Page 9 of The Veiling

Joseph lit a cigarette. With it pinned between his teeth, he shrugged. “I agree.”

“Let us do our fucking jobs!” Noah’s raged glare narrowed on me. “You don’t know how this shit goes. I do! I’ve seen it way too much in the past. You’re fucking up Valentino, and you’re going to get my cousin killed.”

Within seconds, I flicked my cigarette onto the concrete and grabbed Noah by the collar. “Watch your fucking mouth with me. You might be her cousin, but you still work for me! If you ever speak to me that way again, I’ll kill you.”

“Fermati!” Alessandro took a step toward us.

Jaw tightened, I slowly turned my head, meeting his gaze.

He held his arms out to the side, flashing his palms in surrender. “I know I’m the last person to ever stop a fight, but this shit isnothelping find Isabelle.” He lowered his arms.

“He’s right,” William agreed. “Killing the one person among us who has government connections might not be the best idea.”

Gnawing the inside of my cheek, I gave Noah one last scowl before I let him go and took a step back.

He smoothed his attire. “I want to find her just as much as you, but I have training in this.”

“Liam,” I muttered.

“Yeah?”

“I need to call a meeting with Frankie.”

“Frankie?” Alessandro asked. “Dad’s friend?”

I nodded. “He is my financial advisor as of six months ago.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to offer the public fifty million to get her home.”

Joseph choked on cigarette smoke. “Are you trying to create mass hysteria?” The thick grey cloud floated through the air.

“No.” I narrowed my gaze on his. “That kind of money will draw out our kidnappers.”

“That kind of money,” Noah scoffed, “will also bring in a lot of fake tips, thus making it impossible to find her.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you think.” I pivoted on my heels to leave.

“Valentino,” William called out.

I spun back around to face him, sliding my hands in my pockets.

“This is a terrible idea.”

Maybe he was right. I did not care. I was willing to try anything.

Joseph took a step forward. “V, Noah, and I will get a team together to divide and conquer. One looking for the people who took her, the other looking for Felipe and Jesse. If they’re tied together, we’ll find out, too.”

Noah lifted his chin. “And once we get the lab samples back, we’ll know who was there.”

Only offering a subtle nod, I turned to go back into the penthouse’s corridor. As I trekked down the stairs and the secret passageway to the main hallway, I fought back the tears forming in my eyes. I hoped she was okay. There was so much blood. I needed to know it was not hers. I said a silent prayer as I crossed the open balcony on the way to the master suite.

“Valentino,” Laura called out from the living room downstairs.

Ignoring her, I made my way into my bedroom at the end of the hall, then closed the door. I needed to shower and make myself presentable. It was late and I would have to call the only connections I trusted in the media first thing in the morning.

I took my jacket and shirt off, dropping them to the bathroom floor. Normally, I would have neatly hung them up for dry cleaning, but tonight I just did not give a shit. I reached into the shower room and turned the water on as hot as the knob would twist.

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