At least not without shooting them first.
Rafael
“I’m driving,” I announce.
I don’t wait for Carina’s consent, choosing to snatch Tristano’s keys from her hands and slide into the driver’s seat. She scrambles into the passenger’s side and I’ve already put the vehicle in motion before she has a chance to fasten her seat belt.
Her sigh fills the car. Even though I share her sentiment, I’m not interested in bonding over our near-death experience. What Iaminterested in is answers.
“Why did you come for me tonight?”
She swallows and looks down, fiddling with her fingers. “I didn’t want my father to kill you, which he certainly would’ve done if the ransom hadn’t been paid.”
“What the fuck do you care?” My voice climbs in volume and I don’t try to temper it. I’m fucking pissed and Carina needs to understand just how much.
“I…I was wrong.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“I know,” she says, her words barely above a whisper. She raises her voice to a normal level. “Where are you going?”
“Tristano’s place. Problem?”
She shakes her head. “That’s where Violetta is.”
For the duration of the ride, we keep our thoughts to ourselves. The only problem is mine are similar to molten lava, churning and burning until I think I’ll explode and leave destruction in my wake.
I park the car out in the front courtyard, not bothering to take it to the garage. Then I’m striding to her door and opening with more force than necessary. Carina stares up at me from inside the vehicle, her gaze full of apprehension. I add to it by gripping her upper arm and yanking her into a standing position. She struggles to keep up with my long and quick strides, especially in those heels, but I don’t give a shit if I have to drag her into the house.
Carina isn’t going anywhere until I’m done with her.
The front door opens and Giorgio greets me with a slight nod while I charge past him. “Where’s my brother?”
“He’s ri—”
“I’m here, Rafael.” Maximus steps into the grand foyer, tapping his palm with his cell phone. “Tristano just received the ransom demand less than five minutes ago.”
“Where is he?” I ask. My brother shrugs and I frown. “If he’s not here, then why are you?”
Maximus cocks his head. “Well, fuck you too. I’m here to make sure that she,” he says and zeros in on Carina at my side, “delivered on her promise. If not, Tristano and I were going to discuss what to do next.”
“Pay the fucking ransom. That’s what you would’ve done.” I shake my head and run my fingers through my hair in frustration. “It doesn’t matter now, but if you only received the ransom a couple of minutes ago, that explains why I wasn’t heavily guarded. Nardone obviously didn’t think you would try to break me out of there so soon because he assumed you didn’t know I’d been taken.”
Maximus strokes his chin in thought. “I suppose. That’s what she said.” Once again, he glares at Carina. She stiffens and keeps her head high, but I think she steps closer to me. “Giorgio, where is Tristano?”
The butler clears his throat. “Signor Tristano and Signorina Nardone are not here at the moment.”
“What?!”
The butler continues as though Carina isn’t screaming like a banshee. It’s really phenomenal how cool and collected he is, despite the things he’s probably heard and seen over the last couple decades. Like Maximus’s house manager, Rosetta, Giorgio has been with us since the time we were originally in Chicago. Back when I was four or five years old and my family hadn’t been broken apart, and our lives destroyed. Back when I had a different name, identity, and outlook on life.
“Signor Tristano asked me to notify you that he’d be in contact very soon,” Giorgio says to me and my brother.
Maximus’s brow furrows and if I looked in a mirror, I’d see a similar expression. “That’s strange. Tristano never acts rashly,” Maximus says, almost as if he’s speaking to himself. “His sudden need to leave in the middle of the night is highly unusual.”
I dip my head in agreement. “And for him not to leave more information than that? Strange as hell.” I turn to Giorgio. “Are you sure he didn’t say anything else?”
“No, sir.”
