Page 218 of Claimed At First Sight

“But what?”

She hesitates, as though gathering the courage to continue.

“I think Luca is in trouble.”

Cold settles in my stomach. I tilt my head, waiting for her to continue.

“There was a cyberattack on a pharmaceutical logistics hub in Delaware two days ago.” She lifts her eyes to mine. “The news said it was carried out by someone calling himself the Venom. Whoever is behind it is demanding an annual ransom of two billion dollars to prevent future attacks.”

I frown, struggling to see where Luca fits into any of this.

“What does that have to do with him?”

“There was footage,” she says quietly, twisting the phone in her hands. “A short clip the news said had been leaked. It showed a man arriving overseas.”

My pulse begins to pick up.

“It wasn’t very clear,” she continues.

“And?”

“When I saw him…” Her voice catches. “I thought…”

She swallows.

“I thought it was Luca.”

My breath catches. For a second, I can only stare at her.

“What?”

I search her face, hoping to find uncertainty there.

“I hope I’m wrong.” She shakes her head slowly. “It was only a few seconds, and the image was grainy. But I’ve known that boy since he was a child.”

Her voice softens. “I’d recognize him anywhere.”

I’m on my feet before I even realize I’ve moved, pacing across the room again.

“Luca wouldn’t do something like that.”

He just wouldn’t.

Luca is loyal, caring, and dependable. I can’t imagine him threatening countless people for money, no matter what he stood to gain.

At least not the Luca I knew. Five years is a long time, though. People change…

“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Mamma closes her eyes before looking back at me. “The reports said Interpol and several other agencies are looking for him. There’s a bounty on his head…”

If that really were Luca, then Isa would be with him.

Merda.

Are they on the run, hiding from everyone? Is that why she hasn’t contacted us again?

I stop beside the bed and clasp Mamma’s hand, squeezing it tightly.

“I’m sure it’s not him,” I say, as much for my benefit as Mamma’s. “Isa and Luca are probably on some tropical island somewhere, enjoying the sun.”