Page 224 of Claimed At First Sight

“She’s been taken.”

Everything around me seems to go still. I blink at her.

“Taken?”

Her lips tremble. “K-Kidnapped.”

“What?” The word leaves me in little more than a whisper. “Who took her?”

“A man called Carter Hale.”

The name means nothing.

“Who is he?”

“Luca’s enemy. He said Hale is out to destroy him.”

A chill creeps through me despite the warmth of the room.

“But what does he want with Isa?” My voice cracks.

“To get to Luca. Hit him where it hurts him most.”

I swallow against the sudden tightness in my throat, but it does nothing to stop my mind from racing.

Hale is using Isa as leverage to force Luca’s hand. God knows what he’ll do to her.

My stomach churns.

Is Isa locked in a room somewhere? A dungeon? Is Hale giving her enough food and water?

What if he hurts her?

Neither of us speaks, both lost in our thoughts.

“Luca tracked Hale and Isa to Chicago,” Mamma says suddenly.

My head jerks up. “Isa is in Chicago?”

Mamma nods.

“But… if Luca knows where she is…” I struggle to make sense of it. “Why didn’t he just go and get her?”

“Because he can’t.” The resignation in her voice frightens me more than if she’d broken down again. “Apparently, Hale’s estate is like a fortress. He can’t get Isa out alone.”

I stare at Mamma, trying to reconcile those words with the Luca I remember. Asking for help has never been easy for him. If he is now, he must truly have no other choice.

My chest is too tight to draw a full breath.

“So…” I manage at last. “That’s why he needs Maximo.”

“Yes.”

My gaze drifts toward the open doorway through which Aldo disappeared only minutes ago to call his boss.

What if Maximo refuses to help?

Why would he risk his men for someone he doesn’t know? After all, this is another man’s war.