“Oh my God! Are you okay?”
“Somebody call the paramedics!”
“Get the police down here!”
“Sir, is she okay?”
The people began to gather around them, but they couldn’t afford to waste any time.
“Move back!”
Anastacia instantly recognized the voice.
“Ana, honey, can you stand?” His voice sounded frantic. She felt his hand on her side, and pain shot through her entire body. “Shit,” he muttered.
“Carterina.” Anastacia realized she was crying. “She’s gone! He took my baby,” she cried. “I have to get her back!” Determination laced her words, and she tried to stand up, ignoring the pain she felt. She didn’t care if she’d been shot— she was going to find her daughter.
A car stopped in front of them, and a door swung open. “Where is she? Did you find her?” Mikilo yelled. “What the fuck happened?”
Cesare scooped Anastacia into his arms.
“Cesare, no!” she yelled “I have to find her! We have to get her back now! He’ll take her away!” she begged. “Let me go!”
Normally, Anastacia would easily be able to get out of his hold, but this time she couldn’t. Her body was becoming weak. She was fighting to stay awake, fighting not to black out from the pain.
“Oh, shit,” Mickey said as he surveyed Anastacia’s wound.
Cesare walked past him. “Anastacia’s hurt! Open the door.” She heard the door open, and she was put into the car.
***
Mickey addressed his father. “Take the car. Get Anastacia to the hospital.”
His father took the keys from his hands. “Turn this city upside down until you find her, Mikilo. Do you understand?”
Mickey nodded and ran to the SUV pulling up behind them. There were lines of them coming down the street now, so Mickey knew the word had already spread. That was a good thing. It made it easier.
The door to the first SUV opened, and Ryan Mason and Dante jumped out. They quickly ran over to Mickey. Mickey began walking toward the car, and Ryan fell into step with him.
“What the fuck happened, Mikilo? We were boarding the plane, and they called and told us to come back!” Dante yelled.
“Nathan’s wife was taken,” Mickey answered.
“What?” Dante shouted and punched Mickey in the arm— hard. “Where the fuck was your head, Mickey?”
“What the fuck do you mean, his wife was taken?” Ryan yelled. “How could you let that happen?”
“We didn’t see! We were dealing with other things, and I was on the phone with Kyle.” Mickey’s jaw clenched. “I fucked up! I know that!” Mickey was prepared to take the blame for this. It didn’t matter that he’d left her in the hands of Reno, in the end, he was the one Nathan trusted to protect Carter. Mickey couldn’t believe he’d been so careless. He couldn’t believe he’d let her out of his sight. He remembered how broken and vulnerable she’d been when they told her about Nathan and his heart tightened painfully in his chest.
“You’re fucking right, you fucked up! Nathan is going to lose his shit!” Dante ran his hands over his face as intense worry and guilt washed over him. “Fuck,” he sighed. “We were supposed to protect her …” His words trailed off as his mind drifted to Carter. “Shit!” he yelled. “We’ve gotta find her, Mick. You heard all of that shit Adrien Stone said about Silas.” Dante dented the car of the person passing by them with his fist. “If that sick fuck lays one fucking finger on her—”
“You two should be worried about what the underboss is going to say when he finds out you didn’t protect his wife!” Ryan yelled. “You know as well as I do that Nathan is alive. When he finds out his wife was taken under your watch— best friend or not— you’re fucking done, Mickey!”
Mickey swallowed. He already knew that, but he could barely think about it. Images of Carter’s face as she fell to the ground flooded his mind. It tore his heart to pieces every time he thought about how he didn’t protect her from this. If he didn’t find her, she’d be face to face with a man she’d said she never wanted to see … and that was his fault. He accepted the blame for his mistake.
“We’re going to find her …” he chanted to himself over and over again.
“Get back in your cars!” Ryan shouted at the men stepping out of their cars. “Follow us, and don’t stray! Anyone of you that gets lost gets my foot up your ass!”
“Let’s go, Mickey!” Dante called to him.
Just as Mickey was about to enter the car, his cell phone rang. The name on the screen— Nathan— caused fear to seize his body. Any relief he may have been feeling was completely overwhelmed by the terror gripping his heart.
“What hell are you doing, Mikilo? Answer your phone,” Ryan said from the passenger’s side.
“It’s Nathan …” Mickey didn’t take his eyes from the screen.
“I fucking knew he wasn’t dead!” Ryan said happily, and then his smile fell. “Oh shit, Mick, you’re fucked.”
Mickey continued to stare at the phone. He looked to Dante, but Dante wasn’t looking at him. His face was masked with worry, and Mickey could tell his thoughts weren’t there— they were with Carter.
Ryan sighed. “Be a man and accept whatever he has for you. You fucked up. We’ve all been there, and we all had to deal with the fallout— from either Angelo or Nathan. Consider it initiation, kid. You can’t do the right thing every time, Mikilo. Sometimes you fuck up and get your ass kicked by the boss. Plus, if you miss that call, I’m pretty sure you’ll be dead by morning.”
Mickey answered the phone. “Boss?” Referring to Nathan as anything else at the moment would only bury him deeper, and he knew it. So although he wanted to ask Nathan if he was all right, he reminded himself that he wasn’t speaking to his friend at the moment. And he wasn’t speaking to his brother. He was speaking to the underboss of the Salerno crime family. “Boss, I—”
“Can you explain something to me, Mikilo?”
His deep, menacing tone was enough to break a weaker man, but Mickey wasn’t weak. He was who he was for a reason. He stood tall and prepared himself for whatever the underboss had to say.
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
“It’s interesting really. I for one can hardly fucking believe this. I’ve just been shot in my goddamn side, Mikilo. As I’m walking down the goddamn road, waiting for my ride, I decided to give my distraught wife a call. I figured I should tell her I survived an attack by her biological father and fifteen other motherfuckers. So I take my phone from my pocket and call her. And guess who answered her phone?”
“Boss, I—”
“I don’t know who the fuck answered my wife’s goddamn phone!” he roared.
Mickey swallowed hard. This had never happened to him before, but he could take it.
“Some fuck that I don’t know answered my wife’s phone! He informed me that I would never see her again! Then— get this— he said she was being taken to Silas! What the fuck is going on?” he shouted.
“I fucked up …”
“You. Fucked. Up. You fucked up! You get your ass in a fucking car and rip that city and anyone who gets in the way apart until you find my wife! Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m not fucking around, Mikilo! You let everyone know that Nathan Salerno is going to rain hell on anyone with the slightest connection to Silas fucking Steele! And I won’t stop until my wife is returned to me!”
“Yeah, boss. I got it.” Mickey hung up his phone, knowing that Nathan no longer wanted to speak to him.
He got into the car and closed the door. He heard Ryan’s hand hit the side of the car, and he knew everyone was ready. As Mickey turned the key in the ignition, he steeled himself. He emptied his mind of everything but one goal— bring Carterina home safely. Nothing would stop him from attaining this goal. He’d be whoever he needed to be, he’d do whatever needed to be done, and he’d kill whoever needed to be killed without batting an e
ye. Nothing else mattered in his world. That one goal was his sole focus.
And once his goal was achieved, he’d work on earning his boss’s trust back. Not only that, but he’d spend the rest of his life apologizing to Carterina for failing her, and hopefully she would be able to forgive him.
But for now, he’d focus on his sole goal.
Epilogue: I Hate Her, But I Love Her So Much
Four days. It had been four days, and she hadn’t said one word. Her silence was one of rage. It spread throughout the castle like a lethal poison. Not one man or woman wanted to come near her. He could barely get the servants to tend to her needs. If he were not as feared as he was, Cecilia would have had no food, clothing, or basic necessities.
He didn’t understand her behavior. He knew that Anastacia had finally shared the truth with her. Yet here she was— home— and she didn’t seem a bit happy about it.
Silas walked down the steps to the window, placing his hand on the painful bullet wound he’d received from Cecilia’s lover. He cursed the crafty bastard for escaping the assassination attempt as he winced in pain and stood in front of the window.
He watched every move his sweet Cecilia made. She moved with poise, grace, and a sophistication that couldn’t be taught. She sat up— neck up and shoulders back. Her beauty was breathtaking. She was perfection, just like him— and just like Robbie.
Her features were mostly Anastacia’s, but her flawless allure came from him. She had his ability to make even the strongest man surrender to her will. The ability to draw people in and manipulate them could be both a blessing and a curse. For Silas and Robbie, it had been mostly a curse.
Silas felt others enter the viewing room where he kept his daughter. Aside from the servants, only three men were allowed in this castle, so he immediately knew who’d walked in.
He continued to stare into Cecilia’s room. He’d made sure to give her their best room. These were usually the rooms where he kept his slaves for viewing by potential purchasers, but he’d had this one specially renovated for Cecilia. This way, she could be comfortable and surrounded by luxury, and he could watch her whenever he wanted. The large window in front of them was thick— two-way, soundproof, and bulletproof. He could see her, but she couldn’t see him. It was perfect.
Silas’s trusted advisors— Aziz, Scott Flanagan, and Naveed Soloch— took seats in the room resembling a small cinema. They all sat back and watched Silas stare at the young woman in the viewing room.
“She’s stunning, isn’t she?” Silas asked them.
They glanced at each other before voicing agreement.
Aziz cleared his throat. “Cole and Lucretzia—”
“Give them some money and send them on their way,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
He never took his eyes off Cecilia. She was dressed in a long, white satin gown that touched the floor and flowed with her as she moved. She walked across the room to the rustic triple mirror vanity set he’d had specially made for her, and she sat down on her plush, white Egyptian cotton seat. She reached for her brush with one hand and gathered her hair with the other.
Silas knew what she was doing. It was her nightly routine.
“Silas, Cole, and Lucretzia were hoping they would earn your forgiveness. They don’t want money,” Aziz said.
Silas didn’t think about what he said. He was too busy watching as Cecilia reached for her hair products. He’d made sure he’d gotten her the top-of-the-line products for African hair. He knew how difficult her hair had always been for her to manage.
“Silas, we think—”
“If I wanted your opinion, I would ask for it,” Silas said. He didn’t want to hear about those two disappointments- Cole and Lucretzia- any longer. “Give them some money, and send them on their way,” he said in the same tone he’d said them in before.
“Did Cecilia’s dresses arrive?” Silas asked. He’d ordered her an entire wardrobe of gowns that he’d wanted to see in.
“Silas, Cole—”
“If you keep down this road, Aziz—”
“But they’ve apologized, Silas.”
“They are no longer a part of this family!” Silas roared. “My family!”
Silence fell over the room. Silas stood up straight and turned to face his advisors. “Cole failed me. I told him to watch after something precious to me, and instead, he fucked it and lost it! Lucretzia let Anastacia find Cecilia first.”
“Not on purpose.”
“I don’t care,” Silas said calmly.
He turned back to his daughter. She was brushing her long locks and staring at her face in the mirror. Her eyes were empty, but beautiful nonetheless. Silas could gaze into them all day.
“Silas—”
“Give them some money and send them on their way …” he repeated for the last time.
He turned his gaze back to his beauty. She was now applying cream to her smooth legs and feet. She was perfect— and all his. Silas couldn’t help but be fascinated with her. He wished Robbie were in here to see that he’d finally brought their daughter home.
“She’s dangerous, Silas,” Aziz spoke up again. “They all are. We’re outnumbered. Anastacia Stone, Angelo Salerno, the Russian kid that shot you. It’s only been four days, and we’re already feeling the pressure. They’re collecting information on us from informants, and closing in on our associates— anyone who’s ever bought from us. They have the choice to help or be killed. If they stand in the way, they’re assassinated on the spot— or tortured.” Aziz looked to the other men who were urging him to move forward and tell Silas what was happening outside of the castle. “The Five are packing it on thick. Men who don’t even know why they’re fighting are joining in the war— merely because they’re bored and enjoy the violence. Freddy Russia is by The Russian’s side. You know how he feels about you, Silas. He’s a very powerful man. And he’s loyal to The Five—”
“Why are you telling me this?” Silas asked, still watching his daughter.
“He’s coming for her, Silas.” That’s when Silas turned to face Aziz. “Nathan Salerno— Angelo Salerno’s son- is the Russian they speak of. Many assumed Angelo Salerno put five contract killers on his payroll when he sent The Five to kill Vladimir Pavlovich Beriya five years ago …”
“The Russian Mafia boss, and my friend,” Silas said.
Aziz nodded. “It was his son, and a few other Italian Mafia progenies. The youngest was rumored to be only eighteen years old at the time. Nathan Salerno was twenty years old …”
“When he started one of the biggest mafia wars in history?”
“Yes,” Aziz answered. “She’s married to him, Silas. He’s not her lover— she’s his wife. And he’s … he’s crushing us from the outside in.” Aziz looked to Naveed and Scott, hoping one of them would step in and tell Silas what they wanted to do next. But as usual, the men put all of the responsibility on him. Aziz let out a long sigh, preparing himself for Silas’s rage. “We underestimated them. Anastacia Stone is French Corsican mafia. Angelo Salerno— well, you know who he is. And Nathan Salerno is in a class of his own. There’s a war going on out there, and it’s headed straight to our front doors. If they ever find out our identities, we’re done. We lose.”
“And what do you advise me to do next, friend?” Silas asked.
Aziz swallowed. It was never a good thing to be called friend by Silas Steele.
After clearing his throat, Aziz presented what he and the others had discussed before arriving at Silas’s castle. “We think we need to end this war. She is perfect. No harm has come to her, and all is well. Nathan Salerno has made it clear that the war will end when his wife is returned. We feel that we should send her back. Return her safely and soundly to the man she belongs to— and move forward with our own business. This war is killing us financially.”
Silas’s fists clenched at his sides, and his jaw tightened. He turned to Aziz, his eyes blazing. “What did you say?” he growled.
“Silas,
just listen to reason, please. All of this for just one girl? Give her back to him and end this war for the future of your family. You have people here who are loyal and devoted to you. You don’t need this girl.”
“She belongs to me!” he shouted.
Aziz didn’t flinch, but continued. “No, she doesn’t, Silas. She’s not yours. You gave her to Robert. I was there. She has a new life. She’s never belonged to you, and she never will. She isn’t worth losing everything we’ve worked years to build. There are too many secrets here, Silas. You are fucking everything up!”
“So you advise me to give away what’s mine?” he roared. “You want me to surrender to death, money, and your fucking fear?” He gripped the arms of his seat. Aziz sat still, nose to nose with Silas. “Cecilia is family. She is a Steele. She is mine. I made her. Therefore, I will decide what will happen to her. You have no say. I bow to no man or woman who comes against me. I’m invincible! I can’t be killed! I can’t be defeated! I am Silas fucking Steele! Motherfuckers, bow down to me! Kiss my feet and beg me to spare your worthless lives because I am king!” His eyes narrowed to slits. “Who dares tell the king how to run his kingdom? Who dares tell the king to surrender to his enemy?”
Fed up, Scott shot to his feet. “Goddammit, Silas! We have to be realistic! They’ll beat us! There are too many fucking forces coming at us at once! Just stop—”
“Whatever he does next will be your fault …”
When her soft voice broadcast over the speakers, everyone listened.
Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess Page 40