ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 29

DAMON’S POV

Armed men surrounded us, but I kept my eyes on Antonio.

The man beside him smiled. “I was expecting your wife to come alone, based on how she sounded on the phone.”

I ignored him, still staring at Antonio.

“You,” I said slowly, almost disbelievingly.

Antonio gave a small shrug. “I know. You look heartbroken.”

Rhys dropped the duffel bags with a loud thud. “Should’ve killed you last night at the party.”

Antonio’s mouth curved faintly. “And yet here I am.”

My jaw tightened.

I remembered the countless nights we spent drinking together with friends and business partners at his club, Eden.

The deals, the conversations, and the plans.

All bullshit.

“You took my children,” I said flatly.

Antonio tilted his head. “It wasn’t personal at first.”

“At first?” I repeated.

He sighed as though I was forcing him to explain something obvious. “You started becoming a problem again. Both of you.”

His eyes flicked toward Rhys.

“The underworld was finally stabilizing after Rocco died,” he continued, “when you decided to disappear for a year.”

Rhys smiled coldly. “And that offended you enough to kidnap my nieces?”

“You have no idea what a year without a Don did to us,” Antonio said, sneering. “I never liked you. I never wanted you to be Don. But I tolerated it because I trusted Gravari.”

He walked slowly down the short stairs.

“And you vanished for a year,” he continued, then turned to me. “This was what you killed Bellini for? It’s all your fault. That’s why your children will suffer.”

Rage burned through me so strongly that I almost reached for the gun in my jacket.

But I held back for the right moment.

“The bastard doesn’t deserve the title,” he added. “But the other loyalists are too afraid of you to join me so this was my entire plan. If I can have leverage over you, and get your brother to step down, I could be the Don of Dons.”

I stared at him for a moment, letting every word settle.

“Don of Dons?” I asked. “You kidnapped my daughters because you wanted a title?”

Antonio’s expression hardened. “Don’t reduce this to mere ambition. I am the only one not afraid to do what’s necessary.”

Rhys cut in. “Since I’ve been back, the underworld has been stable again in just a few weeks. This isn’t about that. You have a personal motive.”

“Doesn’t change the fact, bastard,” Antonio countered disdainfully. “I’m sick of hearing the Gravaris this, and the Gravaris that. I also want to build a legacy for myself. I deserve to be feared and respected.”

My phone notification went off.

I didn’t bother to check. I already knew who it was.

“Jealousy and envy are diseases, Antonio,” I said, trying to buy time. “You can succeed without pulling anyone down.”

He shook his head. “Not in this case. Where is the cash?”

“In the bags, you idiot,” Rhys answered.

Antonio’s gaze shifted to the bags briefly before returning to us.

“Open them.”

Rhys nudged one forward with his foot. “Do it yourself.”

One of the armed men stepped toward the bags cautiously while keeping his gun trained on us.

The man crouched beside the bag and unzipped it halfway.

Stacks of cash came into view.

Antonio exhaled slowly, almost satisfied. “Good,” he said. “At least you’re smart enough to listen. Is it complete?”

Rhys pointed at the bag. “You can count it yourself. Where are the hostages?”

Antonio didn’t respond.

Instead, he gestured at the men to bring the bags closer to him.

I took a step closer. “Where are my children, Antonio? Don’t try to fuck with me.”

Two armed men stepped forward and trained their weapons on me.

Antonio lifted his eyes to mine. “They’re safe. I’ll take you to them, but I need a guarantee that you won’t kill me once you get them.”

Rhys and I exchanged glances.

I turned back to him. “I’ve fulfilled my part of the deal. I don’t owe you assurance.”

“Then we can all sit here together and catch up,” he said, lowering himself onto the only seat available.

My phone pinged again.

The man beside Antonio frowned at me. “Do we have to worry about why your phone is going off?”

I didn’t answer.

“What’s your name?” I asked instead.

“Hugo.”

I nodded slowly. “Where are my daughters?”

Hugo turned to look at Antonio before responding. “We can take you to them now. As long as we know you won’t turn around and kill us.”

I smiled faintly. “That depends on whether my children are alive and unharmed.”

Antonio leaned back in his chair. “They are safe. If you want to see them, your brother must remain behind.”

I was expecting him to say that.

I exhaled deeply, pretending to be oblivious. “Fine. Take me to my children.”

Antonio stood up, smiling widely.

“Now you’re talking,” he said, then gestured at the armed men in the room. “Get the cars ready. We’re all leaving, except the bastard and his men. I’m sure they’re lurking around.”

Another notification came on my phone.

It was the third one.

Which meant—

I brought out my phone to check.

It was a message from one of my men confirming that the kids, Susan, and Mrs. Marlow had been retrieved from the other location.

I moved my index finger to the trigger.

“If you kill our boss we all die,” Hugo said, drawing our attention. “If I press this detonator, none of us will walk out of here alive.”

He held it up for us to see.

Rhys laughed and stepped closer to him.

“Stay back or I’ll do it,” Hugo threatened.

“Go ahead,” Antonio ordered.

All his men turned to look at him, surprise flickering in their faces.

“You heard me!” he said. “Go ahead! Do it! They’re going to kill us anyway!”

I struck him with the gun. “Shut the fuck up.”

Hugo lifted his hand higher.

“I’ll do it. I mean it,” he snapped.

“Fucking do it, Hugo!” Antonio barked. “Press it!”

Hugo looked at him once.

Then he shut his eyes and pressed the button.

A beat passed, but nothing happened.

Silence swallowed the room, except for distant gunfire outside.

Hugo frowned, staring down at the device in his hand, then pressed it again.

Still nothing.

Rhys let out a short laugh. “That’s embarrassing.”

Antonio stiffened. “What did you do, Gravari?”

I turned him to face me. “The first notification on my phone was a confirmation that the bomb had been neutralized.”

His men shifted, waiting for me to act first.

“The second meant my men had surrounded us,” I added. “And the third confirmed the others had gone to the real location and freed the hostages.”

Shock flashed across Antonio’s face.

“You had the audacity to touch my children,” I said through gritted teeth. “But I still beat you, Antonio. You will never be as strong, or as powerful as the Gravaris. You will have no legacy. I’ll make sure of that.”

His expression shifted.

Without even looking, I lifted my gun and fired at Hugo.

The bullet tore through his head and he went down.

The detonator flew from his hand, skidding across the floor.

One of the armed men lunged for it immediately.

Rhys shot him in the chest before he could touch it.

Then chaos broke loose.

Multiple guns lifted at once.

I dragged Antonio in front of me as bullets tore through the room.