“Nope. Not happening.”
“Mario, can you come help me real quick?” Emilia calls.
“Hang on, babe.” He looks at me. “Don’t move. We’ll be right back, and we’ll all go together.”
I laugh and shake my head. Knowing Rico would lose his shit on Mario if anything happened to me, I stay put. If I have as much as a paper cut, Rico would threaten to shoot Mario if not act on it.
I begin to look through the racks. Nothing has caught my attention. The things in this place aren’t my style.
I’m surprised Emilia found anything in here she likes. A strange aroma hits my nostrils, my stomach begins to feel queasy, and I feel lightheaded for a second. I knit my brows.
What’s going on with me? I shake my head to clear it, but that makes me feel like I’m going to pass out. I stumble to the nearest shelf and reach out to hold myself up.
That’s when my brain begins to kick into overdrive. I pull my phone and open my calendar. My mouth pops open when I see my cycle is late.
Oh my God, Rico might already have his wish. Excitement fills me. I can’t wait to get back to the villa to tell him.
Maybe we can find a test before we head back. That same scent hits me again. I need some fresh air.
I step out of the shop to gulp down some fresh air. I’m only going to stand out here until Mario and Emilia are done. My stomach settles as I wait and scroll through my phone.
Going to my contacts, I think to text Rico the news. I decide against that and close my phone to head back inside.
Feeling like I’m being watched, I glance across the street. Mason Sullivan is standing there with his eyes on me. My blood boils.
I reach into my bag as he starts across the street toward me. We lock eyes and he has the nerve to smile at me like we’re still old friends. I wrap my hand around the handle of my gun.
“Hey, Oni. You look great.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
I go to put my gun to his belly and give him a new hole to leak from. However, something stabs me in the neck, and my vision starts to fade as my body grows heavy. Next thing I know, I’m falling forward face-first.
Rico
My chest heavesas my cousins hold me back. I look at the marks around Mario’s neck and growl. He had one job.
One fucking job. I flop onto my ass on the floor. I can’t believe this is happening.
“We’re sorry, Rico. We’re so sorry. We’re going to get her back,” Emilia sobs.
“We don’t have time for this. I was lucky enough to get into the only working cam on that street, but I lost them from there.
“I called in a favor to see what else I could find. They left the island. We need to head home where I can dig and find some answers,” Fredo says.
“Who the fuck are they?” I seethe.
“The Sullivan brothers,” Fredo replies.
“I want everyone on this. Find her in the next twenty-four hours, or I’m going to start killing people. Starting with those who failed me.”
“Rico, is that necessary?” Emilia whispers.
I don’t answer. I get up and go to pack my and my wife’s things. When I get to our room, I see the dress I laid out for her for our surprise evening.
I only sent her shopping so I could get things ready for a romantic evening. She thought I was trying to slip in some work, but I needed to meet with the coordinator about the chef, flowers, and the decor. I wanted everything to be perfect.
I’m holding on by a thread, knowing those bastards have my wife. Something has to be wrong for them to have been able to take her. Oni is no damsel.