RANON POV
I should have never said yes to going to that event.
I had regretted even allowing myself to attend the meeting, yet alone pulling seraphina along.
As soon as the server whispered that the hosts wanted a "short private chat,"
I already understood what it meant, deals, warnings, most times hidden threats, and then the worst of it all , the forced politeness, that I didn't want to deal with tonight.
Not when Seraphina was already so worried, standing next to me like a fragile statue barely holding it together.
But I had to do it. The Salvatore family didn't ask lightly, and turning down a private request would give the wrong idea.
So I went. I left her and went ahead.
And the whole time, a nagging feeling bothered me.
I didn't want to leave her alone here. Not with dangerous people lurking around, not where a woman as smart and stubborn as Seraphina would get too much attention. I made myself listen to the talk, hiding my annoyance behind polite smiles and forced words as the men kept talking.
And for some reason the host wasn't here with us.
But, I wasn't really listening.
I was thinking about her all through.
I had quickly gone through the files, waiting to be reviewed and then ended the meeting, as fast as I could, cutting short their pointless nice words.
As soon as the door flung opened, I hurried out into the hall and called her number.
It didn't ring.
Just silence.
A heavy cold filling filled my chest. I walked faster, pushing through people in the crowd, looking for her black hair, her blue eyes, that stiff way she stood when she was uneasy.
Nothing.
I called again.
Still nothing.
"Boss." J.K.'s voice came from behind me. He had finally gotten here after being held up by the Salvatore gate guards. "Where's your fiancée?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," I said quietly, sounding angrier than I meant to.
He held a pause, like he knew what I was going to do next.
"You look like you're about to hurt someone badly," he said.
"I might."
We started searching carefully all around, the main hall, upper balcony, garden wing, the lounge where I had left her. She wasn't there. She wasn't anywhere.
J.K. touched his earpiece. "I'll check with security to see if she went into an area she shouldn't."
"No," I said. Something felt wrong. Seraphina wouldn't just wander off. "Someone talked to her."
J.K. looked puzzled. "You think Mateo ?"
"No," I answered too fast. If Mateo had touched her, someone would already be hurt. "Someone else."
The answer came to me suddenly.
Full of himself. Likable. Annoying. Salvatore family.
And for all reason wasn't during the meeting.
Who else.
Lorenzo.
J.K. must have figured it out too because he swore under his breath. "That jerk."
I was already moving, pushing past guests until we got to the east end of the house. Two guards were standing stiffly, looking at each other like they had seen something they shouldn't mention.
I walked toward them, speaking softly. "A woman came this way. Black dress. Blue eyes. With a note."
They tensed up.
And that was all I needed to know.
"Where?" I asked roughly.
They looked like they were not going to let up the information, but the aura I gave off was enough to get the answer needed without using my hands .
The younger guard hesitated. "T-The patio, sir."
I ran there, J.K. right behind me. We went through the archway empty. I looked at the side paths, nothing. And as we got to the driveway, I heard the sound of a car.
The car felt like it had started too fast, like it wanted to get away or to somewhere really soon, headlights shone.
A fancy black car drove past the gate.
In the passenger seat, close to the window
Seraphina.
Her eyes were big. Surprised. Perplexed.
And next to her, driving the car
Lorenzo Salvatore.
He had a smile on.
I stopped moving, my heart beating hard against my chest like it wanted to get out.
Then all my feelings went away.
I felt numb,I feared the worst.
What could he want with seraphina?
Did she get in the car willingly or was she forced to do so?
But that all went behind my thoughts, the main thing was her safety.
J.K.'s voice sounded weak. "Boss… you saw them too, right?"
I turned around slowly, letting the anger fill me. "Go after them."
J.K. looked surprised. "You want us to do what?"
"Do it now."
We hurried to our car. My heart was racing, but I was very focused. As soon as the car started, I pressed the gas pedal, speeding out of the driveway.
In front of us, Lorenzo's car drove fast toward the highway, moving around cars like he was trying to get me angry.
He did get me angry.
"Go faster," I said.
"We're already going fast!" J.K. said as the car tires made a loud noise on the road.
"Then go even faster."
We got closer and closer. My jaw was so tight it was painful. "He's using her."
J.K. quietly said a bad word. "He's trying to make you mad. Salvatore tricks."
"He put his hands on what belongs to me," I said softly.
That stopped the talking.
The anger was not strong. It was not crazy. It was like a cold, sharp knife that I'd held many times before. Lorenzo had done something that couldn't be taken back.
This wasn't about work.
This wasn't about power.
This was about feelings.
He took Seraphina.
And he would give her back
One way or another.
I held the steering wheel harder, looking at the lights of the car in front of us.
"Lorenzo Salvatore," I whispered quietly, "you did the dumbest thing y
ou could today."
Because I was going to get him.
And nothing, not family connections, not mafia rules, not even being a Salvatore would save him from me.