“What now?” Romeo asked.
“We wait for Mr. Blue,” Lorenzo grunted. “And you keep everyone close. A silent enemy is a deadly enemy. We didn’t see them coming, and they’re banking on that. But now that we know…” He grinned, the Lorenzo that only came out when he had to dish out a punishment coming to the forefront. “We can plan our attack. I’ll kill every last one of them if I have to.”
I had no doubt that he would. He was—
My cell vibrated again. Frustrated at the interruption, I yanked it out, seeing a message from an unknown number. Frowning, I clicked it open, waiting for the attachment to load, and when it finally did, I clicked play.
A woman ran across the room, the camera tracking her. She flew through the air, throwing her fist at someone. I brought the device closer to my face, trying to make out who I was watching. I couldn’t make any of them out, and as I went to click off it, figuring someone had sent me some kind of fucked up chainmail, the woman screamed, “It’s all your fault!”
The woman moved, jumping on top of someone and the camera moved, letting me see it clearly.
A woman tied to a bed. Taking a beating. The phone shook as whoever was holding it turned it around on them, grinning at the camera. Stan. Or should I say, Tanner.
What the hell was he sending me this for? How the hell had he gotten my personal number?
He winked then spun it around again, zooming in on her face, and when her eyes sprang open, I shot up, my chair smashing on the floor with a bang.
“What the fuck.” I paused the video on her face, not believing what I was seeing. “They have her,” I whispered, not sure if the men in the room could hear me. “They have Luna.”
* * *
LUNA
“You took him from me!” she screamed.
I gurgled, moving my head to the side to protect my face as her hand came down again. Her palm connected with my ear, slapping so hard that it started to ring.
“He was mine. Not yours!”
I swallowed, trying to get enough energy to say, “Who?”
“Your dad.” She stilled on top of me and for a brief second, I thought that it was over. She’d gotten her anger out, and now she’d leave me alone. If Stan wanted something from Mateo, then this wasn’t what he’d brought me here for. But I could still sense him in the room with us.
She jolted forward, her hands wrapping around my throat. She squeezed, her fingernails digging into my flesh. “You think your rich husband can just turn up and take him away from me?” I blinked up at her, totally confused. She laughed. “Yeah, that’s right. He came and took him. He’s probably dead.” Her chest heaved at her words. “And now I’m gonna kill you.”
My heart sank, my body going limp. Her words were packed with truth, a truth I knew she’d stick to now that she’d said it out loud.
“Do it,” she said, but she wasn’t talking to me.
Stan came into view again, his grin taking over his entire face. “Ready, princess?” He held a needle in one hand and a piece of rubber with the other. “Time for you to take a trip.”
“No!” I barely got the word out, and even though I knew there was no point in fighting because I wouldn’t be able to get free, it didn’t stop my body from trying. There was no way in hell I was letting him put that poison in my veins.
“Aw, come on, princess.” He kneeled down next to me, stroking the back of his knuckles over my cheek lightly. “You’ll be just like your mama and daddy now.”
“Don’t you dare,” I warned.
He lifted his hands and tied the piece of rubber around my bicep, pulling extra tight. I could feel my blood pulsating, trying to get past it.
“Sharp scratch,” he murmured, just like a nurse would when she took your blood. He was calm, too calm, and it made me wonder how many times he’s done this to someone. How many people he’d gotten high just because he could.
The needle penetrated my skin and he pushed on the end of the needle, injecting me with the poison that had haunted me all of my life. He’d taken my choices away. He’d dictated what my fate would be.
I hated him.
I hated her.
But most of all, I hated myself because…I liked it. I liked how warm my body felt. I liked that I was more relaxed than I’d ever been. I liked that I didn’t feel like me anymore.
Fuck.
I didn’t just like it. I loved it.
CHAPTER 18
MATEO
“What?” Lorenzo asked, his tone moving from pissed off to damn right dangerous.
“They have her.” I held my cell up, my grip loosening as he snatched it from me and played the video from the beginning.
They had her. They had Luna.
“Fuck!” I sprinted across the room, heading for the door. I needed to find her. I needed to get her the hell out of there.
Arms banded around me, stopping me from leaving the room. “Wait,” Romeo’s voice said. “You need backup.”
“I’m gonna kill him,” I ground out, my anger vibrating out of me. I was a volcano, ready to erupt and burn everyone in my path. I didn’t give a fuck if he was part of a crew. I didn’t care one bit if I was walking into my death. There was no way I was leaving her with him a moment longer.
“Mateo,” Lorenzo’s voice broke through my raging thoughts. “Pull up her tracker.”
Romeo’s arms moved from around me and he backed away a couple of steps, holding his hands up to show that he wouldn’t get in my way. If he stopped me again, I’d knock him the hell out.
I spun around, rushing toward one of the computers and brought up the tracking software. Lorenzo had made it a requirement for everyone to wear at least one on them at all times. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened to him and Aida where no one could find them. We all knew about them, apart from Luna. I somehow didn’t think she’d have liked the thought of everyone knowing where she was at all times. So I’d slipped it into the sole of every pair of shoes and sneakers she owned.
“Where is she?” Lorenzo asked, striding up next to me.
“Fuck.” I slammed my hand on the desk, the biting sting of pain on my palm centering me. “She’s at her old apartment.” I pulled my keys out of my pocket, not hesitating as I left the command center.
I sprinted out of the mansion and to my SUV. I’d just started the engine when three doors whooshed open.
“Think we’re gonna let you go alone?” Lorenzo asked from next to me. He clipped his belt in place, and I glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing Rafael and Mario in the back.
“I’ll do this alone,” I told them all.
“No you won’t.” Lorenzo slapped his hand on the dash. “Drive. Now.”
I didn’t have the time or energy to argue. My bloodlust was consuming me, demanding that I get to her as soon as I could. They could have been doing anything to her, and the thought of how far they would go scared me.
There was a code between the families of The Enterprise, but this crew didn’t have codes. They took what they wanted when they wanted. It made them stupid. But also dangerous.
My tires squealed as I pulled into the lot of the apartment building. I jumped out of the car, spotting Christian’s car behind mine. I didn’t have time to think about the fact that they’d all come with me, not when Luna was so close and hurt.
My heart hammered as I took the stairs up to her old apartment two at a time. I grasped my gun, holding it in front of me and not stopping as I got to her door. I tried the handle, but for once, they’d locked it. That wouldn’t stop me though. I lifted my foot, slamming it against the flimsy lock. It split in two down the middle, my foot going right through it.
Shouts from the apartment reached my ears, but I ignored them, flicking the lock off from the inside and pushing the door open fully.
Gun raised with Lorenzo by my side, I rushed into the living room. Rafael and Mario checked the kitchen, shouting that it was clear. The living room wasn’t though. Two men stood with their guns raised,
but they hesitated. A brutal mistake.
I fired off a shot, taking the one directly in front of me down. Blood sprayed from the single bullet hole between his eyes, brain matter splattering on the window behind him. Lorenzo took the other one out and I searched the rest of the room, not seeing anything else.
“They’re up here!” Romeo shouted.
I sprinted back into the hallway and up the stairs, feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I feared the worst, and if I really thought about it, I’d realize this was the reason why I’d never wanted a commitment. Luna was worth it though. She’d always be worth it.
Wood splintering blasted through the house, and when I got to the top of the stairs, Romeo had finally gotten the door down and rushed inside with Christian right behind him.
My stomach dropped, my footsteps feeling like they were in slow motion. My ears were ringing, my hands shaking. And when I finally stood in the doorway, I inhaled a breath.
A woman dove at Romeo, trying to stop his entrance, but with a quick swipe of his arm, he knocked her to the side. He pinned her to the ground, his gun in her face, but she didn’t seem to care that he could end her life with one squeeze of the trigger.
“You finally made it!” I spun around, clenching my teeth so hard I heard one of them crack.
“I’ll fuckin’ kill you,” I ground out, raising my gun on Tanner. Christian’s arm against his throat held him in place. Tanner’s eyes lit up. He was enjoying this.
“We’ll handle them,” Lorenzo said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “See to Luna.” His voice was off, a tone I’d never heard from him before.
“Wh—” My knees shook, threatening to take me to the floor. They’d shot her up. I couldn’t catch my breath. I couldn’t get oxygen into my lungs. The bastard had shot her up.
I dropped my arm at my side, slowly stowing away my gun in my waistband, but I didn’t move a step toward her. I couldn’t…I couldn’t get my feet to work. Her face was a picture of happiness, her lips pulled into a smile, but in contrast, purple bruising was pushing through her normally clear skin. Dried blood tracked from her nose and across her cheeks. Fresh blood leaked from a cut in her eyebrow.
She needed a hospital. She needed…fuck…she needed me.
One foot in front of the other, it took six steps to get to her side. The room disappeared, and all that mattered was the woman strapped to the bed that I loved with everything I had. I’d have given anything to take her place in that moment. Anything to take her pain away.
“Darlin’,” I murmured, crouching beside her. I stroked the side of her face causing her to groan, but I wasn’t sure whether it was pleasure or pain. “I got you,” I whispered, not sure if I was reassuring her or myself. I reached for the bindings on her ankles, catching sight of Romeo and Christian as they led the two people who had done this to her out of the room.
“Mateo?” she whispered, bringing her knees up.
“I got you,” I repeated, firmer this time.
The rope around her wrists had dug into her skin, leaving behind an impression of the twists, and I was sure it’d bruise.
“I don’t like it,” she cried out, and I snapped the rubber band off her arm, staring at the track mark where they’d injected her. “Make it stop.” Her arms stayed in the same position they’d been strapped in, so I leaned over her, slowly moving them down.
“I will, baby,” I told her, feeling a lump in my throat. “I’ll make it stop.”
She sobbed, tears streaming down her face and mixing with the blood. “I like it,” she croaked out. “I don’t want to like it.
“I know,” I whispered, moving my arm beneath her back and under her legs. I pulled her to my chest. Her arms flopped at her sides, but it didn’t matter because I had her now. I had her securely against me, and I’d never let go.
I stood, taking a breath, trying to hold myself together. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to, not when I got down there and saw the faces of the people who did this to her.
Her head rolled forward, falling to my chest and resting over my rampantly beating heart.
Rafael and Mario stood at the bottom of the stairs, their eyes widening as they saw me carrying Luna. But they didn’t say anything. They knew better than to comment in that moment, even if it was to ask if she was okay. Because if they asked that, I may have completely lost my shit. She was the furthest thing from okay.
“Where are they?” I asked.
Rafael pointed. “In there.”
I turned on my heel, holding Luna tighter against me. Lorenzo stood against the back wall, watching as the pieces of shit kneeled on the ground in the middle of the room. Tanner grinned like a fool, probably knowing that we wouldn’t kill him. He was needed for intel, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be the one to finish the job when we were done with him. He thought he was getting away without any repercussions, but he had no idea who he was messing with.
“Beg,” Romeo grunted. “Beg for your lives.”
Tanner raised a brow, but it was the woman who screeched, “I’m not begging for shit!” Her eyes met mine. “You!” She tried to stand, but Romeo pushed her back down. Her hands were behind her back, just like Tanner’s were. “You took him from me!”
I adjusted Luna in my arms, staring at the screaming woman. “Took who—”
“My husband!” She shuffled forward on her knees. “Her dad.”
Romeo whipped his arm out, the metal of his gun glinting off the single light bathing the room. “You’re Luna’s mom?” he growled.
“She ain’t no daughter of mine.” She spat on the floor, missing Romeo’s dress shoes by a couple of inches. “She abandoned us. The stupid bitch—”
“One more word,” I grunted. “And I’ll shoot you myself.” If Luna hadn’t have been in my arms, I would have ended her right then and there.
“You don’t need to,” Romeo drawled, not turning to face me. “You’re a pathetic excuse for a mother.” He pressed the muzzle of his gun to her forehead. “Have a nice time in hell, bitch.” The loud pop of the gun blasted throughout the apartment, but not one of us flinched as she dropped to the floor, her eyes open, the life instantly drained out of the woman who had brought Luna into this world.
Even Tanner looked relieved. “Thank fuck for that. I was gettin’ tired of listen’—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Christian barked, bringing his own gun down. He sliced it through the air, using the butt to smack him in the temple. And he went down just like Luna’s mom had, the only difference…he was still breathing.
For now.
* * *
LUNA
My eyes fluttered open, my body aching all over. For a second, I thought I was still on the bed, but when I turned, my arms and legs came with me. It was a small movement, but it was enough to let me know I was out.
The soft bed and bright light coming from a gap in the drapes told me I was in my bedroom. My lips lifted on one side. Our bedroom. I hadn’t dreamed it. I hadn’t imagined him coming when I was high. I hadn’t fantasized him holding me as he walked us out of my hell.
I glanced around the room, my breath whooshing out of me at the sight of him staring at the wall. “Mateo,” I whispered, lifting my arm up.
His attention snapped toward me and he shot up out of the seat next to the bed. That wasn’t there the last time I’d been in our bedroom. “Luna.” He said my name like it was a prayer, his eyes lighting up. “You’re awake.”
I nodded, pushing my hands into the mattress so that I could sit up. Pain shot through my chest and I winced, causing more agony to flash through my face.
Dammit.
“Careful,” Mateo warned. “You’re still healing.”
I swallowed, my throat dry, but as if Mateo had read my mind, he handed me a glass of water with a bright-pink straw inside it. It twirled around, a unicorn head halfway down it. I chuckled as I remembered Chiara’s face lighting up the day she saw them in the grocery store.
Taking sips, I wet my th
roat enough to get out, “How long?”
He sat on the bed next to me, not letting my hand go. “Three days.” He brushed some hair off my face, his small smile slowly widening. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
He moved his face closer to mine and placed a kiss on my temple. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit.” It was the truth, but that wasn’t the only thing I was feeling. “What happened?”
He shook his head, his gaze sliding away from me. “We can talk about that later. You need to heal and—”
“Nope.” I sat up straighter, the pain almost too much to bear, but so was not knowing what had happened after they’d injected me. “I need to know, Mateo.”
He groaned, letting out a breath that washed over my arm, eliciting goose bumps. “Stan isn’t Stan.” I frowned, wishing I hadn’t when my eye pulsated. “He’s part of a crew that’s been causing trouble.”
“Okay…” I pursed my lips, stroking my palm over his arm to bring his attention back to me. “And my mom and dad?” I held my breath. “What about them?”
He scraped his hand down his face. “There’s something I need to tell you.” He licked his lips, grasping my hands tighter as he told me about the day he went to the apartment block. He told me how he’d given his mom money to get her to sign over her rights to Cardo and Chiara, and then how he went outside and saw my dad. “He wanted to get clean,” he said. “And I…I believed him, Luna.”
I shook my head. “He’ll be clean for a while then when Mom uses he’ll go right back to it.”
“Not this time.” Darkness flitted over his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I took him to rehab. He’s been there since.”
I blinked, trying not to let the tears fall. “He’s in rehab?”
“Yeah, darlin’.” He placed his hand on my face gently. “And he’s doing really well. It’s a six-month program.”
Mateo Caputo: Unseen Underground Page 20