Chapter 88 STAY WITH ME.
\~~~LUCIANO.
I stepped out of the house, the afternoon sun hitting my face as I adjusted my jacket.
The air felt crisp, but my mind was already on the day ahead. Gabriel hurried beside me, giving me the rundown on the errand I'd sent him on earlier. “The shipment is secure, boss and there is no issue at the warehouse,” he said, his voice steady.
Just then, Viktor emerged from the driveway, striding toward us. He nodded once before speaking. “The meeting's set for 2PM. We need to be there before two to scope the place out,” He glanced at his wristwatch, confirming the time.
Gabriel chimed in, a hint of pride in his tone. “And I negotiated well, boss. They agreed to our terms without much pushback.”
We reached the black SUV parked at the curb. Gabriel opened the rear door for me, and I slid in, the leather cool against my back.
Viktor got behind the wheel, starting the engine with a low rumble, while Gabriel settled into the front passenger seat.
I leaned forward slightly as Viktor drove out of the compound, “How'd you manage to get them to agree so fast, Gabriel?”
He turned his head, flashing that easy smile of his, and cupped his cheeks dramatically, playing it up. “Who am I, boss? The heartthrob of the organization. Everyone always wants to listen to me.”
I hissed through my teeth, shaking my head. “Cut the crap. Just tell me the details later.”
But a small smirk tugged at my lips despite myself. Gabriel had a way of lightening the mood, even when things were tense.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me out of the moment. I fished it out and glanced at the screen. Raina's name lit up the caller ID.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she was calling me. She never did that. Even when I'd once sent her texts to let her know that I wouldn't be home or that some deal ran late, she'd just open them and leave me on read with no reply, no questions, nothing!
“What does she want?” I whispered under my breath, staring at the ringing phone as if it might bite.
She'd been trying to get my attention since yesterday, hovering around me like she had something to say. But that was always how it went with Raina.
She'd dance around the truth, never quite ready to spill whatever secrets she was hiding.
And honestly? I was tired of waiting.
I had gotten the proof I needed and that was enough.
The call cut off, and I exhaled, ready to pocket it, but it rang again almost immediately.
With a long sigh, I scratched my forehead and swiped to answer. “What do you want?”
But the moment her voice came through, soft and broken with sobs, I sat upright. My brows snapped together, every one of my muscles tensing. “What is going on?”
'L... Lu... Oh, God! You picked! Luciano...' She cried harder, her words choking out between gasps.
The sound pierced right through me, raw and desperate.
I raised my hand sharply, signaling Viktor to turn the car around.
“Talk. What is going on?”
“In... in my office... I... shit, I am holding a bomb!” Her cry was shrill, and it sliced into my ears like glass.
I punched the back of the driver's seat, and the impact jolted through my knuckles. “To the company. Now!” I barked at Viktor.
He didn't hesitate, nor did he question. The car lurched as he yanked the wheel, cutting across lanes in a sharp U-turn with the tires screeching against the asphalt.
“What are you saying? Are you hallucinating?” My voice came out rough, disbelief warring with the ice flooding my veins.
“I am... I am not. I have... Twenty-six minutes left. You are the first person I am calling. There is a... a bomb... in my hand,” she sobbed, her breathing ragged.
I yanked the phone away from my ear and switched to FaceTime. She accepted instantly, her tear-streaked face filling the screen. She looked pale, and her eyes were filled with terror.
“Show me,” I ordered.
Heat surged through me like a wildfire I couldn't contain.
I shifted in my seat, unable to sit still, my free hand gripping the door handle as though it might anchor me. Raina flipped the camera, angling it down to her lap. There, clutched in her trembling fingers, was a small white stuffed doll. Wires poked from its back, and a digital timer was glowing red: 25:47.
“Shit,” The word escaped me low and vicious.
“How did it... no. Just drop it, and get out now!”
“I... received a message... There is a sensor or detonator or something... if I drop it... It will blow up. I will... everyone will blow up,” she wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
I shook where I sat, my body betraying the calm I tried to force. Visions flashed in my head and it was of Raina in pieces, her office a crater, and the whole building gone.
My wife… reduced to rubble because of some coward's game. No fucking way, “I will be there in a few minutes.”
“I am going to die, Luciano. I am going to die!” Her voice broke, a sob that twisted my gut.
“Just... just shut up and listen to me.”
“Okay…”She forced a swallow, her chest heaving.
"We will arrive in four minutes maximum, boss," Viktor's voice cut in, edged with rare panic as he floored the accelerator.
“Gabriel, get the bomb squad. Every single one of them... get them...' I breathed roughly, squeezing my eyes shut against the roar in my head. “Get them to the company now.”
Gabriel was already on his phone, nodding furiously. “On it.”
“Baby, listen to me…” I turned back to the screen, softening my voice just enough. Her eyes locked on mine, pleading.
“Okay…”
“I will be there soon, so... calm yourself. Okay? Don't let go of it. I am on my way.”
“Don't end the call! Stay with me!” She cried out again, her grip on the doll white-knuckled.
“Just relax. I need to make a few calls. And then call Alessia to come stay with you for now. Do you want that?”
“What if she blows up with me? Please... let everyone stay away. God! I'm sorry! I am going to die, am I not? I have 24 minutes left. I am so sorry for everything.”
Her apology hit like a punch and it was raw and unexpected.
Sorry for what? The stupid secrets? The boring lies?
I don't even give a flying fuck about them.
“Calm down, and wait for me. You will see me... soon.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” she chanted, rocking slightly before ending the call with a shaky thumb.
“Drive faster, Viktor. I don't care who we crash into. You have two minutes left.l
“I will be there in two, boss,” Viktor replied, his jaw set. He nodded once, then punched the gas, weaving through traffic like a demon. Horns blared around us as he broke every rule in the books. The red lights, double lines, all of it.
Whatever.
While I dialed my contact for the security detail, my go-to guy for crises, a storm raged in my head.
Thoughts collided, too many at once, threatening to split my skull. I should have listened to her last night when she'd tried to talk. I should have picked up the first call at the first ring instead of letting it ring out.
Shit, I should have been nicer to her.