Chapter 159 Hurtful Sight
Dante’s POV
For a second, I didn’t move as the words just refused to sit well.
Or maybe I just refused to let them.
She’s been taken?
No, how's that possible after all our plans.
My jaw tightened slowly. “Say that again,” I said.
Nico didn’t hesitate. “We just got confirmation that she's been taken. They moved her fast without drawing any suspicion, it's as though they lured her,” he replied.
Lured? With what? What could tempt Serena so much? The word didn’t sit right.
Nothing about this was clean.
“Who?” I asked.
“Still tracing—”
“Then trace faster,” I cut in immediately.
Nico nodded once, already pulling his phone out and dialing up numbers as we started moving.
“Lock down the hall,” I ordered without slowing towards one of the guards. “No one leaves until everything is cleared. I want every entrance sealed, checked, and cleared again.”
“Yes, boss.”
“After that, shut it down completely,” I added and didn’t wait for confirmation.
“Marcus,” I called and he was already behind me.
“I’m here,” he responded.
“You know we are in this together,” I muttered and he nodded immediately.
We pushed through the ends of the hall together, stepping out into the cold night air.
Cars were already lined up with their engines already running and waiting for us. Good.
I didn’t stop walking.
“Where are we going?” I asked sharply as the door was pulled open for me.
Nico slid in beside me, still on the call. “Sean is tracking—”
“Then get me something now,” I ordered.
A second passed before he spoke up again.
“She’s been moved,” Nico said, covering his phone slightly. “Moved towards the Moretti Estate.”
My eyes darkened. Luca’ home, that was far, way too far.
“Drive,” I snapped.
The car shot forward instantly as the tires screeched against the pavement.
The city blurred past us as lights streaked across the windows.
Everything felt too slow. “Faster,” I said again.
“We’re already—”
“Faster,” I cut in and the driver didn’t argue again.
The car surged forward wildly. Good.
My leg bounced once before I forced it still.
Think. If Luca had her—
No. I shut that down, I wasn’t going to assume anything.
I was acting, that’s what mattered.
Nico was still on the phone.
“Yeah… yeah, I understand… no, confirm that again… alright.”
He ended the call, turning slightly towards me.
“It’s confirmed,” he said. “They are moving towards the estate. No resistance recorded.”
No resistance, that again. That same detail, it burned my ego.
We were halfway there when my phone buzzed suddenly in my pocket.
I pulled it out and glanced down to find Valentina's name across the ID.
I almost ignored it. Nearly did so as she barely ever called me. But I guess that's why I answered.
“Any problem?”
“Dante,” her voice came through, calm but tight. “Come home.”
My eyes narrowed. “For what?”
She paused for a second or two, then a second voice interrupted the call.
A cold male voice that rang all the bells.
“Come back,” the voice said. “I want to see you.”
Everything in me went still.
That voice…
Luca
My grip on the phone tightened. Then slowly, I pulled it away from my ear, staring at it for a second like it might give me answers.
Then I brought it back.
“What are you doing in my house?” I asked with my voice dangerously low.
A soft chuckle came through, then the line went dead.
Silence filled the car.
“Boss?” Nico said carefully, but I didn’t answer immediately.
My mind was already moving fast.
“She’s been taken,” I repeated slowly.
“Yeah—”
“And Luca is in my house,” I added carefully and Nico went still.
That was all it took.
“They didn’t take her,” I said quietly. “They pulled us.”
The realization hit me hard as I leaned forward sharply.
“Stop the car,” I ordered and the driver hesitated a bit. “Now!”
The car screeched as it slowed to a stop, the rest slowing too.
“Turn around,” I ordered. “We go back. If she was taken to Luca’ house, he wouldn’t be calling me from mine.”
“Shit,” Nico muttered.
“Turn it around!” I ordered again and the car spun hard with the tires burning against the road as we swapped direction.
Everything felt wrong.
We drove wildly till we turned the street to the penthouse, that's when gunfire spread across the air.
“Ambush!” Marcus shouted as the car jerked violently with bullets tearing through the air.
“File out!” I barked and the doors flew open as the men moved fast, returning fire instantly.
Bullets tore through everything on site as bodies moved dangerously around.
I stepped out with my gun already in hand and fired at the nearest man. He dropped after a few shots while another rushed forward at me.
I put him down before he could aim, but more came. Too many.
“Push through!” I ordered. We weren’t stopping.
And then, a car pulled up at the extreme, not too far from me, and he stepped out looking as calm as ever.
He had more arrays around him and his steps were slower, like he had all the time in the world.
Luca. My eyes locked on him instantly.
Everything else faded, the gunfire, the men, the noise. All of it whisked away as I moved forward towards him.
“Why are you in my house?!” I screamed and Luca smiled.
“And you were not!” he said mockingly.
My jaw tightened. “Where is she?!” I asked.
He didn't respond at first, just laughed in my face.
“Serena?” He repeated, amused. “I haven’t seen her,” he replied with a shrug.
“That’s not possible,” I said immediately.
“Oh, but it is,” he replied with a smirk.
My grip tightened around the gun. “You expect me to believe that?”
“I expect you to realize,” he said, tilting his head slightly, “that you have bigger problems.”
Something cold slid down my spine.
“What are you talking about?”
He didn’t answer immediately, he just smiled.
Then added slowly, “You should go home, Dante.”
The way he said it made my heart beat faster.
“You’re lying,” I shot back.
“Am I?” He asked and stepped back.
“Kill them,” he added casually to his men before walking away with a grin.
The fight exploded from there, louder with no holding back now.
But something had already begun turning in me, something kept telling me this wasn’t the main event.
That this was only a setup, a distraction.
And I had just wasted time.
“Move!” I barked and we pushed through hard.
We made adjustments and made our way back to the car.
“Cover us!” I yelled as they formed a walk around Nico, Marcus and myself.
I didn’t care how many fell, I didn’t care who stood in the way. I got back into the car.
“Drive!”
The engine roared as we took off straight from their midst.
It wasn't supposed to be a long ride, but the tension tripled every second that passed.
And it didn't get any better. My eyes stayed fixed ahead, till I saw it.
From a distance, I spotted it but didn't quite register what it was at first.
It looked like bright light, too much light.
Then, I spotted smoke rising into the air.
My throat went dry as a thought flashed through my mind. No, no, it can't be.
“Faster!” I snapped and the car surged.
But it didn’t matter, I was already seeing it.
I already knew what was coming.