Page 4 of The Veiling

Though he did not fail Isabelle or me, I did not correct him. I did not have it in me to console him at the moment. I was too angry and just wanted her returned to me unharmed. Swallowing hard, I resumed my pensiveness out the window.

Since I had come into her life, there had been so much pain and chaos. I needed it to end. There was only one way that would ever happen. I would give up everything to save her. If it took bribing Felipe and Jesse with every fucking penny I had, I would surrender it all to them just to have her next to me again. I could always make more money. I could never replace my fiancée and the child she was carrying.

The convoy skidded into the parking garage underneath the apartment building at a rapid speed. The moment we slowed, I threw the door open and jumped out before the vehicle came to a complete stop.

“Valentino, what the fuck?!” Noah barked, disregarding any formality. “Wait!” He slammed his door and matched my stride.

I marched past the other SUVs as they slid to a stop next to me. Joseph leapt out and followed Noah and me. He scanned his keycard to access the waiting elevator.

I watched the reflections of my men and Tanya gather behind us just before the doors parted and we stepped in. The muffled sound of Tanya sniffling annoyed me. Tightening my jaw, I stared straight ahead as the elevator promptly ascended, determined not to snap at her or anyone else.

The doors parted once again, and I strode out after Joseph and Noah through the foyer to the living room. It had remained unchanged since Isabelle lived here. I almost sold it after the incident but backed out of the deal at the last minute. Now, we only used it when necessary so we could keep it off the radar until Felipe and Jesse were apprehended and killed.

“Valentino.” Tanya sighed as she came to a stop next to me.

I flickered my gaze down to hers.

“I know we’re all distracted by this, but if you need anything, let me know. Like food or something.”

Tanya knew I had a chef and needed no one else to cook for me unless Isabelle wanted to, and she often did. For now, I just wanted everyone to leave me the fuck alone so I could think about how I would get her home.

“Just offering to help any way I—”

“Leave me alone,” I mumbled.

“Okay, sorry.” She patted my bicep before she backed away gradually, then turned toward the kitchen.

Sitting on the edge of the sofa, I propped my elbows on my knees, running my fingers through my hair. While I listened to the hushed chatter of my security team, I was a ticking time bomb. Any moment, I was going to lose my shit with everyone, whether or not it was their fault.

A door slammed closed in the distance, creating a breeze across the room where I lay. The gust of cool air caused me to shiver as I blinked, trying my best to focus on my surroundings.Where was I?

The murmurs of male voices filled the silence as I struggled to focus on a conversation in another area. Blurry silhouettes paced the archway in the other room, their formal shoes clicking on what sounded like a tile floor. The figures slowly took shape and my eyes shot wide open.My uncle had taken me!

A sharp pain radiated through my entire body when I tensed up. I wiggled my feet, but my ankles were bound. My hands were secured over my head around a column, and they gagged my mouth with a thick, but soft fabric. Inhaling through my nose, I lowered my gaze to identify the material my kidnappers had used to bind my feet. It was hard to tell.

I nearly gasped at the state of my dress. It was ripped, covered in blood, and hanging off my chest, exposing my black lace bra. Instantly, I worried about my baby but was scared to look for fear of the worst. Exhausted and frightened, I squeezed my eyes shut, gulping, trying my best to remember every detail I could about the last few minutes at the masquerade.

My stomach had been bothering me not long after being given a hors d'oeuvre. I hurried to find a bathroom. Unknown to me, and I was sure every guard at the event, Felipe managed to breach the tight security and locate me easily. After cornering me in the bathroom, the waiter, dressed as the Jester, broke through the door and I felt a sharp, scorching pain through my entire body. After that, everything went black.

A loud unsteady cackle caused my eyes to spring open again. A shadow loomed over my crumpled body. Pointed black shoes with bells on the toes wiggled up and down. Sluggish, I tilted my head back, dragging my gaze over the black-and-white checkered costume. The Jester squatted down, jabbing a finger into my shoulder with a blood-soaked white glove.

Shuddering, I struggled to focus on his face. Anything to help identify the menacing creature when Valentino and his men rescued me and asked questions. His black and white full-face mask with gold trim gave no hint. My gaze lowered to the only exposed skin on his wrist. It was too dark in the room to make out the words of the tattoo between his glove and the black ruffled, elastic fabric on his arm. A small swirl danced around the sloppy cursive word. Still, I was too fatigued to examine it.

“She’s awake,” The Jester called out with a foreign accent. It almost sounded Italian. “Come check, now.”

It took all my strength not to freak out. Remaining observant and in control would get me out alive, though I was on the verge of an anxiety attack. The sound of shoes clacking across the floor caused me to squint around the jester. He stood, moving to the side as the person neared.

Suddenly, a blinding light shone back and forth between my eyes. I blinked rapidly, unable to shield them from the brightness. The figure pressed his fingers on my bound wrist, holding it for a moment as if he were checking my pulse. He let go. The light turned off just as quick, and an overhead light came on.

I half expected to be in an abandoned house, but soon saw I was in an enormous sitting room of a large home. My horrified gaze trailed the space, doing my best to memorize any detail, but I was still struggling with the lingering green ball in my vision from the flashlight.

The man in the formal suit took shape. Hands in his pockets, he stared down at me. I had never seen him before in my life. “Well,” he sighed, “I hope you’re worth the trouble.” He turned to the jester. “She’s going to be okay. Call me tomorrow if I need to examine the other thing.” He scowled down at me for several moments before exiting the home.

What the hell was he talking about?!

My chest heaved slowly as my gaze settled back on the only other person in the room. I tried to be calm at that moment, but ‌even if they did not tie me up, I was sure I could not move. Taking another deep breath through my nose, I closed my eyes, racking my brain for any hope of escaping. It was useless.

The sound of the jester’s bells moving caused my eyes to pop open. He inched closer to me, crouching down. His face remained completely obscured except for his eyes, though I did not understand why. We both knew who he was. Even in his slightly baggy attire, he seemed too tall and thin to be Jesse.

---