Chapter 100

CESARE

Gripping the steering wheel, I lean back in the driver's seat, straining to hear what's happening in the back. Rosalind could be suffocating beneath a pile of men, crying out for help, but the privacy screen is soundproofed, so all I hear beneath the pounding of my pulse is the engine's gentle hum.

Each time I glance into the rearview mirror, all I see is the fucking divider. My willpower is fraying. I want to snatch this asshole's gun, stop the car, and keep shooting until there's nothing left but blood and shattered bones.

I turn on the cruise control, already picturing how to disarm the driver before taking out our captors, but I force myself to stop.

My impulsive days are over. I'm a man in love. A big brother with a little sister in peril. Besides, Rosalind would never forgive me if I jeopardized the handover. She wants Miranda safe at all costs. So do I, but I want it to be my life on the line, not Rosalind's.

The GPS tells me to exit in a mile for Beaumont City, so I steer the limo toward the right lane. I need to trust that Rosalind can take care of herself, but my fingers won't stop twitching toward that gun.

A muffled gunshot breaks the silence. Before I can even gasp, it's followed by a second and a third. I pull out the cigarette lighter, only to find the asshole in the front passenger seat has already yanked open the divider and stuck his gun through its opening.

All three men lie sprawled in their seats with bullet wounds. Two are unmoving, but Matteo gasps for breath with blood blooming crimson across his suit.

Triumph surges through my veins.

She did it.

My little assassin took them out and saved the old bastard for last.

"Don't move," the bastard snarls into the back. "Now, get out from under him and check on the boss."

Releasing the wheel, I twist around in my seat and lurch for the asshole. With one hand, I grip his wrist and aim the gun toward the ceiling. The other shoves the lighter into his eye. His skin sizzles, bringing up the familiar scent of burned flesh.

The gun fires. Once, twice, three times before Rosalind's slender hand appears to wrench it from his grasp.

One shot later, and the side of my face is spattered with brain matter and warm blood. The bastard slumps into my shoulder, but I shove him aside and take back the wheel.

"You okay?" I ask, my voice still charged with adrenaline.

"Yeah," she replies. "But I don't know about Matteo."

"I want to stop the car and kiss you."

"Keep driving to the warehouse," she says. "If we can get there before Gunther, we can see if it's an ambush."

"I have a better plan."

She pauses. "What?"

"Our priority is Miranda, right?"

"Yes?"

"The diamond stud earrings I sent her contained trackers. If she's still wearing them, we can pinpoint her exact location without walking blindly into a possible trap."

"Cesare." She exhales a long, exasperated breath, as if she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Thank you."

A pained groan echoes through the back seat as I'm about to take the exit. One glance through the rearview mirror tells me that Matty survived the shooting.

"He's alive?" I ask.

"Not for long," Rosalind says, her voice full of venom.

"Don't do this," Matty croaks.

Rosalind punches him hard across the face, knocking him unconscious. She reaches into his safari jacket and extracts my phone.

After making me disable the security, she navigates to the app. "She must have left an earring in Helsing Island. The other one is..."

"What?" I ask with a frown.

"A mile off St. Anne's Marina," she replies, her voice rising with alarm.

"So, he's keeping her on a boat."

She slams her fist into the leather. "Gunther knows I don't like water."

"Don't worry, love. You can wait onshore while I take the speedboat."

"No," she says.

I hold my silence, not wanting to remind her how water makes her weak. The only reason I captured her that first time when I was hopped up on that drug was because her body went rigid when I pushed her into the pool. When I took her to the yacht, she couldn't even bear to look out of the window.

But I shouldn't underestimate a mother's love. Rosalind will endure anything to save Miranda.

"Forward the location to the group chat and tell them we're escaping the Galliano brothers," I say, turning off the GPS.

She falls silent for a moment as she follows my instructions and then adds, "We should probably swap vehicles. If Tommaso realizes Matteo is trying to do the swap, he'll follow us with a small army."

"Let him," I snarl.

"Are you sure?"

"We crossed state borders ten minutes ago, and we're twenty minutes away from the marina. If he's dumb enough to invade New Alderney, then he'll start a war he can't win."

Matteo groans again. "Tommaso will come. He loves his brother."

Rosalind punches him in the throat. "He'd better hurry then, before I drown your bloated body in the Atlantic."

"Please," he wheezes.

Satisfaction burns through my chest at the sound of her fists landing on his flesh. I want to keep him alive so he can suffer for every innocent life he ruined. Matteo coughs, gasping for air, but remains silent for the rest of the journey.

My phone rings.

"It's Benito," Rosalind says.

"Put him on speakerphone," I reply.

"What's this about?" my brother asks, his voice tense. "Where have you been?"

"New Jersey. We got a lead on Matty Galliano's location, but it was an ambush."

"And you escaped?" Benito asks. "Are you injured?"

"Just a few cuts and bruises," I mutter, my insides twisting with dread. "Where's Roman?"

"Missing. He left the house with Emberly and hasn't returned," Benito mutters. "We also tracked Dad's Mercedes to a scrapyard."

I hoped my message would reach Gil or Roman, who act first in emergencies and ask annoying questions after the bodies have cooled. Benito won't make a move until he's nitpicked every detail and analyzed every possible outcome.

Tommy Galliano said something a few days ago in the hospital, but so much was happening that it slipped my mind. I glance at Rosalind through the rearview mirror. "Wake him up and see if he knows."

"Who are you with?" Benito asks.

I give him a sketchy outline of the situation with Rosalind's boss from the Moirai while she revives Matteo with a flurry of backhanded punches. The old bastard croaks out something about Emberly having left Roman tied to a bondage table in a BDSM hotel, leaving Benito to bark a stream of orders.

"Hey," I snap. "I'm ten minutes from the marina. What about my backup?"

"What's so urgent at the marina? Galliano belongs in the basement," Benito says.

My jaw clenches. He won't accept any bullshit answer. If I'm going to get the men I need, then I have to tell him the truth.

"The Moirai has my little sister," I say.

Benito snorts. "We don't have a sister."

"Did you ever wonder why Matty Galliano targeted me and not you or Roman?" I ask. When he doesn't answer, I continue. "When Mom deserted us to marry Tommy Galliano, she left me a note, saying that Enzo wasn't my father."

Benito's silence is suffocating, but the fear of rejection pales compared to risking Miranda's life. Every passing second feels like an eternity, each breath a struggle as I wait for him to respond.

"What are you saying?" Benito asks, his voice cold.

"Matty's been reaching out to me since his kids died in the Capello massacre."

"I thought you said the daughter died."

"His legitimate daughter's dead but he had another one with his stepdaughter. That's the one I'm trying to save from the Moirai."

"And the stepdaughter is?"

I glance at the rearview mirror, meeting Rosalind's gaze through the gap in the privacy screen. She nods, giving her permission.

"Rosalind," I rasp.

"The assassin?"

"Yes."

Silence stretches out for several tense seconds as Benito tries to make sense of my story. He's more likely to reply with something sarcastic than hang up, so I wait for him to speak.

"Tony and Gil have a small crew looking out for Roman," Benito says. "I'll come down to the marina with a few men, but if this is a diversion?—"

"It isn't," I say. "And thanks."

"That went easier than I imagined," Rosalind says from the back seat, her voice wavering with uncertainty.

"He's hedging his bets and waiting to rescue Roman before he decides what to do next."

With a sigh, she stretches a hand through the divider and grips my shoulder. Our eyes meet through the rearview mirror, and she says, "I know it wasn't easy, and appreciate the sacrifice."

"I would raze the whole world to death to protect you both. Miranda is my sister, and..." I stop myself before I say something she'll deny. "Let's just say, you've become equally precious."

By the time I turn onto the road leading to the Marina, the Bella Lucia is bobbing in the moonlit waters and there isn't a casino employee in sight.

My heart sinks. Did Benito change his mind about helping? I park the limo and step out, scanning the area for any sign of movement.

The back door opens, and Rosalind pokes out her head. "How are we getting there?"

"We don't know what we're walking into, so we're taking the speedboat on the left."

When I glance at Rosalind, her face shutters, the last thing she needs right now is to venture out into the ocean.