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I whirl on Nat, eyes flashing with barely contained rage. “Patient? The longer we fucking wait, the more likely it is that Alexis has been sold and has disappeared forever!” I slam my fist down on the mahogany desk, causing the crystal tumbler on it to rattle.
“Excuse me for not being ‘patient’ enough when my girl’s life is on the line!”
Nat lifts her glass in a placating gesture. “I know you’re worried, Damian,” she says with uncharacteristic gentleness, “but rushing in half-cocked could jeopardize everything. Invicta is our best shot at getting Alexis back safely.”
I grit my teeth, warring with the part of me that knows Nat is right. But the fear for Alexis’s wellbeing is overwhelming, drowning out all reason.
Just as I’m about to pour myself a stiff drink, my phone finally rings. I snatch it up hastily and place it on speaker so Nat can hear.
“This had better be good, Bobby,” I nearly snarl into the phone as Nat leans in, her dark hair brushing against her shoulders as she places her forearms on her legs.
“Looks like there’s an ‘auction’ going down tomorrow night at a hotel outside Chicago. The Brotherhood owns the place,” Bobby’s gruff voice says.
My fingers tighten around the phone. This may be the break we’ve been looking for.
“When and where, exactly?” I demand.
“Hotel Du Monde in Naperville, eight p.m.”
Tomorrow night? Nat mouths to me, eyes wide.
“Tomorrow night?” I growl. “That’s too damn long. Alexis has been missing for over a week already. Who knows what she’s going through, what she’s thinking?” I clench my jaw. The thought of her suffering cuts me to my core.
Does she even think I’m coming for her? The thought of Alexis losing hope, of her believing I have abandoned her, is almost too much to bear.
My nostrils flare as I shake my head. “The longer we wait, the more likely it is that she’s been sold, or worse.” I slam my hand on the desk again. “That ‘auction’ is our best chance, and we can’t wait until tomorrow night. I can’t just sit on my hands until then!”
“For fuck’s sake, Damian, act like a leader,” Bobby snaps. “Think about this logically. We can’t just storm the place. We need to infiltrate and act like we’re interested in buying. If we rush in, they’ll just hide Alexis again and make it that much harder to find her. Use your goddamn head!”
Nat looks at me knowingly, nodding. I want to spit at her. How dare she agree with him?
I clench my fists, every fiber of my being screaming to charge in and tear the place apart. But I know Bobby is right. This requires a delicate touch, not brute force.
And Scarlett will be expecting me to do just that—storm the place. She’ll have security galore waiting for me.
“Fine,” I say curtly. “Text me the details.”
As I hang up the phone, I let out a guttural roar of frustration and hurl my crystal tumbler at the wall. It explodes into a million glittering shards, the sound mirroring the turmoil raging within.
Nat watches me warily, wisely not saying one word.
For now, all we can do is wait and trust that Invicta’s plan will work.
But my patience is paper thin, and Scarlett had better fucking pray she keeps Alexis unharmed until we can get to her.
The next day, we converge on the opulent Hotel Du Monde, an exclusive luxury hotel just outside Chicago. As I stride through the lavish lobby, I can’t help but wonder just how many of the well-heeled guests would be horrified to learn that human trafficking takes place within these gilded walls.
Or perhaps they simply wouldn’t care, so long as it didn’t affect them directly.
I push aside these thoughts as I spot Bobby and other Invicta capos, all of them dressed to the nines and exuding an air of casual wealth. Thanks to Bobby’s impressive tech skills, their credentials have been expertly forged to make them appear as millionaires and billionaires—exactly the kind of clientele The Brotherhood would be eager to do business with.
With Nat and Edo flanking me, I follow Bobby and his crew into the hotel. Though every fiber of my being aches to find Alexis as quickly as possible, I know I have a more pressing issue to deal with first.
Uncle Vinny.
That fucking traitor. Nat’s been right all along about him, and I’ve been too blind to see it for myself. I was so desperate to have some part of my father still around, I never saw that Vinny was using me.
It’s time to turn the tables on him.
