Chapter Sixteen

Stefano

Three fucking weeks. No matter how much we learned about Isaak Karas, it didn't seem to get us any closer to finding Celine. Locating the tail number for Karas' jet had taken nearly a week because the aircraft was registered under a DBA. The transponder had tracked the plane to the Dominican Republic.

The plane had been in the hanger since the day Celine was taken. We had a local watching for any activity with the flight log or the aircraft. Karas wasn't getting back on that fucking plane with my angel. He was in the Caribbean on one of the seven hundred private islands.

Emilio was a maestro of tech, but he still had to work within the limits of software programs and the speed in which they could search and eliminate.

I worked with Knox and Carmine extracting information from Byrne's fractioned Irish cells. Not without some personal damage.

I sat in the chair in the guesthouse with my pants around my ankles. Blood smeared across my leg and thick drips trailed down my calf. I tipped the bottle of whiskey to my lips and medicated the pain. The dull throb from the slash across my thigh, the stinging cuts and abrasions on my fists, and the piercing ache centered in the black hole where my heart used to beat. I flinched.

The doc lifted his gaze, then continued stitching the four-inch wound. "You're lucky," he said. "You could've bled out if he'd nicked your femoral artery. Aren't you supposed to be the one who's good with a knife?"

Leave it to Felix to kick a dog while he was down. Defeat was beginning to pry its way into my thoughts. I vowed to use it to fight harder. Knox and Carmine would be there with me.

"In Stef's defense, the guy was a lot of asshole to take to the ground." Knox lit a cigarette. "Stef more or less fell on the blade."

The guy had a slim razor at the toe of his boot. "There was no chance of being stabbed." The blade hadn't been visible…until I felt the blade slice through my flesh.

Marco leaned against the wall and tipped his head back. "Stef, this needs to stop."

I guzzled another few mouthfuls. The whiskey burned as it slid down my throat and heated my gut. "Would you stop if Allegra had been taken?"

Marco sighed. "No," he conceded. "But this is different."

"Not to me." The bottle tipped over as I slammed it to the table. Karas might not have taken her as a weapon, but she'd become one.

"The terminator doesn't stop," Carmine said. When he smiled, he resplit the cut on his lip. He dabbed at the blood with his fingertip.

"Stef, you're drawing too much attention." Ant sat in the chair with his head tipped back and his eyes closed. He'd been quiet up to this point.

"Someone knows where she is." I glanced down at my leg as the doc covered the stitches with a bandage. "When I find them, I'll stop."

"You're done." Marco puffed his chest. "Stef, you put a senator in the ICU."

"A sick fucking pervert who preyed on girls like Deidre." I aggressively shook a cigarette from my pack.

"When he wakes up—" Marco started to say.

"If he wakes up," I interrupted, then tipped my head, struck the lighter, and put flame to the cigarette. Paper sizzled in the silence of the room. I stared at Marco and blew streams of smoke from my nostrils. "If he wakes, I'll pay him another visit."

"You won't have to kill him." Ant lifted his head. "You're lucky Emilio gained access to his home computer. He has reasons to keep his mouth shut. We'll make sure he understands." Ant leaned his head back again. "If he fucking wakes up."

The doc vacated the chair, and Marco sat next to me. "Stef, we'll find her, but we need to be strategic. Byrne's network is disseminated. Ian is dead, Patrick will never hold a spoon again, and the courts are in possession of all Briofagan assets until Celine comes forward."

"Stef!" Emilio's animated voice erupted from his office.

I dropped my cigarette into the ashtray, jumped to my feet, and winced as I tugged my blood-crusted pants back up. The skin pulled tight around the stitches. With a limp, I rushed to the rear of the guesthouse. I owed Emilio huge. The kid barely slept. Whether here or at the bank, his programs were working in the background.

"What have you got?" I asked.

Marco was instantly at my side. Ant, Carmine, and Knox gathered behind us.

"The email is showing as read, and there is a reply."

Two weeks ago, Emilio had gained access to the university's server. He'd spoofed Professor Kyte's profile and left an email for Celine. If she logged onto her student portal, she'd see our email, only it would appear to be from her art professor.

But she'd instantly know it was from me. The address didn't have an Eminence University domain registration. But Emilio assured me the FQDN would look legitimate at a glance. His technical lingo pissed me off, but then he didn't know there were two hundred and six bones in the body, and the most painful break was the femur, and breaking the clavicle only took seven pounds of pressure. We all had our skills.

"What does it say?" I asked.

"I figured you'd want to read it first." He stood from his chair, and I took his place. With my trembling fingers on the mouse, I hovered the cursor over the email and opened it.

Professor Kyte,

Thank you for reaching out and attaching the PDF of my course work. I'm afraid my classes will need to continue remotely for the foreseeable future. As for the project, Emancipator, the painting was damaged beyond repair. However, I am currently working on a new project.

Beauty In Winter is notably different from my past work. The tropical colors bring the isolation of the painting into focus. I may have to have the small-scale painting shipped to you as I'm out of the country.

Internet access is limited. I'll do my best to update you on my progress.

Time in your class has taught me so much about myself. To trust in my instincts as a painter. To use my strengths to camouflage those areas where I'm weakest. Thank you for everything you've done for me.

Celine Moreau

I devoured the words on the screen. I could hear her voice in my head as I read.

"Do you see any clues in her words?" Emilio asked.

There wasn't much to dissect. "She's definitely on a private island." Everything was cryptic, but she'd used the word camouflage, so there had to be something.

"She specifically mentions tropical, small, and isolated. We know the plane is in the DR." Marco rested his hand on my shoulder. "That's where we should be. Once we get a location, we need to be ready to move."

"I'll get the plane ready." Ant pulled his phone from his pocket and stepped out of the room.

I scanned to the bottom of the email.

Student Identification Number: HI75IK

"The number has to mean something," I said to Emilio.

I hit the reply button.

Celine,

I'm happy to grade your work in progress. Please send me photos in both natural and artificial light. I look forward to comparing this piece with your last effort. I'm still haunted by Angel in Darkness. You are a rare gift to the art world. I'm happy to have a hand in you reaching your full potential.

Professor Kyte

My gut was in my throat. I slid out of the chair.

Emilio clicked the keys on the computer. "My balls always tingle when I'm getting close. Fuck, but they are practically vibrating."

Knox leaned against the desk. "My dick gets hard just thinking about Byrne burning in hell."

I could relate. I was the one who'd sent him there.

"No way will I be able to sleep tonight." Emilio's smile was huge as screens opened and closed on his monitor. "I piggybacked a program on the PDF attachment. The moment she downloaded it, she opened a back door to let me in. I can trace her, analyze network traffic, locate the IP, and get a location on the source. If we're lucky, I'll gain access to Karas' entire mainframe. But I wouldn't count on that. I'd never let anyone on a computer that could access our core systems."

"How long will that take?" I asked.

"Not long. That's why my balls are tingling."

"We regroup tomorrow morning." Marco ran his fingers through his hair. "I need to talk to Ally. Santi needs to know what's happening." Anything that affected the Bruno family would bleed onto the Jilanis.

I wanted my brothers in battle with me. This began as a war against our family. But Marco was don, and he didn't belong in the trenches anymore. He needed his capos and his enforcers to carry out his orders.

Knox and Carmine would be at my side.

"You should stay here," I said. "Finish with the Irish, secure our holdings, and send a message that defiance won't be tolerated."

Marco stood tall in front of me. "Giada killed our father on Karas' orders. The bitch is going to pay. Stef, Karas is Celine's father. Are you sure she's going to be forgiving when you put a bullet through his skull?"

She'd been lied to, sold, betrayed, and taken. "If I give her the gun, she'll pull the trigger."

At least I believed she would. But not just for what he'd done to her. Karas killed my father, ordered the hit on me, and nearly killed Luca.

Celine was mine, and she understood I was a debt collector. Karas would always be a threat.

"Luca will want to be there with us," Marco said.

"Tell him no," I said. "He'll listen to you. Savio needs his father." Because his mother wasn't coming home.

"Get your crew together," Marco said. "We leave tomorrow with at least a dozen men. I'll contact Cirillo and Adami. Now that we have confirmation, they'll need to get into position to move against his holdings back home."

Carmine followed me out of the guesthouse.

Ant stood on the porch. "You're not driving. I'll take you home."

I paused, and our gaze collided. I'd poured a lot of whiskey down my throat, but that didn't explain why he'd volunteer to be my designated driver. "You're going to drive me out to my building, then come all the way back here?"

He pulled his keys from his pocket. "I have some matters to take care of at the bank before we can go. We could be out of the country for weeks."

Carmine cocked a brow. "I'm going to trust in Emilio's balls."

Ant was quiet on the way to the building. He dropped me off at the parking garage, then headed toward the bank.

I didn't want to be here without my angel. Fuck, but I missed her.

In the last three weeks, the building had changed. I wanted to bring her back to a home, not just a bed and a toaster. Instead of taking the elevator up to the apartment that felt like a tomb without her, I went to her studio.

The room no longer smelled of paint. I'd had the workers finish the remodel, including hanging the paintings she'd done. The elephant penis and her color wash hung near the door. A silver and black painting that felt like a ride on my Ducati hung on the far wall.

I sat on the small loveseat and stared at the painting she wouldn't let me see.

A masterpiece that darkened the room. I could feel her fear in every stroke of the brush. She'd painted the eyes of her monster, the one who bathed in the blood of his enemies. The one she wanted to fuck her filthy and slay her demons.

There was violence in the painting, but also a fierceness. This was how she saw me. How she felt with me.

Protected, yet brutally savage. She said I made her brave.

I squinted against the tears filling my eyes.

Because I could protect her.

Because she'd claimed me when I'd taken her.

"Fuck," I roared and surged from the couch.

My phone pinged with a notification.

A text from Emilio.

Adrenaline hit my bloodstream.

Emilio: Security system on the building picked up access. I'm sending to you and then deleting. I don't know shit.

I opened the video file.

"What the fuck?"

I strode across the room, jerked open the door, just as Anna's door shut and the lock clicked.

Antonio didn't have shit to do at the bank. I stared at her door. Christ. My building, my sister, Marco's fucking rules. I should beat Ant's ass for daring to touch my sister. But I wasn't blind. My sister was in love with him. And Ant would never risk his life, his job, his trust with Marco if Anna hadn't become more important than anything else.

Fuck.

Celine

Sunlight streamed through the glass of the room Isaak had converted into my studio. I'd nearly cried when I'd opened the email in my student portal. Deo had sat next to me the entire time. I'd been terrified he'd notice the tremble in my hand as I typed. He'd occasionally read over my shoulder.

English wasn't his first language, but he was flawlessly fluent. I had no doubt he'd at least skimmed my words. He'd known I'd lied when I claimed to be painting a piece called Beauty in Winter because I hadn't yet painted anything while I'd been on the island.

I was painting now.

A secret smile curled my lips at the sweeping strokes of brilliant yellow swiped across the canvas creating the petals of a tropical flower. In the style of O'Keefe and Dove, only my painting was a tribute to my connection to Stefano.

Deep blues with a froth of white created the base. The colors were vibrant, and nothing like I usually painted, but I'd paint the walls of the villa beige if it gave me a reason to email Professor Kyte again, to let Stef know I was here. I was trying to find a way back to him.

"I brought you a cup of tea."

I glanced over my shoulder. Deo stood in the doorway. His head tilted as he took in the lines and colors.

"Celine, you may want to stand back and look at the painting from a different angle."

I swished my brush in water, set it to the side, and wiped my hands on a towel. Standing next to Deo, I sipped the tea.

"Thanks." My stomach had been a little unsettled. I assumed the nerves from knowing Stef was looking for me, and fearing what would happen when he found me.

"Do you see?" He pointed at the painting.

I clenched my jaw to keep from laughing. "I don't usually paint with bright colors, but the island has inspired me."

He flared his nostrils with heavy breaths. "Is this Beauty in Winter?" he asked, confirming he had read the email. Had he seen my student number? Would he recognize the significance if he did?

"Yes," I said. "I imagine the colors are just as beautiful in the winter. I wanted something uplifting."

"Celine, I'm sorry to tell you, but your flower looks like a…a…"

"A penis?" An erect cock with a deep slit in the dome dripping with pollen. It was obscenely erotic.

He coughed. "Yes."

I furrowed my brow. "Do you think the stamen is too big? I mean, I'm not a botanist."

He laughed. "It is good to see you like this."

"Deo, it's not easy to be here, but I'm trying." I walked back to my painting. "I have to take photos in natural and artificial light for Professor Kyte."

Deo stood behind me. "Do you think he will like this painting?"

Professor Kyte would be offended and horrified. This was a message to Stefano. "I think he'll love it."

Deo pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen, and handed it to me. "Take your picture."

Electric energy thrummed through me with just the thought of having a phone again. I banked my enthusiasm, held up the phone, and captured three photos from three different angles.

"I need a couple pictures outside in natural light." The studio was glass and nothing but natural light. Which was actually a problem if I intended to do any paintings worth keeping. Sunlight destroyed color.

I handed the phone back to Deo then carefully picked up the easel and small canvas and carried them to the open breezeway.

If I wanted to help Stefano find me, I needed to give him landmarks like the colorful villas on the cliffside on the distant island. Sunlight hit the canvas and reflected brightly off the blue water.

"Does this look good?" I asked Deo in hopes of lowering his suspicions.

He scrutinized what would be in the picture. "No, you can see too much."

I chewed on my lip, pivoted the canvas, and turned back to Deo.

He shook his head. "No."

I masked my expression, hoping he wouldn't see the anxiety in my face. I needed landmarks in the picture. "Seriously? What exactly do you think Professor Kyte's is going to do with these pictures? You read my email. All he's interested in is my project."

Deo held the phone, played with the zoom, and took a couple of pictures. I had to hope they were enough because he'd taken the choice away from me.

We returned to the house and once again Deo took me into his private suite a few doors down from my room to use his computer.

He stood over me as I sent a simple email attaching the photos.

"I'm tired," I said pushing away from Deo's desk. "I think I'll go to my room."

Deo blocked my way to the door and took a step toward me. "You could stay here."

His chest filled my vision, the open V of his collar giving me a glimpse of his smooth, muscular pectorals, and the gold chain resting against his bronzed flesh. The spicy fragrance of his cologne lingered in the space between us.

Nausea churned in my belly. Panic slipped through my veins like ice, and I froze.

Deo rested his palms on my biceps, his breath warmed my neck, and he seemed to inhale my scent with a deep breath.

"Deo, I…I'm not ready." The words were barely a whisper. Words to pacify. Words to give me time.

His lips pressed against my neck. "I can make you forget about…about anyone else." His hand slid onto my back, and he pressed me closer, so close that the thick, hard ridge of his erection rocked into my pelvis. "You must feel how attracted I am to you. I feel the same from you."

Tears built behind my eyes. I wedged my hand between us, but Deo held me tighter. "Please." I wiggled to get free. "Stop."

His fingers tangled in my hair, and he bit into the skin of my shoulder.

I shoved hard against his chest and scrambled away from him. "Stop!"

His gaze narrowed, and his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. "I have tried to make this easy for you. I have been patient with you, but I'm growing frustrated."

"When have I given any indication that I'd want something more from you?"

"I had no expectations when meeting you. But now that I've gotten to know you, I'm agreeable to your father's wishes."

"His wishes for what?"

A sultry smile curled his lips. "For us to be together. You're his daughter. But this isn't about you. One day, you'll have his heirs. Do you think he would trust his legacy to you? You spread your legs for a fucking Bruno."

I stood still, stunned into silence. The heat that had simmered in my gut for the last three weeks boiled over. I. Was. Done.

"Never," I seethed. My bare feet slapped the tile as I rushed from his suite to my room. I had no expectation of privacy, and no hope Isaak Karas would ever see me as anything more than property.

I entered my room and stumbled. Giada sat on my bed, one knee crossed over the other.

"What do you want?"

She huffed a laugh. "What I want no longer matters."

I shut the door. I had no allies here, no hope of convincing any of them to help me. "We have the same problem." I leaned against the dresser. "It's funny that we both want the same but opposing things. I don't want to be here, and you don't want me here."

"No, I would prefer you to be dead."

"Another thing we have in common. If you were dead, I wouldn't be here."

Giada arched a brow. "The difference is I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to get what I want. Sacrifice is part of every strategy."

"Never underestimate your enemy, Giada. Two men have tried to control me. They're both dead." I flung open the door. "Get out."

Giada's heels clicked across the tiles. "Isaak wants to see you."

"It's good to want." I slammed the door.

I sat on the edge of the bed. Deo's words hit harder than he'd intended. I'd been on the island twenty-three days. Twenty-three nights alone in bed.

Hours had become days and days had become weeks. But time seemed to blur. In some ways, it seemed like an eternity since I'd heard Stefano's voice, felt his touch, or tasted his kiss.

But it hadn't been a month yet. Maybe it was the pressure of being taken, of seeing my dad kill himself or finding out my biological father wanted me to continue the bloodline like twisted royalty in a kingdom from hell.

I'd lost weight, become lightheaded from the sun, and my fear and anxiety clawed at my conscience. All reasonable explanations on why I hadn't had a period since I'd arrived on the island.

But there could be another reason. I curled onto my side, rested my hands under my cheek, and considered the possibility of having something of Stefano's with me. His baby.

I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, the sun set low on the horizon outside the open windows.

I'd missed the evening meal. Most of the staff would be at the villa on the south side of the island. My feet were whisper quiet as I made my way to the kitchen. I plucked a nut and fig cookie from the plate on the counter. As I chewed one, I held a second and searched for something else to eat.

If I was pregnant, I needed to eat better. I shoved the second cookie in my mouth and peeled a banana.

Footfalls approached, and Deo stood at the threshold of the kitchen. "Come with me. Don't argue. You don't have a choice."

I swallowed hard, forcing the cookie down my throat. Deo turned his back to me and walked away. I followed him to the rear of the house to a sitting room. The entire back wall of the room opened out to the tropical island. Fronds whispered in the evening breeze. Birds chirped and squawked. And the crash of the ocean carried on the air.

Isaak sat on a leather sofa. Giada curled into his side with her legs tucked underneath her. She sipped a glass of wine, her other hand rested high on his thigh.

"Celine, it's time we reached an understanding." Isaak ran his hand along Giada's hip.

Deo crossed the room to the bar. Ice clinked as it dropped into his glass.

"It doesn't seem like you're concerned with what I might want," I said.

"I've offered you every opportunity to accept the truth. Your life as my daughter would afford you every luxury. Deo has catered to your whims. Giada has given you the space to become acclimated to your life here. All I've asked of you is time. For you to get to know me."

"No," I snapped. "You haven't asked for anything. You've given me no choice." I balled my hand into a fist. "Part of me wanted to care about you, wanted to feel a connection because I want a father." I turned to Deo. "I wanted your friendship. But you're a liar, too."

Giada untucked her legs and set her wine on the glass coffee table.

"You're just a greedy bitch," I said to her.

"I told you she'd be difficult. She's Stefano's whore. Do her dirty, Deo," Giada said. "Then Stef can have her back once you're done with her."

"I'd rather see her dead." Isaak's glare sent a shiver over my flesh. I felt the hate and loathing radiating off him. "I'll kill you before I let you near a Bruno again." He stood, crossed the room, and towered over me. "You will provide me with an heir."

My heart pounded, and my moment of reckoning had come. "Congratulations, grandpa. I'm already pregnant."

Giada gasped.

Deo threw his drink against the wall, shattering the glass. "She's fucking lying," he roared.

Isaak raised his hand, ready to strike me, then paused. His fingers curled into a fist, and his lips pulled into a snarl. "Deo, call for the doctor." He fisted his hand in my hair and angled my head. I winced from the pain. "If you're carrying a Bruno bastard, you've only begun to hurt."