After lunch, I escorted Nina back to the Sterling estate, handed her over to security, then headed straight for the council hall.
Halfway down the corridor, my assistant caught up with me.
“Don Moretti,” he said quietly, “Sebia has returned from Europe. He’s requesting a full executive briefing with the consiglieri.”
I acknowledged him without slowing, but beneath the composed exterior, something twisted hard in my chest.
Avery was still missing.
She hadn’t appeared at the clinic. She hadn’t returned to the estate. None of the staff had seen her leave. No guards had logged her exit.
She’d disappeared without a trace.
When? How?
Where the hell had she gone?
I lengthened my stride, irritation sharpening into something more uncomfortable. “Arrange for a selection of the newest designer handbags,” I said over my shoulder. “And that custom jewelry set from Milan.”
“For Nina?” my assistant asked automatically.
I stopped.
My jaw tightened. “Send it to the Sterling estate.”
If Avery was anywhere, that was where she’d go.
And if she wasn’t—
I cut the thought off. The unease clawed deeper than I liked.
What if she was hurt?
Still recovering somewhere alone?
What if she had truly left—for good?
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