Hers to Love

by Talia Ellison

  “I don’t know. That’s what we’re trying to find out. We thought you took him,” Aaron said. “Just let Octavia go. If you want me, take me, but let her go.”

  “You thought I took him? Why would I do that?” Sebastian gaped at us.

  “Um, plenty of reasons,” I said. “You came here to claim Roberto’s little empire. Why should we believe anything you say? Maybe this is all an act so you can convince us you’re on our side.” Although the desperation in Sebastian’s eyes was really hard to fake.

  “Your side?” Sebastian eyed Aaron, then me. “Maybe you trust my nephew, but I don’t. Not after what I’ve seen him do and heard about him.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “Right. You agree with Roberto that Aaron’s a traitor or whatever. Although I don’t really get how this thing you have with my brother... well, my brothers, since you seem to mingle a lot with my family... is fine and Aaron being with me isn’t.”

  “It’s not about you,” Sebastian said. “It’s about him.” He raised his finger toward Aaron. “He’s a cold-blooded killer. What kind of a person kills his guards because they said the wrong thing?”

  “Is that what you think?” Aaron asked incredulously. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what really happened when you were conspiring with my father the whole time!”

  “I wasn’t conspiring with him. I merely took the opportunity that presented itself.”

  “Whatever you say.” Aaron bit out.

  I stared at Sebastian’s flushed face and wondered if he was telling the truth. We only knew he’d been in contact with Roberto, but we couldn’t know how much Roberto had told him. Surely Sebastian’s sexual orientation was of less importance to Roberto than Aaron’s betrayal, so if Roberto knew a Viteri had to inherit his empire, he’d rather have left it to Sebastian than to Aaron. And if Roberto hadn’t known about Tony, or if Sebastian had met my brother after that...

  Did Sebastian even know he was about to inherit everything, or did he merely come here to fight because he thought he could win over the support of Roberto’s men instead of Aaron? There was just no way for us to know, and I wasn’t about to reveal that piece of info to Sebastian, although he probably already knew that.

  “We don’t have time for this,” I said. “We need to find Tony.”

  “Tell your men to stand down. We’re attracting too much attention, and I know you’re not going to have me shot here like this. That would put a kink in your plan of world domination,” Aaron said, eyeing the passersby who were watching us from afar.

  Sebastian dipped his head, and one of the guards that had been peeking from around the tree shifted, probably holstering his gun. “I swear, if I find out you had something to do with Tony’s disappearance, I’m going to kill you,” Sebastian growled at Aaron, then turned on his heel and strode off before anyone could say anything else. The guards eyed us carefully and went after him. I turned toward Aaron, who was looking after Sebastian with a frown on his face.

  “Do you believe any of that?” I asked. “Do you think he really cares about my brother, or is he trying to play us?”

  “I don’t know.” Aaron had his phone out. “We should have someone watching him. He’s probably going to find the tracker soon.”

  “Yeah. Maybe my family had better luck and figured out where Tony was taken.” Considering the lack of messages and calls, they probably hadn’t found anything yet, but maybe they at least had a clue, because after this, I no longer knew anything. “I guess we have to seriously consider the possibility someone else has my brother and not Sebastian.”

  Aaron nodded, and I stared off in the direction Sebastian had gone.

  Chapter 9

  My mom was sobbing quietly on the couch as my father placed his hand on her shoulder. After the encounter with Sebastian at the park, I’d headed straight home, hoping for some good news, but so far there hadn’t been any. Aaron had gone off with Marco so they could figure out if Sebastian was lying about everything to distract us. “We’re going to find him, Eleonora. I promise.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t fulfill.” She raised her brown eyes to his, tears smearing her makeup.

  “I’m not... I...” My father sighed. “We’ll turn over every stone to find him. At least that’s something I can promise.”

  She swallowed and gave him a brief nod.

  “I’ve got something!” Dylan said, as he typed something on one of the laptops. I immediately rushed over to him, just like everyone else. “I tried to trace back Tony’s steps based on the meeting spots he mentioned in his conversations with Sebastian. They were at one of the clubs in the free zone that has cameras. Look.” Dylan brought up a video and showed two slightly blurry and dark figures, but as they walked closer to the camera, I could recognize my brother and Sebastian. “Sebastian leaves, and Tony stays for a while longer.” Dylan fast-forwarded the video, and I glimpsed an image of Sebastian kissing my brother against the wall. “Then he leaves too, and goes right down this street. There are two surveillance cameras, but Tony appears only on one. He never makes it to the second one.”

  “So there’s a gap somewhere? Another street, maybe? An alley?” I asked.

  “No, there aren’t any alleys or anything, and I don’t think Tony had gone into one of the buildings, but... the street’s long, and there’s a blind spot in between the cameras where someone could’ve taken him if they were following him and planned their attack right.”

  “Sebastian knew where Tony would be. He could’ve arranged this.” Michael scratched his chin.

  “Don’t know,” Dylan said. “But look at this car.” He pointed at a black SUV with tinted windows. “It appears on the second camera almost a minute later than it should, just around the time Tony disappears. I think these are the people who took him.”

  “Can you trace the plate number?” my mom asked.

  Dylan shook his head. “It’s too blurry and probably fake anyway.”

  “So how are we going to find Tony?” I asked.

  “I’ll make some calls,” my father said. “Someone might know which gang’s members were going through the area at that time.”

  “Can you figure out in which direction the SUV went?” Michael asked.

  “No, there aren’t any cameras I can access after it leaves this street,” Dylan said. “And it didn’t resurface on any other cameras in nearby areas. I think they knew exactly where they should be going so they wouldn’t be seen by anyone.”

  “If we ask the other families, it’s likely they won’t tell us anything if they’re in league with whoever took our brother,” Michael said.

  “If Sebastian Viteri has him...” my mother started to say, her face darkening.

  “I don’t think he does,” I said, going for my phone. “But I can check with Aaron to see if there are any updates.” My phone vibrated in my hand, startling me. Aaron’s number flashed on the screen and I immediately answered. “Aaron?”

  “I don’t know what Sebastian’s real intentions are, but he seems to be looking for Tony,” he said. “He’s been going around and checking a lot of bars and clubs. I suppose he’d been there with Tony before. Maybe he knew we’d be following him, but... he’s not really taking precautions as he used to, and now everyone knows he’s in town. His guards are with him, and no one made a move to contact him, but I wonder if someone might’ve figured out the nature of his relationship with your brother.”

  “You mean whoever took Tony might have taken him to get to Sebastian and not to my family?”

  “I don’t know. It’s possible, but maybe someone figured out they could take care of two birds with one stone.”

  “But who would do such a thing? I thought no one wanted to risk us coming after them, and to have both the Ferraras and Viteris after them... Who could withstand an attack from both of us around here? Unless someone was growing an army right under our noses and we didn’t notice because we were busy fighting Roberto.” That was highly unlikely, though. My family ha
d spies everywhere. We would’ve known about something like that, unless a few families banded together or someone from nearby areas was trying to extend their reach.

  “I don’t think whoever’s behind this is doing it on their own. And I finally got my hands on the official will. Sebastian is the heir.”

  “Shit. What are you going to do about him?”

  Aaron was saying something to someone, probably to Marco, but I couldn’t quite hear what it was. “Marco just came to tell me Sebastian sent a message asking for help with finding Tony. He’s offering a temporary truce and then negotiation. I guess he’s tried everything, or thinks I know the city better and will be able to find your brother more easily.”

  It was a little hard for me to believe Sebastian would care about Tony that much, but if this whole thing wasn’t a ploy to get close to Aaron and trick him into stepping down peacefully and not disputing Roberto’s will, then maybe Sebastian wasn’t like his half-brother. “Are you going to accept? Does this mean Sebastian doesn’t know about the will?”

  “I don’t know. If he knew Roberto had left him everything, he would’ve seized it all already. Or maybe he doesn’t want to do it so abruptly. He wants to come to my family’s residence, but I won’t agree to that. I don’t want him to snoop around and find support against me so quickly. I don’t know much about him and I’m not about to serve him everything on a platter.”

  “What are you going to do then?”

  “I’m going to meet with him after I deal with my father’s men. A group of my father’s most loyal are here and want to speak to me about something.” He groaned. “I’ll listen to whatever they want from me as quickly as possible and then I’ll check with Sebastian to see what he knows. Unless you want to contact him first. He gave me a number to call him. It’s untraceable, but if you have some questions for him, and this meeting with my father’s men takes too long...”

  “Okay, send me the number.” I squeezed the phone tighter in my hand. “But can’t you just tell your father’s men to come at another time because you’re busy? I mean, they’re your men right now, as far as they know. They should obey you, and if not, you should make them.”

  “I know, but I’ve already been postponing a meeting with them and they’re the ones who have the power to rally everyone else against me. I want to keep them happy for now. They probably want something in return for supporting me, and I’m going to need that now more than ever. I don’t know how long we can keep my father’s will a secret.”

  “Do you think they know Sebastian’s here too? If they want you to hand over everything to him...”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I can handle them.”

  “Okay. Call me later.”

  “Sure. I’ll send you Sebastian’s number.” The line went dead and my phone beeped, announcing Aaron’s message had arrived. I turned toward my family. “Should I call Sebastian and try to talk to him? It looks like he really cares about Tony and wants to find him as badly as we do.”

  “You can’t trust that man,” my mom said.

  “I know, but... maybe he noticed something that could help us. Someone had to be watching them while they were meeting at clubs.”

  “I already searched the club for any suspicious faces on cameras,” Dylan said. “Didn’t find anything. And if Sebastian knew something, he would’ve already followed the lead. Of course, that’s if his intentions are true.”

  My father’s phone rang and he strode off into the hallway, yelling something I couldn’t hear. When he came back a few minutes later, his brow was furrowed.

  “What happened? Did you find out anything?” My mom was at his side immediately, her eyes inquiring.

  “There are rumors that other families have been meeting in secret. It seems like they’ve decided to ally against us. We’ll probably be hearing from whoever has Tony soon. They’re all plotting something, but they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. Just because we were in a war not that long ago doesn’t mean we don’t have enough forces to rain down upon them.”

  “Which families are we talking about?” my mom asked.

  “Pretty much everyone went to a meeting with someone in the past few days, but two of our spies were caught, and the rest couldn’t get close enough to get more information. It’s possible some were just regular business meetings, but not all of them.”

  “Do you think they’re trying to provoke us into attacking them?” Michael said. “If we don’t find out anything about Tony and no one contacts us with demands, then we’ll have no choice but to search other areas, and if all the families deny us entrance... If Tony’s d...”

  “Don’t say that!” my mom snapped.

  “I’m just saying... If we enter someone’s territory by force and it turns out they don’t have Tony... they could get everyone’s support and move against us. Hell, they could even blame us for faking the whole thing, especially if someone’s planning to return Tony to us right after we attack or make a move.” Dylan rubbed his arms.

  “But it’s all just speculation,” Michael said.

  “We’ll keep looking for information,” my father said. “We won’t make any moves against anyone until we’re sure they have Tony. I’m also going to send Jason to investigate. He has his own contacts and might be able to find out more.”

  I pressed my lips into a tight line. We needed all the help we could get, but I hoped my brother wouldn’t get his own ideas again. “You should send someone with him to keep an eye on him.”

  “Don’t worry, Princess. I talked some sense into him. It’ll be fine. He won’t repeat his mistakes,” my dad said, and I hoped he was right.

  Chapter 10

  “Octavia! Your boyfriend’s guard is here!” Dylan yelled from the computer room and I immediately rushed there.

  “What guard?” I glanced down at my phone but didn’t see any messages or missed calls. Why would Aaron send one of his guards to my family’s home?

  “Marco, I think.” Dylan bobbed his head toward the computer screen that showed one of the cameras at the entrance. Marco was looking up at the camera and waving at it frantically. Our guards were surrounding him and pointing their guns at him. My breath got stuck in my chest when I realized Marco’s shirt was torn and bloody.

  “Let him in! Now!” I yelled, and made a mad dash into the hallway and downstairs.

  The guards let Marco into the foyer, and he was barely containing himself from running up to me, but was probably afraid the guards would shoot him if he walked too quickly, so he kept slowing down. Or maybe he was hurt.

  “What happened?” I asked, barely breathing. A lump formed in my throat. “Where’s Aaron?”

  “He’s... I... They took him!” Marco’s wide and startled eyes met mine.

  “What? Who took him?” My heart was drumming in my chest as I inched closer to Marco, waving the guards off. They reluctantly pulled back and returned to their positions at the door.

  “I don’t know! Roberto’s men, I think.” Marco winced and touched his bleeding arm. “They don’t know I escaped. They think I’m dead.”

  “Shit. Let’s get you upstairs. Are you okay? Tell me everything.” I wanted him to tell me what had happened, but I needed to make sure he didn’t have any serious injuries first.

  “I’m fine.” Marco followed me upstairs, where Michael and Dylan were waiting for us. “A bullet grazed me, and I’ll have a lot of bruises, but I don’t care about that. We need to get Aaron!”

  “What’s going on?” Dylan asked.

  “Come with us,” I said to him. “Michael, get us the medical kit. We’re going to the computer room. Aaron’s been taken too. Tell the others.”

  Michael blinked at me, but then he quickly strode away.

  “Aaron too?” Dylan’s mouth fell open.

  I turned to Marco, taking his arm as we made our way to the computer room. “Just tell me what happened. All of it. From the beginning.” Nausea rose at the back of my throat. T
his was too much. First my brother and now Aaron... but I couldn’t fall apart now. Tony and Aaron needed me, and I had to find them. Steeling myself, I focused solely on Marco’s words.

  “Aaron went to meet with Roberto’s men. They insisted on talking to him about the future of the Viteri family. Aaron and I took all the precautions in case they attacked him, but we must have missed something... God. It was my fault. I was supposed to...” Marco’s lower lip trembled.

  “Hey.” I squeezed his arm gently. “It’s okay.”

  “We made sure they didn’t have any weapons, but one of them... His name’s Oswald. He had a drugged dart I hadn’t found when I searched him, and I swear I checked everything. He threw it at Aaron, and before I could pull out a weapon, they were all on me. Aaron had picked a few personal guards because he thought he could trust them to protect him more than any of Roberto’s men, but they joined in and did nothing to protect him, and... I punched who I could, but I couldn’t get to him... They... they took him somewhere. I didn’t see. By the time I got free, they were gone. The guards shot at me as I ran and they thought one of them got me because I threw myself to the ground behind the bushes. There was a dead body of another guard right next to me. One of the traitors must have killed him earlier, probably because the guard refused to betray Aaron. I managed to escape because I crawled behind one of the walls and hid there. They didn’t look for me, probably because they mistook the guard’s body for mine, and those who could’ve easily realized that wasn’t me were already gone with Aaron. I came here immediately because I didn’t know where else to go. We have to... We have to find him.”

  “Who’s that Oswald guy? Did he say anything before he attacked?” I steered Marco into the computer room and looked at Dylan. “Search for any cameras or any footage you can find. I don’t care if you hack into the cameras in the Viteris’ area.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that. I’m not Tony,” Dylan said. “And shouldn’t we be putting all of our resources into finding our brother? We can’t look for your boyfriend too.”