Chapter 24

Unspoken Desires - Chapter 24

Sareena

I’ve been sitting in my bedroom all morning, with the listening device in my ear. Listening to everything unfold.

It finally hit me. This wasn’t a simple rescue. It was a full on mission; with rules, weapons, and real consequences. This had to be carefully orchestrated and painfully precise. Guns are involved, dangerous people and even people ending up kidnapped or dead.

Every person had a role. Every move mattered. Every second carried weight, and risk.

The more I listened, the more I realized… I wasn’t helping. I was just sitting here-spiraling.

I yanked the device out of my ear. My heart was pounding. The stress was crawling up my spine like a thousand needles.

That fight with Damian yesterday , still fresh in my mind. He wasn’t just angry. He was right. I haven’t been thinking. Of the consequences of my actions. But he needs to understand that I am a part of this and thats my family in there.

I exhaled hard, stood up, and headed downstairs.

Damian and Maximus were still in the den, locked onto their monitors, tracking audio and surveillance feeds. Their faces were tight with focus.

They both glanced up as I walked in.

“We found them,” Damian said without turning. His voice was flat. Distant. He still wouldn’t look at me.

“Damian… can we talk? Please?”

He hesitated. Just for a second.

Maximus cut in gently. “I’ve got this. Go talk to her.”

Damian stood, followed me back upstairs, and into the room we were supposed to share.

He dropped onto the bed like the weight of everything was pulling him down.

“What could possibly be so important,” he said coldly “that you needed to take me away from the people out there risking their lives, Sareena?”

I took a breath. “I’m sorry, Damian,” I said quietly. “I thought about what you said. And I understand now.”

He didn’t react.

“I just… I need you to know I’m sorry. But you also have to understand. Sophia, Nono and Alexandra… that’s my only family. They’re all I have. The only people I love.”

That got his attention. He looked up and he wasn’t just angry. He looked hurt.

“All you have?” he repeated, voice sharp. “Your only family? The only people you love?” His voice rose. Sounding raw, furious and broken.

“Did you think about Gino, when you took off to England or to Vegas last year?” He continued.

“What about the six people who risked their lives to save you from Matteo? What about the ones risking their lives again because you couldn’t wait long enough for us to plan something safe? You think they don’t matter? You think they’re not family?”

He stood now, his jaw clenched, every word punching out like a bullet.

“What about me, Sareena? For the last two years, I’ve done everything for you. Given up everything. And I don’t even count?”

“You knew you’d have to face Matteo when you came here. You knew. And still, you ditched us and jumped on a plane like none of it mattered.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he didn’t give me the chance.

He stepped toward the door. “Well, now you can face him.”

“I need to focus on this mission. I need to get my friends; no, my family, out of there. Safe. Alive.”

And just like that… he was gone.

—————-

Damian

The argument with Sareena is still crawling under my skin. I know I was harsh. Hell, I know I’m being childish. But I’m also hurt and I’m tired of pretending I’m not.

Before I can get too deep in my own head, Matteo and Gabriella arrive back at the safehouse. Matteo still doesn’t know that Matthew found Sophia and Constance Cattaneo.

As soon as they step inside, I flip the master switch to broadcast audio from Sophia’s end to everyone wearing an earpiece.

“Sophia, can you hear us?” I say into my mic.

Matteo freezes mid-step. His cool, composed exterior evaporates. He digs his earpiece out of his pocket and jams it in.

“Sophia? Sophia; are you there? Are you okay?” His voice cracks, strained and frantic.

“Yes, baby. I’m here,” Sophia replies, breathless. “Thank God you found us…”

It’s a moment. A heavy one. The kind that makes everyone else in the room feel like they’re intruding.

“I think we should all remove our earbuds,” I say, giving Matteo a beat of privacy. “Let them have a minute.”

Soft chuckles follow, but one by one, everyone flicks off their devices. Matteo disappears into the hallway, speaking softly to her. You can practically feel the relief pouring off him.

Vincent and Matthew arrive not long after. Only Demetrius and Lessia are still out.

I head to the kitchen to grab beers for the team. We’re going to need them.

But just as I crack the tops, Matteo storms back into the room, his face a mask of fury.

“Put your fucking earpieces back in,” he barks. “There’s trouble at the DeLuca house. Santino just found Demetrius’s bug.”

We scramble, fumbling with comms like rookies.

Right now, we can hear what’s happening inside… but we can’t speak to them. Demetrius can talk to us, but only Santino can hear our responses.

Static cuts in. Then a voice - young, scared, urgent.

“Can anyone hear me? We need help. My dad is hurt, and we’re locked in the house. If you can hear this, please call 702-364-7925. I repeat, please call 702-364-7925.”

Matteo’s already dialing. “It’s legit,” he says. “That’s his number.“

He puts the call on speaker. “Hey, Santino. It’s Matteo. Relax; we’re here to help you and your dad. You’re not alone. I’ve got people with me, and we’re gonna get you out of there.”

The kid exhales hard, like he’s been holding his breath for days.

“Okay. Please hurry. She’s not my mom anymore. She’s gone off the rails.”

“Tell us everything,” I urge him. And he does.

He tells us how Maria’s new guards attacked and drugged Alessandro and locked him in the basement. How they keep him locked in his room. How he only got access to his phone today… because his mom was screwing one of the guards and left it unattended.

The whole room goes silent. Damn, Demetrius was right. He had her number.

“Do you know the guards’ schedules and when they rotate?” I ask.

“At night, there’s only one,” Santino answers. “They usually lock me in my room so I don’t wander. I think I heard one of the guards say Demetrius is back working the night shift. I—I think that’s tonight.”

“Good,” Matteo says. “Demetrius is one of ours. Find him. Give him the listening device back. He’ll fill you in on the plan. Don’t raise suspicion. Act normal. But find Demetrius and stay close.”

“Yes, sir,” Santino replies.

Matteo ends the call and looks around at all of us. Shit just got more complicated. And way more dangerous.

——————

Matthew

Great. Another shit show to maneuver through.

I gather everyone into the den, making sure the communication devices are still active. Each one of us needs to hear what’s coming through. There’s no room for mistakes now.

“Alright, time to regroup and compare notes,” I say, pacing in front of them. “We’ve still got Lessia and Demetrius out in the field, and now we’ve got three operations running and only five of us here.”

“Six,” says a voice from the doorway.

I glance up. It’s Sareena, arms crossed, eyes locked on me.

“I’m not sitting this out.”

“Great,” I reply dryly. “Six of us.”

“But that doesn’t fix the math. We’ve got three separate missions and eight people to extract. We also don’t have enough vehicles, enough weapons, or the complete intel. So yeah, it’s going to be tough.”

“I’ve got weapons,” Matteo jumps in. “This is my city. Just list what you need. I also have a few men I know I can trust. Specifically both Davide and Adriano. They are solid. They can head to the DeLuca house to grab Demetrius, Santino, and Alessandro. They can also take Maria to the cattle farm, same one I’m using to stash Uncle Smirnoff.”

I nod. “Good. But no one touches either Bocharov. They are mine,” I add, making sure everyone understands.

Matteo meets my eyes and nods.

“Alright. That locks in two of our six,” I continue. “Maximus, take Gabriella with you. You’ll ride with Davide and Adriano. Matteo, call your guys and have them bring two blacked-out SUVs here. Tinted and hopefully low profile.”

Matteo’s already reaching for his phone.

“We’ll also need two more SUVs to bring Sophia, Gino, Alexandra and Mrs. Cattaneo home. She’s injured, so we’ll need Sareena with us on that one. She’s a doctor and can help with them. They looked dehydrated and weak when we saw them today.”

I catch the tight flicker in Damian’s expression at Sareena’s name, but he says nothing. He knows this is important.

“I’m going on that op,” Matteo says. “My mom and my fiancée. You’re not stopping me.”

“Fine,” I say. “That makes four: Me, you, Sareena, and—”

“No.” The word hits the room like a whipcrack.

We all turn. Vincent’s standing by the doorframe, his jaw clenched. “I’m not leaving Lessia alone with that psychopath. Not a fucking chance.”

“Vin…” I start.

“You all go,” he says, softer now but no less resolved. “Take Damian, I’ll watch Lessia. I’ll be careful.”

Nobody argues. Not even Matteo. Because the truth is, none of us would leave the person we love in enemy territory. Not now. Not ever.

We all break into our separate teams to compare everything we know.