Page 42 of The Bond

“You couldn’t have known some random driver was plotting revenge against us, Frankie,” I said.

“I should have known. It’s my job to know things. I fucked up,” Frankie said, regret in his voice.

There was no point arguing. Right now, we had to focus all our efforts on saving Valentina.

Up ahead, I could see the large shadow of an old warehouse. Probably one of the old ones that the Romanos owned yet rarely used nowadays.

“I’m almost there,” I said, spotting Valentina’s car underneath a dim outside light. “I see her car.”

“Alright, everyone’s getting into position,” Frankie said. “Three cars with nine men right behind you.”

I hung up, bringing the car to a stop in the shadows across the street from the warehouse.

Slipping my cell phone into my inner pocket, I got out of the car. Sure enough, three cars pulled up behind me, six of our enforcers and three Romano associates getting out stealthily.

“More on the way,” one of the enforcers said to me in hushed tones.

I gave a nod and gestured for the team to follow my lead. Drawing a gun, I hunched over and darted across the street. The men followed, six fanning out around the perimeter of the building while three were hot on my heels.

The front entrance was already opened, a broken lock and chain on the dusty ground. We slipped inside. Luckily, the dim lights were on and I followed them across the warehouse down to the lower levels.

That was when I heard shouts cut through the eerie silence. A male voice ranting. Then a woman’s voice, full of emotion on the brink of tears. Valentina. She was alive.

There was no time for me to be relieved. Until I got her away from Payton, she was in extreme danger. Terrible scenarios of what he might do to her kept me going. Much as I felt for the guy’s loss though, he was a real fucking coward kidnapping an unsuspecting woman.

While I knew Valentina could more than hold her own, I still thought he was gutless for taking her the way he had. He hadn’t faced anybody man-to-man. It was weak the way he had snatched her and driven off into the night.

I felt my phone go off then, the alarm volume as low as it could possibly go. That was how I knew it was Valentina’s phone calling. Quickly I answered, holding the phone to my ear. I didn’t say anything. If I spoke at anything above a whisper, he’d know I was in the building.

“Hello, Enzo,” a cheerful voice on the other end said to me. “I’m calling with some very unfortunate news about your wife. I have her.”

Not for long, motherfucker.

Hanging up and pocketing my phone, I gestured at the three men behind me. Then I got into position and rushed in. I lifted my pistol. Payton was armed and he jumped to his feet, knocking over his chair in the process.

As the falling chair grabbed his attention for several seconds, I took the opportunity to get in front of Valentina. I aimed for Payton’s chest. He aimed for mine. I fired, striking him in the arm.

Valentina was screaming, “Don’t hurt him!”

Payton staggered back, blood spreading across shirt as he dropped his gun. There was a look of pure shock on his face. Followed very quickly by rage. He lunged at me, grabbing hold of my gun before he gave me an uppercut to the nose and wrestled the gun from me.

Pain split through my skull. My nose was undoubtedly broken, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

As I recovered, I moved to slam my elbow down on his wounded arm, forcing him to release the gun. Next thing I knew, Payton was shoving me out of the way and moving toward Valentina.

Without me blocking her, there was no way the other men could take a shot at Payton to defend her. They could shoot her accidentally. I regained my balance, fighting to get hold of another weapon.

But I was too fucking slow. Payton rushed Valentina, who was cuffed in a chair, making her vulnerable.

In that moment, I thought he was going to get his hands around her throat or something, but the most insane thing happened. Bracing herself on the chair, Valentina flung up her leg and kicked out at him, her spike heel jamming him right in the eye.

Payton screamed at the top of his lungs, loud enough to shake the foundations of the place.

Holy shit.

That was all it took for me and the rest of the team to move in on Payton and tackle him to the ground.

“Let go of me, you bastards!” Payton shrieked.