He's older than I expected—maybe sixty, with silver hair swept back from his face. Sharp suit that looks expensive. The kind of man who looks like a legitimate businessman, not a criminal.
But his eyes are cold and dead.
"Marcello." He doesn't extend his hand for a greeting. "Right on time. I appreciate punctuality in business dealings."
"Where is she?" I look around the room, but it's empty except for us and his men.
"Nearby and safe. First, we talk about the terms."
"We have nothing to talk about until I see her. Proof of life, non-negotiable."
Roberto smiles, and it doesn't reach his eyes. "You're not in a position to make demands."
"Neither are you." I step closer, refusing to show fear. "You took Liana to get leverage over me. Fine. You have it. But if you hurt her, if she's already dead, then you have nothing. And this warehouse becomes your grave."
He studies me for a moment, calculating. Then nods to one of his men. "Bring her in."
The man disappears through a door at the back of the room. Footsteps echo. Voices murmur. Then the door opens again. And they walk her in.
Liana.
She's alive. Thank God, she's alive.
But she looks terrible, and the sight makes my chest constrict painfully.
Her face is pale and tear-streaked, mascara smudged down her cheeks. Her hair is a tangled mess. Her wrists are free now—no zip ties visible—but rubbed raw and bleeding from where they'd been bound for hours.
And a man from Roberto’s team has a gun pressed firmly against her temple.
"Santino!" She sobs when she sees me, her voice breaking. "Santino, please—"
"Shut up," he snaps, pressing the gun harder against her head.
Every instinct I have screams to move, to attack, to kill him with my bare hands.
But I can't. Not with that gun to her head. One wrong move and she dies.
"Let her go," I say to Roberto. "You want to negotiate? Fine. We'll negotiate. But let her go first."
"Not how this works, I'm afraid." Roberto walks over to Liana slowly, looking her up and down like she's merchandise he's considering purchasing. "She stays right here. Where I can see her. Where you can see her. Motivation for both of us to play nice and be reasonable."
"I'm here. Like you asked. Alone. I did exactly what you wanted."
"And now we talk business like civilized men." He gestures to the table. "Sit."
"No."
"Sit," he repeats, his voice hardening. "Or he puts a bullet in her pretty head right now."
Liana whimpers, a sound of pure terror. Her knees buckle slightly, the man’s arm the only thing keeping her upright.
She looks terrified. Completely undone. Broken.
This is what they've done to her in just a few hours. This is what I let happen by not believing her.
I move to the table and sit down, my hands clenched into fists under the surface.
Roberto sits across from me, casual and relaxed. Like we're discussing a simple contract, not my fiancée's life.
