Her Reckless Lion -Mafia Romance (BOOK TWO)

Two: Gedeon

Chapter Two:

Gedeon

Two weeks later...

"Boss, I really think—"

"Timor, if this isn't about where our next fucking lead is, I don't need your damn advice," I snapped, raking my hair back. There was a throbbing in the back of my head, but it wouldn't stop me. The maddening feeling of needing to do something had me on edge. Running on just two or three hours of sleep in the past two weeks was like a punishment for what I've put Dove through.

It was my retribution.

"Dude, you need to shower and get your head straight," Timor countered with a frown. "And maybe sleep. When was the last time you slept eight years?"

"I made a promise to Ana," I gritted out, resuming my focus back onto my laptop. Piles of paper were laid out everywhere, with the rest of the room trashed from my frustration. I didn't even leave the office aside from the occasions where I thought we had a lead to finding Dove. Everything was delivered to me, even meals that I barely touched. "I made a promise to find her."

I had to find Dove, no matter what.

Robert was like a weasel. He was weak, and so he did what he did best; hide. We had kidnapped, tortured, and killed more than I could count at this point. Every single one was Gaggi's men, and it seemed like Robert knew. He had purposely sent his men to mock me, letting his men carry a disposable phone where he'll call me.

Dove's screams, whimpering, crying were what kept me up when I closed my eyes at night.

Yet, I would never hang up. I needed to make sure she's alive. That she's here. 

"Yeah, you promised me, but I didn't mean work yourself to death was what I had in mind," Anastasia butted in, snapping me out of my thought. Hands were on her hips as she frowned at me along with her brother and Nicolai now. "Even Lizabeta is worried about you. She called me to check up on you because you know she doesn't do emotions."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. Why don't you take your energy in doing something else? Like helping me find where my wife is."

"Look, I get you're concerned, we all are," Aleksei began. "But this road isn't going to do anything but destroy you before you can find her. You need to rest for a bit."

"Another day that she's not here is another day where I can't rest," I shot back, anger rising in me again. I had never felt rage and frustration as I did right now with my most trusted people. I couldn't think straight, and I felt my mind spiraling. "Not until I know she's safe then I'll fucking rest. If you're going to just waste my time, get the fuck out."

Everyone glanced at one another and then made their way out slowly. I was still their boss, as with the other families, but right now, everything seemed minuscule compared to getting Dove back. The dizziness hits me along with the intense throbbing in my head and I sat back down. Out of habit, I grabbed for the battered copy of Little Women mindlessly, though everything she's scribbled and drawn was already embedded into my memories at this point.

It was the only connection I had left of Dove; her favorite book.

She had filled the pages with sketches. The first page was of what I presumed to be her Mother she had done when she was younger. From there, her skills and talents had progressed more and more. It was through the halfway marked that I realized she started to draw again when she came to live at my estate. Pages were filled to the brim with sketches of flowers, birds, and things that caught her interest.