87 – Missing

87 – Missing
Damien...
Three days earlier.
My biggest priority isn’t the deal I’m supposed to close on this cruise. My main concern is getting Leonor as far away from here as possible before Chiara returns with the news of the Don’s death.
The spouse is always the first suspect.
Damn it, Leonor. You killed my father, and you did it at the worst possible time. But maybe that’s not all bad. One less problem for me to deal with. A little longer and I would’ve been the one to take his life with my own hands if I’d found him touching my woman.
Leonor curls up as I lead her into the cabin. She’s scared and still high from whatever she took, but she seems better. I help her shower and change. She wears some of my clothes instead of that scrap of fabric she had on before.
I lay her down in bed and wait for her to fall asleep before leaving. I lock the door just in case. Checking the cameras on my phone, I see she’s safe. I’ll be back soon to watch her sleep again.
I have a meeting tonight, a delivery that will secure the start of negotiations. To make that happen, I need to meet with Serena Malatesta and settle the details.
She looks pleased to see me. I can tell she’s hoping to relive some of our past. I ignore her provocations and go straight to business.
“The extracted cargo is on board, ready for relocation.”
Serena looks at me with that same sly glint, like she’s already imagining being fucked on this very table. She has that gift of reading people, and she knows this whole situation annoys me.
“I’ll have my girls check it. And what about the fresh cargo? Are they properly placed?” she asks, sitting at the end of the table like the host of some game I’m not playing.
I stay standing. It’s not just about control, it’s about ending this meeting fast.
She runs her hand across the glass-covered wood table. Several solid trunks hold it up. Tempered glass, I know because I’ve tested it before.
“They’re placed. You know that. Let me know when the verification’s done. When does he arrive?” I ask.
Serena’s just the mediator. My actual business is with another mafia family, foreign, powerful. Their head is arriving in a few days; he sent her ahead to negotiate and see if it’s worth doing business with the Moretti family.
Once I seal this deal, I’ll have the leverage I need to unite both sides of the family. My union with Leonor will come after that, once my father’s death is handled.
“You seem in a hurry, Damien. Someone waiting for you? The little birdies told me about your guest—a young heiress with striking hair... married…” she lets the sentence die, her eyes glinting.
This conversation has lasted too long. And my list of things to handle just got longer. I need to tighten security around Leonor.
“The delivery’s complete. I hope it continues to be a pleasure doing business with you next time, Serena.”
She catches the subtle threat in my tone and backs off. Among her many talents, she knows when to retreat.
Her expression shifts, back to the businesswoman mask. She extends her hand for a formal goodbye, and I take it.
The moment I walk out the door, my phone rings. Chiara.
I pick up, already expecting the news I’ve been waiting for. I answer casually while heading back to the cabin where I left Leonor.
“He’s gone, Damien. He’s not anywhere,” my sister says, and my pace quickens.
“What do you mean gone?” I ask, then collect myself. “Any clue where he might’ve gone?”
“No, Damien, but if I were you, I’d come up with a damn good excuse for disappearing with his wife. It’s only a matter of time before he finds you both,” Chiara says, her tone tense.
She really believes the Don disappeared.
Romero didn’t disappear. He’s dead.
I took Leonor away from his corpse and hid her so she wouldn’t be accused of murder. There’s no way he just vanished.
Chiara keeps talking, but I only half-listen, my mind trying to make sense of it.
Someone got there before her and took the body.
Who?
When I reach the cabin, Leonor’s exactly where I left her, curled up in a restless sleep.
“Find out where he is and if he came aboard,” I say before hanging up.
Chiara isn’t loyal to the Don. None of us are. She’s loyal to her brothers. None of us ever served him out of love. His way of ruling wasn’t through respect, it was through fear.
I lie down beside Leonor and pull her against my chest.
Only one other person knew about the Don’s death: Carlota Moretti.
Only she would have the resources to make a body vanish that quickly. And I have the one thing she wants. This is a power play, over Leonor.
Leonor stirs, half-awake, and asks if it was all just a nightmare. I tell her no, that it all really happened. She presses closer to me, seeking comfort.
The next days pass slowly. I wait for Serena’s response about the deal, but most of my time is spent caring for Leonor.
I’ve become her entire world, just as I should’ve been from the beginning.
But this version of her isn’t the real one. It’s a dimmed version.
By the third day of mourning, my patience wears thin. I can’t let her keep living like this. I force her up, make her shower, and catch a glimpse of the real her, the woman beneath all the fear.
Tonight’s dinner was supposed to go perfectly, until Dario decided to show up.
My brothers are another story. They’re panicking over the disappearance, convinced that the great Don Romero Moretti is going to show up any moment and demand loyalty.
I keep them in the dark. It’s better that way.
My phone rings. That ringtone, hers.
I end the call. I’ll deal with that later. I need to finish this with Leonor first.
“Dario, you’ve done enough,” I say, but he’s already turning to leave. He knows he’s pushed his luck too far today.
When the door shuts, it’s just me, Leonor, and that call still echoing in my mind.
The other woman who demands my attention, the only one who could make all of this even more complicated.