Perdita

6 | we're coming

Luca scowled. The bastard. He clicked the first attachment.

It was Noah - passed out on the floor with his hands behind his back. He looked uninjured. Luca exhaled in relief.

The next was Salvo in the same position with a bit of drool coming out of his mouth. Elijah snorted loudly at this.

"They seem to be fine and uninjured."

"There is one more attachment. It might be before and after photos..." Luca warned, praying hard his sons were unharmed. Hell would pay if they're not.

Elijah's jaw clenched at this suggestion. "Get it over with."

Luca obliged him and with a deep breath, he opened the third one.

And what Luca Romano saw made his face drain of color. The room began to spin and black dots began to appear in his vision.

It may be ten years ago, but he would realize that eyes were anywhere no matter how long. After all her brothers shared the same shade. Yet it wasn't the same. Before, they sparkled with life but now? They were dull and lifeless. As if it had given up. These eyes told pain and suffering - it saw too much of it.

The girl in the picture was in an empty dim room. She was covered in her blood. The bruises on her looked like they had been painted on her body. Her ankles were shackled in heavy chains that looked like twice her small frame.

She didn't even look like fourteen years old. Her frame told she was young. But the eyes told she was older, much far than fourteen years. She had been forced to mature, skipping the normal childhood.

In his years of experience in torture, Luca knew she had been in the same condition for years judging from her appearance.

His stomach recoiled. The strong feeling to vomit his guts out came to him so suddenly that he didn't even see it coming. He puked on his office floor.

No man on this earth ever hated himself more than Luca did at this moment. He had given up searching for her daughter after a few years. He assumed she was safe. Happy. With her mother. He always thought he had a deep connection to her daughter in his instinct. When Ariana was a toddler, he's always had the feeling if she was hurt or in danger. Even if he was a hundred miles away on a work trip.

He always came home to find she had scraped her knees or broken her arm falling off a swing. He never had been wrong. Neither he ever had missed it.

Until now.

For years, Luca stupidly trusted that connection and gave up.

He never wanted to die this much before.

"Is that..." Elijah trailed off, horror lacing his voice.

"It's Ariana," Luca confirmed. Self-hatred and self-pity flooded his mind and it overflowed. But he pushed it down. It wouldn't be of any help to Ariana. He made a decision right there that might well cost him his life.

He would do anything for his princess.

"Call Dante and tell him to get here imminently." Dante Romano was Giovanni, Luca's brother, son, and the Romano brothers' cousin. He had the position of Underboss and worked alongside Ace and Alex most of the time.

"Dante? Why? What about Ace?" Elijah frowned.

"Ace is going to lead the rescue team and he needs to have his head clear and focused when he rescues the boys and Ariana. The team will be led today."

"Today?!" Elijah exclaimed, shooting up on his feet. "You're not going to hand over yourself, are you?"

"Elijah." Luca gritted out. Her daughter was suffering more each delayed second. He didn't have time for any bullshit. "Call Dante. Now."