2. Taken

Alessia woke with blood in her mouth.

Cold metal vibrated beneath her cheek, and an engine growled somewhere beyond the darkness. Her hands were bound behind her. A black hood covered her head.

She was in a moving van.

Two men occupied the front. Another sat near her feet, his boots scraping the floor whenever the vehicle turned.

“You gave her too much,” the driver said.

“She was fighting.”

“You were told not to damage her.”

“She’s breathing.”

Alessia tested the plastic binding around her wrists. It was tight but thin. Given a sharp surface and enough time, she could cut through it.

She moved one leg.

“Stay still,” the man beside her ordered.

She went limp again and began counting the turns.

Right. Sixteen seconds. Another right. A steep decline.

The air changed as the van entered an enclosed space. The engine’s echo suggested concrete walls.

A garage.

When the doors opened, two men dragged her outside. Her bare feet struck cold concrete. She stumbled deliberately, pressing her shoulder against one captor.

A pistol rested beneath his jacket.

They led her down twelve stairs and through two doors. The air became damp. Water dripped nearby.

A basement.

Alessia was tied to a wooden chair before the hood was removed. Harsh light stabbed her eyes.

Three masked men surrounded her. The shortest held a camera.

“If you’re hoping to frighten my father,” Alessia said, “you should ask whether he accepts returns.”

The cameraman laughed.

The largest man struck her.

Pain exploded along her cheekbone.

Alessia slowly faced him again. “Did that make you feel important?”

He lifted his hand.

“Enough,” someone said.

A fourth man entered without a mask.

Matteo closed the door behind him.

For several seconds, Alessia’s mind refused to understand. He had followed the kidnappers. He had come to rescue her.

Then the cameraman handed him the equipment.

Matteo accepted it.

Something inside her went cold.

“You,” she whispered.

“This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.”

“It rarely is when you kidnap someone.”

“I tried to get you out before they arrived.”

“That’s why you wanted me to run.”

“I was protecting you.”

“Untie me.”

“I can’t.”

“Then shoot me, because whatever excuse you’re preparing won’t make this better.”

Matteo dismissed the masked men and crouched before her.

Alessia pulled away when he reached for her bruised cheek.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Moretti was never supposed to be upstairs.”

“Is that what bothers you? Your men almost killed him?”

“They weren’t meant to kill anyone. They were creating enough confusion to take you.”

“They fired through my bedroom window.”

“I didn’t choose the crew.”

“No. You merely opened the gates.”

His silence confirmed it.

“How long have you been betraying my family?”

“I haven’t betrayed you.”

“You handed me to strangers.”

“To keep you away from Moretti.”

“For whom?”

Matteo stood.

Fear flickered in his eyes.

He wasn’t controlling this operation.

“The Russians,” Alessia said. “You sold us to Viktor Sokolov.”

“Your father sold you first.”

“My father being a bastard doesn’t make you innocent.”

“You don’t understand what’s happening. The Romanos are finished. Luca borrowed from Sokolov after the raids. When he couldn’t repay him, he offered access to the docks.”

“Then Dante intervened.”

“The marriage would give Moretti control of everything Sokolov wants.”

“So I’m leverage.”

“You’re the only leverage that matters.”

“To Dante? He barely knows me.”

Matteo’s expression hardened. “He doesn’t care about you.”

“He covered me with his body while your men fired at us.”

“He wants your name and territory.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you alive.”

“Untie me.”

“I can’t.”

“Then you want me obedient.”

Footsteps sounded outside.

Matteo moved towards the door. “They’ll bring the camera back. You’ll read a statement telling Moretti to abandon the marriage and withdraw his soldiers.”

“And if I refuse?”

His eyes moved towards her bruised face.

“They’ll persuade you.”

After he left, the masked men returned with a page.

Alessia looked into the camera.

“My name is Alessia Romano. I’m being held by three incompetent cowards and one traitorous rat.”

A fist struck her stomach.

When she could breathe again, she raised her head and smiled.

“Would you like me to start over?”