Chapter Six

I cry out when Enzo hits Elio on the back of the head, sending his body to the floor in a heap. I'm instantly angry at myself for being upset on his behalf.

What is wrong with me? He just tried to kidnap me, and yet I'm concerned about him being hurt.

I struggle a little against Luca's grip, but he grinds the gun into my temple again and I go still.

"Thank goodness," Grazia says with a huff. "That asshole. Threatening to ruin my wedding." She glances over at Luca and rolls her eyes. "Let her go, Luca. She's not our problem."

"Actually, I think she can be our solution to a variety of problems," Enzo says smoothly. He gestures to Luca, who removes the gun from my temple, but he doesn't let go of me.

"In what way?" Marco asks. He has struggled to his feet, and he gives me a regret-filled look from across the room. I want to spit on him for letting all of this happen to me, but he's too far away.

Luca releases my neck, but drops his hand down to grip my bicep in a painful grasp. "You're thinking about getting the La Rosa trade routes," he says to Enzo.

Enzo pushes a toe into Elio's side, smiling a little. "Yes. He's never been willing to share with us or make a deal." He looks up into my face. "I think he might be more motivated now."

I look over at Marco, pleading with my gaze for him to do something. He has taken his pocket square out and is dabbing at his battered face with it.

He looks at me for a moment, then says, "I promised Kate to keep her safe when she wanted to end her engagement to La Rosa seven years ago. Taking her away from Mexico and delivering her to Elio on a silver platter would force me to break my promise."

"Is the child yours?" Grazia asked, her voice sharp.

Marco slowly shakes his head. "No. It's Elio's."

Grazia sags with relief. "Well, thank goodness for small favors," she mutters.

She turns toward her brothers. "Can't you just let La Rosa have her? You know his reputation. I don't think it's worth tangling with him."

Enzo tilts his head to the side as he looks at me. "Oh, I think it will be simple enough. No one has to get hurt. He seems quite attached to the idea of getting you back. He will only be more motivated when I tell him that your child is not Marco's, but is actually his. I think he will play ball with us."

"Please don't do that," I whisper to Enzo. "Please, I'll do anything to protect Mateo. He doesn't deserve to live like this."

"You should have thought of that before you got knocked up," Luca says coldly.

"Luca…" Marco starts to say, but Enzo cuts him off.

"Enough!" he says loudly and everyone falls silent. "Marco, go get me something to tie these two up. Luca, call the airport and have them prepare our plane. I'll send the plane back to get the rest of you tomorrow. We don't have long to take action, and I'm not wasting any more time arguing about what needs to be done here."

"Please," I beg Enzo. I hear Luca on the phone behind me talking to their pilot. "Please don't do this. Elio is dangerous. He will kill you all if you cross him. He could kill me and my son. Why do you think we were in hiding for so long?"

"I said, enough," Enzo says softly, his tone brooking no argument.

Marco returns with thick zip ties, which Enzo uses to bind Elio's wrists and ankles. He crosses the room to stand in front of me and gestures for me to turn around. "Your turn," he says.

I balk, struggling against Luca's grip. "No!" I cry. "Please don't!"

"Dammit!" Luca curses. He ends the call with his pilot and wrenches my arm high up behind my back. I see spots and a wave of intense pain rolls through me. I cry out and slump forward, trying to escape the pressure on my arm.

I'm vaguely aware of someone placing zip ties around my wrists before I am dropped to the ground. Enzo ties my feet together next and then lets me slump onto the ground across from Elio.

The tiles beneath my cheek are cold, a stark contrast to the hot tears sliding down my face. I look at Elio's unconscious form across from me, pleading with him to wake up, to help me.

He looks younger in repose, and his long, dark lashes cast shadows on his high cheekbones. I think about my anger at Elio for wanting to leave me behind in Mexico and see how stupid I was.

Being left behind to live a life of comfort with my child would have been much better than being forced to suffer so much loneliness and pain. I regret everything that I have done, but now it's too late.

"The plane will be ready when you arrive," Luca says. "Grazia, go get Mateo."

"Leave him here, I beg you," I say quietly, my voice thick with tears. "He won't be safe if he comes with us. Leave him here with Marco."

"No one wants to raise the son of this monster," Luca hisses at me, and I feel a flash of rage. Such an accusation is much like the pot calling the kettle black.

"I will not forget how the Baldini family treats innocents," I say in reply, some of my usual fire coming to life inside me. "If you let Elio take me back, he will not forget, either. You are signing the death warrant of your whole family." I roll to look up at Luca and Enzo, wishing that I could strike them down with my angry gaze alone.

"We'll see about that," Luca spits back at me, shaking his head.

He gestures with his chin toward Elio's body lying on the floor. "Wasn't too hard to remove La Rosa as a threat today. I don't foresee having issues with him in the future, either."

I scoff at this and roll away. They don't know what Elio is capable of. The only reason that they bested him tonight was because he was distracted by seeing me again.

Usually, he would have beaten Marco to death and then turned on the Baldinis when they entered the room. Under any other circumstances, there would have been a lake of blood standing in this courtyard.

"If you will do nothing else for my son, at least don't let him see me like this," I beg. I hate pleading with these people, hate lowering myself to take their tawdry offerings.

I remember wanting to confess everything to Grazia earlier and feel a hot rush of shame flood through me.

Why must I always make these kinds of mistakes? Why am I so trusting when I know that everyone around me is a snake just waiting for the chance to strike?

"Grazia told me that she would take him out to play on the swings on the other side of the hotel until we are ready for him," Enzo tells me. "She's not completely heartless like us."

I harrumph at this, but I am grateful to the other woman for this small bit of kindness on my behalf. She might hate me for springing such an ugly surprise on her, but she is not monster enough to bring a small child into a room that positively reeks of violence.

"Come on, time to go," Enzo says. "Let Lori know that I'll see her at home. She'll understand."

I assume that he's referencing his wife, Loridana. I feel a momentary pang of sadness for all of us who have had the misfortune of falling in love with the wrong kind of men.

Loridana, Grazia, Emelia, myself…we are nothing more than chattel to these powerful men. I wonder why any of them even pretend to care about us at all.

"Come on, let's go," Enzo says to me. I allow him to tug me to my feet. He cuts the zip tie holding my feet together so that I can walk with him to the car.

My eyes meet Marco's and I glare at him. I cannot believe that he is letting this happen. I cannot believe that he is bowing to the whims of these thugs.

"Kate, everything will be okay," he says to me.

I laugh. The sound is a bit off-kilter and I know I sound crazy. "Surely you don't believe that?" I say to him. "I hope that you lie awake at night worrying about me. I hope that you are eaten alive with guilt for what you have done!" I spit in his face as Enzo drags me away.

Enzo takes me outside and hustles me toward a waiting black SUV. He opens the door to the back seat and pushes me inside the car ahead of him.

My eyes take a moment to adjust to the darker interior of the vehicle. I feel him press a gun into my side as I am getting my bearings.

"Don't bother being heroic," he says to me. "I don't need those trade routes from La Rosa all that badly."

"I'll keep that in mind," I reply, my tone dry. "Where's my son?"

"Be patient," he says to me, sounding bored. He checks something on his phone, then looks up. I follow his gaze to see Grazia bringing Mateo with her toward the car.

My heart pinches in my chest at the sight of my child happily chatting with a member of the Baldini family. I wanted to protect him from all of this. I failed.

"Is my mama in the car?" Mateo says to Grazia.

"She is!" Grazia says, her tone sweet. She opens the car door, and points at me. I manage to force a smile onto my face. I hope that Mateo can't tell how scared I am.

"Mama!" he cries, hopping into the car and joyfully looking up at me. "Grazia says that we are going on an adventure!"

"She's right," I reply, hoping my voice sounds somewhat normal to him. "Tell Grazia goodbye."

"Adiós!" he waves to Grazia as she closes the car door. I watch her walk away from the car without looking back. I curse her in my mind for a traitor, my eyes narrowed on her tiny frame shrouded in layers of white lace and silk.

"Time to go," Enzo says to his driver.

"Where are we going?" my son asks happily, looking all around him. I'm not sure if he expected to see other kids in the car or if Grazia promised him something specific about the trip that she told him he was about to leave on.

Either way, there's not much that I can tell him since no one has shared anything with me about what the plan is.

"You and your mom are going to get to visit my house. How does that sound?" Enzo says to Mateo.

"Oh good!" Mateo says happily. He claps his hands a couple of times. "Will the other kids be there?"

My chest feels tight. I know how lonely he has been, so it's only natural that he is excited about the chance to spend time with the rest of the Baldini brood.

"They will come home in a couple of days," Enzo says with a nod. "Do you want to go to school with them at my house for a while?"

"That sounds fun!" Mateo says, bouncing a little on the seat.

I cast a glance at Enzo, feeling grateful despite my anger at him.

If there is nothing else good that comes of this kidnapping plot, at least my child will get to spend time with other kids. "Thank you," I mouth at him.

I know just how much weight flattery can carry with men like the Baldinis. I can't afford to seem ungrateful for the small crumbs that are thrown my way.

Enzo nods in reply to my gratitude. He leans around me to smile at my son, and I wing a small prayer to the heavens that he and his family will keep my innocent son safe.