Chapter 6 - The Race Against Time
The world narrowed to a single point of blinding, white-hot fury.
Adrien didn't answer Vincenzo. He didn't look at the capos. He drew his Sig Sauer pistol from his shoulder holster, checked the chamber with a sharp click, and sprinted out of the warehouse toward his car.
During the frantic drive back to Red Hook, his mind raced through every enemy he had made, every rival family looking for leverage, and every traitor inside his own syndicate. But deep down, he knew whose signature was on this act.
Isabella Romano.
When his car tore through the gates of the estate and skidded to a halt on the gravel, emergency lights were already flashing. State police cruisers and private security vehicles blocked the driveway.
Elena was sitting on the steps of the grand portico, her face buried in her hands, sobbing with a sound so broken and hollow it felt like glass grinding in Adrien’s chest.
He killed the engine, leaped out of the car, and rushed toward her.
“Elena!”
She looked up, her eyes red, swollen, and wild with terror. “They took her, Adrien! They took Mia! A man in a black mask said if you wanted her back, you would sign the Romano marriage contract and step down from the commission by midnight!”
Adrien’s hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white.
“Where did they go?”
“An abandoned textile warehouse near the East River docks,” a trembling kitchen maid offered from the doorway. “I heard them mention it before they threw her into the van!”
Adrien turned away instantly, walking toward his car.
“Adrien, wait!” Elena cried out, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket. “Let me come with you! She’s my daughter!”
He looked down at her, his dark eyes burning with an intensity that frightened even him.
May you like
“No,” he said firmly, though his voice softened just a fraction. “Stay here. Guard the house. I am going to bring her back, or I am going to burn Brooklyn to the ground trying.”
Before she could argue, he climbed back into his sedan, slammed the door, and sped down the driveway like a missile.
