Lonzo: Book 2 (Tycoon Series Book 2) (16 page)

The crime lab people came to process the scene and transferred Lianne’s body to the coroner’s office for an autopsy. The lead detective, several officers and a doctor stood at one corner of her drawing room, talking in low voices.

Jordana sat alone on the sofa, her back straight and very still.

Outwardly, she looked calm…almost too composed as she stared at the fireplace, seemingly unmindful of the people around her. In reality, calm was the farthest thing from what she was feeling. Every hushed word, every movement inside the room echoed inside her head.

She was afraid to move, lest she’d be seized again by another panic attack.

She was hysterical when the cops arrived earlier. They had to get a doctor just to calm her down. The doctor tried to give her a sedative but she refused. She couldn’t bear to sleep, even if drug-induced, knowing her baby was missing. So she pretended to be in full control of her faculties. After they got her statement, she sat in vigil, praying that her daughter be spared from harm.

The police informed that the kidnappers had yet to call in and ask for a ransom. She was also told that her immediate family were already informed.

She nodded in acknowledgment, not trusting herself to utter a word. She wished Leandro was here with her. She felt so paralyzed.

“He’s on his way, miss,” the inspector told her, as though the information had the power to comfort her.

Nothing, absolutely nothing can make her feel better until she had her child back.

The cop left her. Everyone was waiting for a development. She knew that the first twelve hours were crucial, and all this waiting was killing and driving her insane.

She heard the screech of car wheels outside her apartment. Everyone stood in attention. She thought Leandro had arrived.

Until she overheard conversation coming from outside. Her hackles instantly went up as she isolated one particular voice: a deep, authoritative one.

It belonged to a person she didn’t want here. Her ears picked up sounds of footsteps before her front door shot open. Heads turned to look at the man who just came in. Everyone responded to his presence like lapdogs, she thought.

Everyone, except her. She knew without turning who it was.

Her body reacted when she heard his footsteps heading her way.

She straightened her back in anger as she focused her eyes on the fireplace.

He stopped in front of her, blocking her view.

“Jordana,” he addressed.

She didn’t respond. She transferred her gaze from the fireplace to the pair of authentic Italian leather shoes that he wore.

“Look at me.” There was a hint of command, but his tone had been gentle.

Her eyes slowly moved.

From his expensive shoes, her gaze went up and took in the the dark blue wool pants that encased his long, powerful thighs; her eyes proceeded to the white silk shirt he wore which failed to hide the solid muscles of his torso.

Her eyes continued its journey to his neck and his rigid chin before it settled on his sensuous mouth. Her own lips thinned in anger when she remembered what that mouth was capable of.

Next, she took in his straight, masculine nose that betrayed his Roman ancestry.

She frowned.

His cheeks were leaner than she remembered.

When her gaze finally reached his eyes, her amber ones clashed with his intensely green pair.

She had sworn to herself never to let him get this close again.

She hadn’t seen him for almost a year.

Except for his leaner profile, he hadn’t changed. In fact, the leanness gave him a wolfish, sexier look. She couldn’t help herself from thinking that this man had everything in abundance: both in looks and money.

He evoked love in her once. But that was before she hardened her heart and taught herself to hate him.

What he did to Gianna was unforgivable.

The gall of this man to appear at her house and speak to her as though he had a right to do so!

She lowered her lashes, dismissing his presence.

“Get out,” she said in a low, soft voice.

She knew he heard her. But he wouldn't leave her alone.

Instead, he went on his knees in front of her and held her shoulders.

“Don’t push me away, cara. She’s my daughter, too.”

His voice was hoarse.

Her face contorted with emotion at what he said.

“Don’t call her that!” she yelled as her control broke and gave way to hysteria.“You didn't want her, you bastard!”

Her body trembled as her breathing grew ragged.

She was experiencing a second panic attack, she thought, before everything went black.

Lonzo cursed himself again for upsetting her.

The doctor had just finished examining her. He took her to her room upstairs when she went off like that and frightened the living daylights out of him.

What was he thinking? Seeing him must've been too much for her.

She had just been through a traumatic experience.

“Her blood pressure’s back to normal, Mr. Vitale. She probably experienced delayed shock which triggered her panic attack. I didn’t give her anything. Just give her enough time to sleep it off,” the doctor said before he bid him goodnight and left the room.

He didn’t go out. He couldn’t bear to leave her side. Not when she was within his reach after missing her for so long.

He just stared down at her sleeping form until his phone went off.

It was Titus Blackwell. He instructed his security guys to use every available means to recover his daughter safely.

“Did you get anything?”

“I’m afraid I have some bad news, boss…”

He swallowed his apprehension. “Shoot. What did you found out? Who took her?”

“My sources say she’s been kidnapped by a gang composed of Sicilians, Slavs and Albanian criminals who had a history of child abduction. This group was led by Luciano Camorra, a former lieutenant of Sicilian mob boss Provenzano. I also found out that less than a month ago, there was a job placed for the kidnap of your daughter and this particular group took the contract.”

“Sonofabitch!” he expelled.

“These criminals are vicious, Mr. Vitale. They are known to kill their victims if they knew cops are involved.”

This last piece of information unnerved Lonzo. “Then we will keep police involvement to a minimum. I want your best people on retainer to extract my daughter back.”

“Already did that boss…they’re just waiting for the signal from me.”

“Any leads on their whereabouts?”

“I’m working on a tip. I asked one of my retainers to bug Ms. Jordana’s phone so we can also do a trace.”

“They haven’t called in for the ransom yet,” Lonzo said, his voice stressed.

“That’s their usual modus operandi. But they will be calling any time soon. Will keep you posted if we find anything, boss.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose after he ended the call. Once again, his eyes sought Jordana. She looked so frail and pale. Even in sleep, she looked strained.

He went back to the living room to have a word with the inspector. He wanted to know if the police already had a lead on Gianna’s kidnappers. The police chief said they were still following leads and had no idea of the group that Blackwell mentioned during his call.

Good. His security team was ahead. For now.

He knew he had to negotiate carefully with the kidnappers to ensure her safety. And he was willing to pay any amount just to get his daughter back.

The phone in the living room began to peal. Everyone grew alert. After signaling that the trace was in place, Lonzo answered the phone.

“Vitale.”

“Ah,
Signore
Vitale, I was just wondering when will you show up,” the caller told him.

The caller was Sicilian.

“You have my daughter. I want her back,” he responded in Italian.

The man on the other line chuckled. “You are very direct, aren’t you, Mr. Vitale? Yes, your daughter is well. You can have her back for a measly one hundred million dollars.”

Done.

“I want proof she’s alive and well,” he said tersely.

“Mr. Vitale, I am a man of my word.”

“Listen to me, you sonofabitch. You touch a hair on her head and I’ll make sure that all bounty hunters will come after you and your men. Is that clear enough for you?” Lonzo spewed.

The police inspector signaled for him to calm down. Shit! They were right, he was putting his child’s life in danger.

The kidnapper laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself. “Mr. Vitale, I’m a businessman. I know you’re powerful in your own right. Nothing will happen to your daughter if you do as I say. I’ll be sending instructions on how you can retrieve her. Besides, she’s a cute kid. Looks a lot like that hot baby mama of yours—”

“I demand proof.”

“Persistent, aren’t you? Okay, okay…we’ll give you proof. Just keep your lines open, Mr. Vitale. I really have to cut this call now. It was nice doing business with you. And oh, one last thing…tell the mod squad that they can never trace this call.
Ciao
.”

The line went dead.

“Shit!” he heard the inspector cuss. The call wasn’t long enough for a trace, like the caller said. Their technology weren’t that advanced.

But his team had that capability. Blackwell can trace the call in ten seconds. It was the same technology being used covertly by the U.S. military and intelligence.

He spoke briefly with the inspector, conveying that he would inform them once the ransom details from the perpetrators came though.

Then he went back upstairs to check on Jordana.

He was on his way up when Blackwell called him for the second time.

“You got it?”

“Yes, we got a trace.”

“Where?”

“The call was placed in a phone booth near the London train station. We were able to get a clean look at our target…it’s Camorra, alright. We also got lucky when we were able to patch the London CCTV system. Made it easier to track them afterward. One of our guys is now tailing him.”

“Don’t lose sight of them...I want those bastards alive!” he bit out the command.

“We won’t. They will call you again. It wouldn’t be long now. Just play it cool, boss,” Blackwell reminded him.

“Call me right away once you got the info on their hideout,” he instructed.

“Aye.”

He continued his way to Jordana’s room after Blackwell’s call.

His chest was heavy with worry about the turn of events. He had to play his cards well with these kidnappers. One wrong move and they could easily snap his daughter’ neck...

He carefully opened Jordana’s bedroom but she wasn’t on the bed. Alarm bells went off inside his head. For a minute he feared that she might’ve been abducted, too.

But his rational side overruled his initial dread. She cannot get out of the house without being seen. He had this place surrounded.

He went out to look for her in the adjacent rooms, his face grim.

He found her in the nursery.

He was slumped on the floor, beside Gianna’s crib. Her arms were clutching a small pillow that must’ve belonged to their child. Her eyes were closed. She’d been crying, noting her tear-stained cheeks.

It was agonizing for him to see her like this— desolate, bereft, devoid of joy.

His throat closed up. He knew exactly what she was going through because he was going through the same.

She can’t possibly take any more of this alone, he thought.

“Jordana—”

The sound of his voice had an instantaneous effect on her. She straightened and leapt to her feet, her eyes accusing him for intruding into her solitude.

“Get out of here!” she shouted.

But he was having none of it. Whether she liked it or not, his place was to be with her. He was not going anywhere until they got their Gianna back.

He sighed heavily, but stood his ground. “You shouldn’t have left your room. Staying here will only upset you.”

Her amber eyes were furious. “What is it to you? What do you know? Nothing! Being in this room makes me feel closer to h-her. I’m comforted here…I m-miss her…”

But to him, she looked more anguished than comforted. “You need to rest,” said calmly.

“I can’t sleep knowing Gianna is gone! She will not be able to sleep! Not without hearing me sing her a l-lullaby first—”

“Stop this!” he cut in. “It’s doing nothing good. You’re only exhausting yourself!”

She went quiet before her emotions got the better of her again. “Oh God…oh God! I-I’m s-scared. My baby!”

He approached her, his arms held her tightly against his chest. She did not resist his embrace this time. “I know,
cara
. I am, too.”

The tears began to trickle down her cheeks again. “They might hurt her!”