Matteo breaks another finger. The scream echoes off concrete walls.
"Current location," I repeat. "Not his damn travel itinerary."
"Rome! He's in Rome!" The words pour out in a desperate rush. "Palazzo Vittoria, penthouse suite! He's there now, waiting for updates on the delivery that never happened!"
"And he paid how much for her?"
"Five million euros. Down payment on seventeen million total. He wanted to win the auction."
Seventeen million. For Camilla. For the right to own her.
"Tell me about Al-Zahrani. Everything."
The accountant swallows hard, cradling his broken hand. "Mid-forties. Third son of a prominent Dubai family. Legitimate wealth from real estate and construction. But he has particular tastes. Collects women like art. Keeps them in a private compound outside Dubai."
"How many women?"
"I don't know exact numbers. Six? Eight? European women mostly. He likes variety but prefers Italian and French." His voice shakes. "Torretti supplied three others to him over the past two years."
Three other women. Three other lives destroyed to feed this man's collection.
"Security detail?"
"Two bodyguards. Former military, licensed to carry. They're staying in connecting rooms on the same floor."
"Weaknesses?"
"He's arrogant. Thinks his money protects him. Thinks Italian law enforcement won't touch a foreign businessman spending millions in luxury hotels." The accountant's eyes dart between me and Matteo. "He dismisses the bodyguards sometimes. When he's in the penthouse with company."
"What kind of company?"
"Escorts. High-end services. He uses them while waiting for his permanent acquisitions to arrive."
Of course he does. A man who buys women wouldn't see prostitutes as human either.
"Anyone else involved in the transaction?"
"Just Torretti's people. The broker who connected Alessandro to Torretti, the transport team, the facility staff where theyprepared her—" He catches himself. "Where they were going to prepare her."
"Names. All of them."
He rattles off a list while Matteo writes it down. Eight people total who knew about the sale. Eight people who facilitated the attempted trafficking of her.
"What was Al-Zahrani planning to do with her?"
The accountant hesitates. Matteo reaches for another finger.
"Wait! He had specific plans. The compound in Dubai has a section for new acquisitions. Isolation period first, then training. He likes them compliant. Broken in gradually." His voice drops. "Torretti said Camilla would be perfect because of her breeding. Italian aristocrat—it adds value in his collection."
"How long has he been in Rome?"
"Three days. He came early to finalize arrangements personally. Torretti promised delivery yesterday morning."
He's been sitting in that luxury suite for three days, waiting for Camilla to be delivered like a package. Probably sipping champagne and using escorts to pass the time while he anticipates adding her to his collection.
The raw fury building in my chest is beyond anything I've felt before. This isn't just about eliminating a threat.
This is goddamn personal.
