I nod, mind already spinning. “We need to find Sienna before he does. If he gets to her first, he’ll use her as leverage against both us and Caruso.”
“Still searching,” Marco says. “No solid leads on her or the boyfriend yet. They’re staying off the grid.”
“Eleonora said Sienna’s in love with him. They ran so she wouldn’t have to marry Andrea.” I pause, thinking. “If shemarries the guy, that actually works in our favor. Makes the original alliance null and void.”
Marco leans against the wall. “True. But we still need to control the narrative. If Massimo thinks we have both daughters, he’ll be more willing to bend on the port terminals. We cut off Gallo’s main shipping routes, we weaken him significantly. Then we move in on the East Coast routes he’s been protecting.”
I nod. “Exactly. We squeeze the Caruso-Gallo alliance until it snaps. Once we control the terminals, we dictate the flow of weapons and product up and down the coast. Gallo becomes irrelevant.”
Marco studies me. “You really think the girl will cooperate when her father calls again?”
“She will,” I say, voice hard. “She doesn’t have a choice.”
Marco pushes off the wall. “I’ll keep the teams hunting for Sienna. You… handle whatever the hell is going on with the older sister.”
I shoot him a glare, but he’s already walking away, chuckling to himself.
I stay in the gym a moment longer, staring at the treadmill where Eleonora had run beside me.
This situation is getting far more complicated than I planned.
I can't lift weights because of my injured arm, hoping to clear my head, I run a few more miles on the treadmill, before heading to my bedroom to get ready for the day.
After my shower, I spend the rest of the day locked in my office, buried in contracts, shipping manifests, and financial reports. I try to focus. I really do. But my mind keeps drifting back to her.
Eleonora.
The way her body felt pressed against mine this morning. The soft gasp she made when I kissed her last night. How her lips parted so perfectly for me, how she melted and pressed closer like she couldn’t get enough. The sweet vanilla scent of her skin. The way her breath hitched when I gripped her waist.
My cock has been half-hard for hours. Painfully hard. At this rate, I’m going to die from blue balls in my own fucking house.
I swear under my breath and shove my chair back, standing up abruptly. I have a meeting to prepare for tonight with Nikolai Volkov, the Pahkan of the Russian Bratva in New York.
We’ve done solid business together for years. I supply them with high-grade weapons and certain controlled substances that move through my ports. Nikolai has been pushing to increase volume significantly. Tonight we’re meeting at one of my clubs downtown to discuss expanding our arrangement and securing new routes.
I head out of the office, adjusting my sleeves, when I hear Eleonora's laughter. Light, genuine, and beautiful.
Something I’ve never heard from her before. Not once since she arrived. She’s only ever given me sharp words, glares, and defiance.
I follow the sound to the living room and stop in the doorway. Eleonora is sitting on the couch, legs tucked under her, looking relaxed in a way she never does around me.
Across from her, Daniel is grinning like a fucking lovesick idiot, clearly charmed out of his goddamn mind.
She laughs again at something he says, soft and warm. The first time I hear her real laugh… it’s because of him?
What the fuck could the damn fool have said that was so funny?
They’re so absorbed in their little conversation that they don’t even notice me standing in the doorway. Daniel is grinning, leaning forward, completely lost in whatever story he’s telling her.
He’s supposed to be guarding her, not playing best friend. I should really shoot him right now.
I clear my throat.
Daniel’s head snaps up so fast I’m surprised he doesn’t get whiplash. The stupid grin dies instantly as he shoots to his feet.
“Boss—”
I don’t say a word. I just stare at Daniel until he looks like he wants the floor to swallow him.
