Chapter 1 - The Ring on the Pillow
Vincent stared at the ring before touching the paper, as if the flawless seven-carat diamond were an explosive device wired directly to his throat. His calloused fingers, hands that had broken bones and signed multi-million-dollar maritime contracts without a tremor, shook as he unfolded the cream stationary.
""Vincent,
Three years ago, you promised to keep me safe from the monsters in your world. It took me collapsing on the cold floor of a corner grocery store to realize you became the only monster I needed protection from.
You told me you would send a driver if it was serious. Let me save you the gas.
I am done dying in silence so your penthouse stays neat. Do not look for me. The girl who loved you stayed behind at St. Bridget's Hospital. She died there tonight when you hung up.""
There was no signature. Just a faint round smudge where a single teardrop had dried into the expensive parchment.
Vincent dropped the letter. The penthouse air turned razor-thin. His chest contracted with a suffocating, violent spasm that knocked the breath out of him.
""Leo!"" Vincent roared into the dark hallway, his voice echoing off the Italian limestone.
His head of security, a broad man who had served the Caruso family for two decades, materialized instantly at the door, one hand instinctively hovering over his concealed Glock. ""Boss? What happened?""
""Where is my wife?"" Vincent’s voice dropped to a lethal rasp. ""Where is Emma?""
Leo glanced nervously toward the empty wardrobe, his weathered face draining of color. ""Boss... she left St. Bridget’s three hours ago against medical advice. My surveillance team outside the hospital reported she got into a yellow cab on Second Avenue. We assumed she was heading home to you.""
""You assumed?"" Vincent lunged, grabbing Leo by the lapels of his leather jacket and slamming him against the mahogany doorframe. ""You lost my wife in Manhattan? Put every soldier on the street! Call the precinct captains, pull the city traffic cameras, sweep Grand Central, Penn Station, JFK, and LaGuardia! If a single train or plane moves without her face being scanned, I will bury every man on your shift alive!""
Leo didn't flinch, knowing the fury was born of raw panic. ""On it, sir.""
Vincent stood alone in the center of the vast master bedroom. The closet doors stood agape, showing barren shelves where her soft cashmere sweaters, linen summer dresses, and worn leather boots used to live. She hadn't touched his credit cards on the dresser. She hadn't touched the safe containing her diamond necklaces or bearer bonds. She had taken only what belonged to her before she met him: a single battered duffel bag and her passport.
He pulled out his phone. His fingers dialed her number frantically.
""The number you have dialed is no longer in service.""
A cold sweat broke out along his nape. Just then, his phone chimed. It wasn't Emma. It was Madison Vale.
""Vincent, darling?"" Madison’s purring voice echoed over the speaker. ""I left my earring on your kitchen counter during our meeting. Did you deal with Emma's little tantrum yet? She's so needy when you have important business.""
A red fog filled Vincent's vision. For three years, Madison had played the loyal friend to Emma and the sharp business advisor to him, slowly whispering poison into his ear: Emma doesn't understand your world. Emma holds you back. Emma's anxiety is just a grab for attention.
""Madison,"" Vincent said, his tone chillingly soft.
""Yes, baby?""
""If you ever call this phone again, or come within a thousand feet of my properties, I will have you erased from New York society and dumped in the Hudson River. You took advantage of my blind stupidity. Do not test what is left of my patience.""
May you like
He hung up without waiting for her reply, smashing the glass of Madison's framed photo on the shelf with his bare knuckles. The blood dripped onto the white hardwood, bright and hot. For the first time in his ruthless life, Vincent Caruso realized that while he had been conquering an empire, he had burned down the only sanctuary that kept his soul human.
***
