Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
The endless questions buzzed in Aiden’s head all the way to the helicopter waiting for them.
He was so confused and distracted by those questions that it took him a while to realize that they had taken off and Zain’s private island was quickly disappearing out of sight.
Zain.
They didn’t… These bastards hadn’t done anything to him, right?
His heartbeat became so fast he felt dizzy, gasping for breath.
“What’s wrong now?” Lorenzo said gruffly.
“What did you do to Zain?”
Lorenzo’s expression darkened. “Nothing. We didn’t have time. We received the confirmation that he was the one who had you only this morning, and we had to prioritize. We decided to get you while he was busy with his brother. We can always deal with him later if the boss gives the order.”
Aiden breathed out. Okay. All right. Zain was safe for now; that was the important thing. And after finding all of his people brutally murdered, he would be on his guard.
It would be all right. Everything was going to be all right. Aiden would escape or Zain would find him, or—any alternative was unthinkable.
It was going to be all right.
This would seem like a distant nightmare once he was back with Zain.
And he would be.
He would be.
***
It didn’t take Aiden long to completely lose track of time. He had been moved from the helicopter to a private jet and then to another helicopter. He’d been offered food a few times, but Aiden refused to touch it. He didn’t trust these assholes. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were lying about having Jordan too.
The more Aiden thought about it, the more likely it seemed. But he still couldn’t risk Jordan’s life, on the off-chance that he was wrong.
So he waited.
At long last, their helicopter landed.
Wherever they were, it was early evening there.
Aiden frowned, looking around.
One thing was for sure: they weren’t in the UAE anymore. The weather was cold here. Well, not cold cold—it was pretty mild for February—but it was a world of difference from the Arabian heat Aiden had gotten used to in the past year.
The climate here seemed… Mediterranean. He could see hills covered in cypress trees, and there seemed to be a beach—and sea—some distance away.
“Where are we?” Aiden asked Lorenzo.
The man smiled. “Sicily.”
Frowning, Aiden eyed him warily. “What are we doing in Sicily?”
“I was ordered to find you and bring you to your brother. We didn’t kidnap him, by the way. He lives here.”
Aiden had never felt more lost. “Are you claiming my brother all of a sudden decided to move halfway across the world to Italy? That’s ridiculous. Jordan has no reason to—”
There was a man running toward him from the big white house on top of the hill.
Aiden’s breath caught in his throat when he recognized him.
It was Jordan.
His brother really was here. He didn’t look like he’d been kidnapped or hurt. He looked healthy, and he was wearing his usual high-end clothes. He looked fine.
Except for the fact that his brother was crying—his big brother who had never been one to express much emotion in public.
“Aiden!”
Before Aiden even understood what was happening, he was enveloped in Jordan’s arms and squeezed so hard his ribs hurt. “I can’t believe this,” Jordan said hoarsely. “They really found you.”
After a moment, Aiden hugged back, feeling absolutely confused—and suddenly, utterly terrified.
He had been rescued.
He really had been rescued.
Chapter Twenty
For the first few weeks after his rescue, things had been so hectic that Aiden didn’t have a moment to himself.
Everything felt surreal, like things were happening too fast.
There was a lot of news to digest. Apparently in the year he was absent Jordan had abandoned his life in Boston and moved to Italy to live with his new boyfriend. The latter was mind-boggling on several levels. Aiden hadn’t even known his brother was into men too. The identity of the boyfriend was even more mind-boggling: Jordan was dating the boss of the Italian mafia.
Granted, Damiano Conte was pretty attractive: he was tall, dark, handsome, and confident—which… yeah, okay, Aiden could see the appeal. Aiden still wasn’t sure what to think of his brother’s boyfriend, but Damiano had been very accommodating. He had sent his private jet to bring Aiden’s parents and sister to Sicily, and for the past few weeks, they’d all been staying at Damiano and Jordan’s house. It had been… strange, to have so many people around all the time.
The knock on the door snapped Aiden out of his thoughts.
It was his mother. “Can I come in, darling?”
“Sure, Mom,” Aiden said with a smile.
His mother walked over and sat down beside him on the bed. “How are you, sweetie?” she said, taking his hand.
Shrugging, Aiden smiled again. “I’m fine.”
His mother’s gaze was searching as it roamed over his face. Her hazel eyes, so much like his own, were unsmiling, troubled. “Have I ever told you about the day you were born?”