.” Massimo pulled me back, guiding me from the blood pooling at my feet.

Vincenzo dropped the blade and pulled me into his arms, his hand pressing against my head as he spoke. “It’s okay, Fratello. We won’t stop looking for him. He’s coming home one way or another.”

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