Page 37 of Tangled Deceit

“You’re incredible,” is all I can think of to reply with.

“I know. But hey, I need to go. I was just leaving my house when he showed up,” she says. “Don’t wait so long to call again. Work is dreadful without you there.”

“I’m sure.” I laugh, my cheeks aching. “And I’ll stay in touch, I promise.”

As I hang up, the pressure on my chest lightens. Although the weight of the world still rests there, it's not as crushing as it was earlier. And while I’m thankful Sandi took everything so well, I’m more grateful to Luca.

Who knew falling for your kidnapper could be so damned easy?

17

LUCA

Itake the liberty of not only finding Sandi, but also checking on Tori again. I wasn’t looking forward to the former, but the woman handled everything with ease, almost as if she didn’t truly believe there was a danger to her life.

If that’s what she needs to believe to sleep better at night, then I won’t be the one to force her to think otherwise. I did what needed to be done and then some when I left one of my men to keep an eye on her from a distance.

The last thing we need right now is for Titan to get a hold of someone else Olivia cares about.

Driving across town, I arrive down the street from where Tori is being kept. The house next to me is modest, but big enough to fit into this neighborhood of mini mansions. An idea crosses my mind that may help our situation, depending on how long we’re here, but it’s something I’ll need to follow up on later.

Markus is waiting, having been put on watch today to make sure she doesn’t get moved or disappear from our sight for too long.

Getting out of the vehicle, I make the walk toward the SUV he’s camped out in and slide into the back with him as swiftly as possible.

My thigh—where the bullet wound is still healing—isn’t thrilled each time I sit down and put pressure on it, but with my activity lessened now that Olivia is back, I haven’t had to take any extra meds.

“Anything to report?” I ask him.

He turns toward me, his dark eyes meeting my stare and his face otherwise expressionless. “The girl did yoga this morning. Damon stayed to watch. Two more men arrived around nine and none have left since then.”

“How many total does that make in the house?” I stare at the two-story home with its brick siding and white shutter windows. The yard is pristine with freshly cut grass and varying colors of rose bushes around the edges.

Markus runs a hand through his longer brunet hair. “Unless we’ve missed someone, fourteen including the girl.”

I don’t miss that he’s called her “the girl” twice now. I know it’s his way of disassociating from the situation, and I don’t blame him, either, but he’s the most elusive of our crew. After Vin’s betrayal, I decided I need to make an effort to draw him out more. Allowing him to remain withdrawn doesn’t seem like the best idea any longer.

Using my phone, I take a picture of Tori when I see her back in the living room. She’s playing cards by herself and seems perfectly content.

“Do you need anything?” I ask, knowing that there isn’t a reason for both of us to be here.

He shakes his head, but then points at the house. “Titan.”

My attention goes back to the open windows. Titan stands next to Tori. He’s dressed in khakis and a white polo. He seems to also be growing out a beard, or at least some stubble, likely to hide the scars on his face.

He smiles down at Tori who looks up at him with nothing other than admiration and trust.

When he pats the top of her head with affection, I want to storm into the house and put a bullet in his head, but I refrain.

We made the decision to wait for multiple reasons, and I intend to honor that. The most important being that if we storm in there, I have no doubt Tori will either be killed on site or she’ll be promptly taken away, possibly never to be found again.

Secondly, I want to know what Titan is up to. Why is he doing this? Why fuck with me and my business when his has been doing just fine? Olivia can’t be the reason since the senator was killed before I technically met her. So, there’s something else that I’m missing, and I want to know what.

If that information dies with Titan, there’s no telling if some other idiot is going to attempt to carry out whatever this is.

“I saw Bryson earlier,” Markus says, which is news to me. I would have preferred he told me that as soon as I arrived.

“What was he doing?” I ask, also remembering the unknown person he seems to deem worthy of protection.

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