Every instinct within me screamed that this was a mistake. I resisted the urge to call Damien and order them back, but instinct didn’t run this organization; I did, and I thrived on strategy.
I turned back to Luca, raking one hand through my hair with a heavy sigh. “So,” I said flatly. “Who are you thinking, Lena or David?”
He didn’t answer right away. Just lifted a shoulder. “Who’s your money on?”
Before I could respond, my phone rang. The screen said Unknown Number, but I answered anyway. “Hello?”
There was a long pause and then a screeching female voice. “You son of a bitch, where is she?” Lena’s voice was so loud I set it down and put the call on speaker.
“Where is who?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
“Don’t play games with me, Lorenzo. Where is Ella?”
I said nothing for a long moment. Luca lifted a hand, silently telling me to wait. “I only heard she was gone about ten minutes ago,” I said finally.
There was silence on the line. Then a sharp, broken inhale. “That can’t be,” Lena whispered. “That can’t be right.”
Her fear sounded real and raw. Not performative.
“What have I done?” she breathed. “What has David done to deserve this?”
My stomach dropped. Her words made the truth that I knew, deep down, harder to ignore. “Lena,” I said carefully. “Did you know someone threatened my son’s life?”
She went silent for nearly a full minute. “No,” she whispered. “Mattie?”
“Yeah,” I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “That’s why I’m off the grid right now, trying to find out the source of the threat.” I watched Luca, who stared at the phone as if it had all the answers.
“I had no idea,” she answered quickly. “None at all. No one said anything about it.” She sniffled again. “I’m sorry, Lorenzo, about Mattie. Do you think the same people took Ella?”
“No,” I answered to ease her worry. I had nothing against Lena, other than her terrible taste in men. She’d always been kind to me and my son, and to Sofia.
“Lena, I need you to tell me about the PI you hired during your divorce,” Luca said, breaking in before I could say any more.
“He was utterly fucking useless,” she snapped. “Told me he didn’t find any evidence that David was hiding money when I knew he damn well was. So, I hired another PI to break into his office and get the files I paid for. Bastard was holding out on me. What does this have to do with my daughter?”
“Are you safe?” Luca asked instead.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m fine.”
“You won’t be for long,” he shot back in a cool tone. “Go to Valentina’s. Now. Don’t leave until you hear from me or Enzo. Period.”
Silence settled in the room. “Is this really necessary?” she asked, her tone a mix of worry and annoyance.
“Yes,” I said softly. “It’s necessary, Lena. We’re working on finding Ella, I promise.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “I’m heading to Valentina’s now. Please find her, Lorenzo.”
“I will,” I promised before ending the call.
Luca and I stared at the black screen and then each other. “Well,” he said slowly. “That answers that.”
I nodded once.
Shit was about to get very messy.
Chapter 23
Serenity
