Finding Forgiveness

“Ah yes, ‘Romano De’Meritchi’,” he said. “Or Luca Romano as I have recently discovered to be his real name. We will have to find him and kill him too now that I know he works for Loren and my guess would be that he has been using his position in my cartel to the Stella pack’s advantage. Did you get on well?”

“Yes,” I replied with confusion.

Why would he care?

“Then I will have the good grace to bury you in the same whole out in the barren desert,” he said in a disconcertingly kind tone.

“What does it matter to you whether we live or not?”

“I have a reputation to maintain, Blanca,” he said. “If I don’t kill you, I will have let you walk all over me and I can’t let my other employees see that in case they get any ideas.”

“In killing me, you are signing up to live in constant danger. Leonardo will not stop until you are dead,” I said.

Andrea shrugged, “If he’s going to want me dead anyway, then it doesn’t matter if I piss him off even more, does it? I might as well take this wonderful opportunity to put his mate to use tonight.”

“What?” I said, furrowing my eyebrows thinking about the last time he gave me a job to do. “You don’t trust me.”

“Your lack of loyalty makes you useless as an employee but it doesn’t change how hot you are,” he said with a grin as placed his hand on my hip. “And there’s something weirdly exhilarating about sleeping with another man’s mate and the fact that the other man is Leonardo Loren only makes it even better.”

My eyes widened.

“Andrea-” I began.

He suddenly lurched forward and put his hand between my legs on my upper thigh.

“Do not call me that,” he said covering my mouth roughly. “I am boss to you now. You lost all your priveledges and protection and safety the second you dialled that number. You are nothing to me.”

I shook his hand off me, “Let me speak.”

“What could you possibly have to say,” he growled.

“Go to hell.”

Big mistake.

Leo’s POV

My phone began to buzz in my pocket. When I pulled it out, it displayed an unknown number on the screen.

“Who’s calling?” Luca, who was driving the car whilst I sat in the passenger seat, asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied swiping to answer.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“Hello, Leonardo,” a deep voice said after a few rings. “It’s Andrea Martinez.”

I instantly gestured for Luca to stop the car and sat up straight.

“I don’t doubt that you have heard of me so I won’t bother explaining who I am in the same way you don’t need to explain who you are. How brilliant it is to finally get the chance to speak to you, the most famous Alpha in the world,” he continued.

“Cut the shit,” I growled. “Where is my mate?”

“Ooh, a temper just like your Luna,” he laughed. “And I’m here with her right now in fact. You see, I know about your little phone call earlier and I’m pissed-”

“What have you done to her?” I said beginning to feel the blood inside me boil.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“It isn’t what I’ve done that should worry you but what I’m about to do. She’s caused me a lot of trouble and now she has to pay,” Martinez replied. “So I’m going to fuck her and I’m going to enjoy it.”

I clenched my fist around my phone. I just about managed to stop myself from crushing it right there and then but I shook with fury all the same. Never had I felt so much anger towards another singular person.

I heard a muffled cry come from Ella. The pain and desperation in her voice was real and something you rarely heard from Ella Jones.

“You know who I am, Martinez-”

“I am well aware,” he replied. “Leonardo Loren. The most ruthlessly terrifying man to ever live.”

“Then you’ll be well aware of what I do to people that do things that anger me,” Leo said. “And raping my Luna is top of that list.”

“You’ve got nothing on me, Loren. Even if you do find me, you’re alone, outnumbered and we have guns,” he said in an amused tone. “And relax, I’ll ensure that she has fun. After all, it is the last thing she’ll do before death.”

I then heard the ripping of some kinda of clothing.

“Get your hands off my mate,” I ordered.

“I know you’re not used to being disobeyed but on this occasion, you’re just going to have to deal with it. I don’t answer to you, Loren.”

“Leo, please go,” Ella said. “I don’t want you to hear this.”

“No,” he stated. “50 thousand dollars and you stop her immediately.”

“You’re going to have to go a bit higher than that, Alpha. I own a drug cartel, 50, 000 is but a drop in an ocean,” Martinez scoffed.

“100, 000.”

“150 and I let you say goodbye,” Andrea said.

“300 and you don’t touch, kill or hurt her and you give her back to me,” I said.

“Your mate is worth far more than that in the sex trafficking business,” he said placing his hand on my hips. “She’s very pretty by the way.”

“How much do you fucking want?” I growled.

“How about… if you meet me in Hermosillo with 600 in cash tomorrow afternoon, I will ensure that she is delivered back to you alive. For an extra 200 thousand, you can have her untouched,” he replied.

I glanced at Luca. He was looking incredibly concerned because he knew as well as I did that getting 800 thousand dollars in cash in less than 24 hours was going to be a huge problem.

“Yes or no, Loren? It is my final offer,” he said.

“Deal,” I replied finally. “800 thousand dollars.”

What choice did I have? I couldn’t let him hurt Ella and if nothing else it bought us time.

“2 o clock. Don’t be late,” Andrea said before hanging up.

“Alpha-” Luca began.

“I don’t know,” I interrupted saving him of even asking the question. “I have the money but getting it here and in cash is almost impossible.”