Chapter 7 - THE VANSecurity searched the estate.
Nothing.
No Maya.
No Tommy.
No sign of where they had gone.
Luca's world narrowed.
"Find her."
Every man on the estate moved.
Phones rang.
Cars exploded out of the gates.
Police were called, though Luca knew how dangerous that would become.
Then Tommy appeared.
Alone.
Bloody.
Breathing hard.
He stumbled through the side entrance.
Elena ran toward him.
"Where's Maya?"
Tommy looked at Luca.
"They took her."
"Who?"
"Three men."
"Where?"
Tommy pointed toward the road.
"They had a black van."
"License plate?"
Tommy shook his head.
Luca gripped the armrest.
"What did you see?"
Tommy swallowed.
"The driver had a scar."
"What kind?"
"Across his neck."
Luca turned to Marco.
"Search our records."
Marco did.
Thirty seconds later, his face changed.
"I know him."
Luca looked up.
"Who?"
"Viktor Sloane."
The name meant something.
An old enforcer.
One of the few men who had disappeared from Chicago twelve years ago.
Presumed dead.
Luca's eyes hardened.
"Find him."
They traced the van through traffic cameras.
It had left Chicago.
Then vanished.
Two hours later, a camera picked it up near a private airfield.
Luca ordered a jet.
Elena grabbed his arm.
"You're going."
"Yes."
"In that chair?"
He looked at her.
"I've been in worse places."
"You're not physically capable of doing this."
He stared at her.
"Apparently that's been the lie for twelve years."
She went silent.
They reached the airfield.
Luca had not taken three steps when his right knee buckled.
He caught himself.
Pain shot through him.
Marco moved toward him.
Luca pushed him away.
"No."
He stood.
For two seconds.
Then fell.
Elena caught him before he hit the ground.
Luca looked at her.
He was breathing hard.
"I can feel it."
"What?"
"My leg."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"You've been waiting twelve years to say that."
Luca nodded.
Then his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A child's voice came through.
"Dad?"
Luca froze.
"Maya?"
Silence.
Then Maya whispered:
"They say you were never supposed to find me."
Luca's heart stopped.
"Where are you?"
A man's voice took the phone.
"Come alone."
Luca looked at Elena.
The man continued.
"Bring no police."
"Let me speak to my daughter."
A pause.
Then Maya screamed.
The call ended.
Luca's entire face changed.
Marco knew that expression.
It was the expression of the man Luca had been before the wheelchair.
The ruthless one.
The one who had built an empire because mercy had once cost him too much.
"Get the plane ready."
Elena grabbed his hand.
"You're not going alone."
Luca looked at her.
"No."
"You said they wanted you alone."
"They lied."
May you like
He looked toward the waiting jet.
"They've been lying for twelve years."
