Bend Me, Daddy

Enzo

My cell was at my ear before I'd even gotten out of the house. I kept my voice low. "Jade, it's Enzo. I need you to tell me where Sera is, and I need you to do it right fucking now."

She wouldn't tell me shit. Not even when I promised her a very large cash gift for handing over the information. I was told if Sera wanted to see me again, she would let me know herself. I had to admire her loyalty, and I would hope that she would show the same to me if the occasion ever arose. But that didn't help me right now.

A tingling ribbon of fear snaked its way through me, and I didn't understand why. It made no sense. I barely knew the girl. Running on autopilot, I climbed into the SUV and took off toward the strip club Luca owned to collect the cash and order more security for the bullshit reason I gave him. He didn't make it a habit to check the security videos. I was the one who did that, so I should be safe there. I ignored the twinge of guilt I felt for lying to my friend and picked up my cell to call my tracker.

After making it clear that he would be the next one to disappear if he breathed a word of this to anyone, anyone at all, I gave him Sera's first and last name, appearance, age, and last known location.

Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang. There was no record of a Serafina Cordaro anywhere in the area. No apartment rental records or credit card charges. That made sense. Working as an escort, she most likely got paid in cash, so there'd be no bank or credit accounts in her name. Not if she was smart.

I smiled to myself, thanked him for his time, and ended the call. The escort business. That was it. There was an upscale club where Jade and other highend escorts brought their dates. Kind of a if you know, you know, kind of place. Nothing official. But it was in Luca's territory. As a matter of fact, Jade had me meet her there the first time I'd hired her. She'd told me she and the other girls, or guys, often met new clients there as it was a public place and very discreet. If Sera was getting into the business, chances were, I would find her there.

Eventually.

Red hot rage flared inside of me, heating my blood until my hands gripped the wheel and my knuckles turned white. The same rage I'd been fighting since the night she ran off. It made no sense. I'd only known the girl a total of a few hours. I'd hardly spoken to her and hadn't so much as kissed her. And yet, in that time, she'd managed to crawl under my skin and nest within the empty cavity of my chest like she fucking belonged there.

Or maybe I was just bored with Jade and all of the other women I met who were either as cold and polished as marble or who thought being the wife of a mafia man would be easy. Nothing but days of shopping and gossiping with the other wives while being draped in furs and jewels. Women who only cared about the money. And Sera was something different. Something fresh and new that hadn't been hardened by the business yet. And this urgency I felt to get to her was because I didn't want her to disappear before I'd had a taste.

It took me over two hours to finish my business with Luca's strip club because of an issue with the liquor shipment. By the time I got out of there, a strange sense of dread was making my skin itch. I'd wanted to arrive early to catch Sera before she went into work. If, in fact, that was where she would be. If not, then my plan was to ask everyone at the club about her until I found someone who wasn't as loyal as Jade. I just needed an address, a phone number, anything. Just some way of getting in contact with her. I needed to know if she was, in fact, the missing mafia princess. Although I didn't see how she couldn't be. And if she was, then what the fuck was she doing whoring herself out to clients like myself who were members of the organization and knew her father. Or at least knew of him. Was this shit she was doing some kind of vendetta against the business that created her father? Or a way to choose a husband for herself? Because if he found out any one of us dared to lay a finger on her, he would demand retribution.

When I arrived, the place was in full swing, despite the fact it was still early in the evening. Done in black and silver with soft lighting and live musicians playing soothing tones on the piano or acoustic guitar, the place was sleek and rich looking without being gaudy, and allowed for both dancing and conversation. Tonight there was a girl on the piano singing a passable version of Uninvited by Alanis Morissette.

Gorgeous women in glittering dresses who didn't already have dates sat at the bar or wandered the room until they caught the eye of one of the gentlemen in tailored suits who had come there to have a few drinks and conversation, and possibly a date for the night. A pretty thing to have on his arm and show off to his friends. Or if he wished, to sink his dick into without worrying if she was going to tell his wife. The girls who worked here were professionals, and normally, I appreciated that.

But not tonight.

After speaking to half of the ladies in the room and getting nowhere, I went to the bar and ordered a double shot of their best whiskey. "I'll be over there," I told the bartender, pointing at a small table in the corner. I was getting frustrated. A few of them were willing enough to talk for a fee, but swore they knew nothing of another girl who worked with them that fit Sera's description.

How a girl with pink hair and that face could go without being noticed was beyond me.

Pulling out my phone, I checked in with Luca and Tristan while I waited for my drink, until the sound of shattering glass to my right made me lift my head with a scowl. The first thing I saw was my whiskey smashed all over the fucking floor, and I cursed under my breath. My eyes met those of the server who couldn't hang onto her tray.