Salvatore's Ruin

"Twenty million euros."Dante Salvatore's voice cut through the murmur of the auction hall. Around him, wealthy men in expensive suits shifted in their velvet chairs. The air was thick with cigar smoke and the kind of silence that came when serious money entered the room.The auctioneer, a thin man with wire-rimmed glasses, paused. His gavel hung in the air. "Twenty million euros to the gentleman in black. Going once—"Dante didn't look at the other bidders. He kept his eyes on the stage, on the figure standing under the harsh spotlight. His heart slammed against his ribs so hard he thought it might crack through bone.Luca Romano stood there, barely dressed, his body stripped down to loose pants that looked ready to fall off his narrow hips. Five years had carved him down to something skeletal. His skin was pale, marked with shadows that Dante knew were bruises in various stages of healing. But it was the eyes that hit hardest. Those eyes that used to look at Dante with warmth and wo

The question hung in the air between them. Dante felt his hands curl into fists against his thighs."Every single day," he said, his voice low and hard. "I searched for you every single day for five years."Luca's laugh was bitter and sharp. "You searched? Really?" He turned fully in his seat to face Dante, and there was fire in his eyes now, the first real emotion besides hatred that Dante had seen. "Then why didn't you find me? I was sold seven times, Dante. Seven. Passed between different owners like I was nothing. And you, with all your power and money and connections, couldn't find me once?""I tried everything. Every contact, every informant, every—""Not hard enough." Luca's voice cut through his words sharp. "You didn't try hard enough, or you would have found me. Maybe you didn't want to. Maybe it was easier to just let me disappear after you threw me away like garbage."Dante grabbed Luca's wrist, pulling him closer. "I tore the underworld apart looking for you. I tortured p

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to," Dante said, keeping his hands on Luca's shoulders. "But he needs to see that you're alive."Luca pulled away from him, wrapping his arms around himself. "I don't want him to see me like this. I don't want him to know what happened to me.""He's going to know something happened. He's not stupid.""Then tell him I'm sick. Tell him I need rest and can't see visitors." Luca's voice rose, becoming desperate. "Tell him anything except the truth.""I'm not going to lie to your brother.""Why not? You're good at lying. You lied to me for six months about what I meant to you."The accusation landed like a punch. Before Dante could respond, the sound of a car engine came from the front of the villa. Tires on gravel. A car door slamming."He's here," Dante said.Luca's face went even paler. He looked around like he was searching for an escape route. "I can't do this.""You can and you will." Dante grabbed Luca's wrist and started pulling him ba

Dr. Nina Patel arrived exactly at nine, carrying a leather briefcase and wearing a expression that said she'd dealt with worse than the Mafia. Dante met her at the door."Mr. Salvatore. I've reviewed the brief information you provided." She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. "Where is he?""Upstairs. Third door on the left." Dante gestured toward the staircase. "He doesn't think he needs therapy.""They never do." Dr. Patel started up the stairs, then paused halfway. "I'll need complete privacy. No listening at doors, no guards posted outside, no surveillance.""This is my house.""And he's my patient. Those are my terms." She didn't blink. "Take them or I leave."Dante nodded slowly. "Fine."He watched her disappear down the hallway, then went to his study. Elena was already there, her laptop open on his desk."You look like hell," she said without looking up."Good morning to you too.""I started preliminary searches on the trafficking network." Elena turned her lapto

Elena set up the meeting for neutral ground, a restaurant in Milan that catered to people who needed privacy and didn't ask questions. Dante arrived first with Marco, who'd insisted on coming despite the risk. Luca came twenty minutes later with Elena, playing the part of reluctant merchandise.Viktor was already seated when they walked in, flanked by two guards who looked like they ate concrete for breakfast. He smiled when he saw Luca, the kind of smile that made Dante's trigger finger itch."Dante. So good of you to see reason." Viktor gestured to the empty chairs. "Please, sit. And bring the boy closer. I want to see what condition he's in."Dante's jaw clenched but he nodded to Luca. Luca moved forward stiffly, his face carefully blank. He'd insisted on being part of this meeting, said Viktor needed to see him to believe the trade was real."He looks thin," Viktor observed, studying Luca like livestock. "Has he been eating properly?""He's fine," Dante said."Let me be the judge