Page 46 of Jealous Vows

She grabs the edge of the table as though to stand but I reach across and cover the back of her hand with mine.I wait until she meets my eyes to speak.

“I’m sorry for not protecting you yesterday,bambolina.I was wrong to put you in that position,” I apologize.

She swallows hard before responding in a forced, bright tone.

“It’s okay.I can understand why you let it happen.Your Gran is a force of nature.I want to be her when I grow up.”

She stands and winces.All the color drains from her face.

I catch her before she falls.She wraps an arm around her midsection.

“Sorry, I think it’s just because I ate so much at once.I’ve eaten more in the last two days than I have in weeks,” she breathes.

“Are you still bleeding?”I ask.

She shakes her head and asks, “Can I just go back to sleep?”

I lift her off her feet, careful to avoid sudden movements, and settle her between the sheets with a bottle of water and the trash can nearby in case she needs it.

“I’m going to shower.I won’t be long,” I say.

She nods and closes her eyes.I brush her hair back from her face and wonder how I could have ever planned to ruin such a resilient woman.She won me over before I even had a chance to guard my heart.

My need for revenge shifts.Her stepmother must die.

After standing by the bed for a few minutes, I turn, walk into the bathroom, and shut the door.Twenty-five minutes later, I emerge clean and wearing a fresh suit with the simple ring in my pocket and not much else.With my wallet on the kitchen counter and my pistols locked in a drawer in the closet away from my supposed captive, I feel ridiculously light until my eyes fall on the mattress.

Sienna isn’t in the bed.My heart leaps into my throat.I duck under the desk and sweep aside the curtains but find no trace of her.

I was a fool to believe any of what she said.I should have clung to her and demanded she be by my side at all times.She was always planning to run the first chance she could.That’s what captives do.

I check the room one more time in a flurry of leashed violence.She’s gone.She’s really gone.I count the cards in my wallet and confirm all except the one I gave her are present, but I can’t find my phone anywhere.After poking my head out into the hall and seeing no one, I use the hotel line to call the front desk and ask them if they’ve seen anyone matching her description.The woman says no.I then call the security office and tell them to see where the woman who left my room a few minutes ago went.

Then I call Alan.His number hasn’t changed in over a decade, but I would remember a new phone number every week if he decided to change that often.

He answers without fanfare, unfamiliar with the exact number but aware it’s from the hotel.After a moment of tense silence, he pulls up the location of my phone within seconds since it’s currently active with an outgoing call.

A call to Mario Luciano.

Fuck.

“Where is she?”I demand.

“The dining terrace beside the restaurant,” he snarls.

“Keep tracking her.I’m heading down,” I snarl before slamming down the receiver and stomping out of the room.

The elevator is too slow, so I take the stairs three at a time.

Everyone with even a lick of sense moves out of my way the moment they see my face.I will gladly flatten anyone who doesn’t.

When I stride out onto the terrace, Sienna stands with the phone away from her ear and her smile beaming up at a man I’ve never seen before.

She sees me coming.Her smile falls and her pupils shrink.

I don’t give her a chance to make an excuse.I yank her flush against me and devour her mouth.When I lift my head, the other man has already retreated back into the hotel.

“You’re mine,bambolina, and I don’t share.If anyone touches you without my permission, I’ll kill them,” I snarl.