Stronger: Your Love Is Dangerous, #3

By Talia Ellison

I promised Seth I'd find him and that's exactly what I'm going to do, even if he doesn't want me to. Unfortunately, I can't save him on my own, but I have a plan.

I'll make the Rosa Nera believe that I'm on their side and that I've forgiven their leader for what she's done to me so that I can use them for what I need.

But tricking them into helping me won't be easy, especially when only one wrong move could cost me my life.

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This is the third installment in the three-book Your Love Is Dangerous series.
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Reading order:
MISTAKEN (Book 1)
FUGITIVE (Book 2)
STRONGER (Book 3)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Talia Ellison
• Release date: Nov 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386834106

Talia Ellison

Talia Ellison is the author of Hold Me, Unfold Me, the Loving Your Enemy series, the Your Love Is Dangerous series, Destroying the Billionaire, The Mafia Proposal series, the My Broken Hitman series, the Her Dark Mafia Heart duet, the Owned by the Mafia Queen series, the Never His duet, the Taking Revenge on Her Bully series, the Varano Mafia series, and Arranged: Cassaro Mafia. She loves to read and write all kinds of romance, and she has a thing for broken, tortured heroes and fierce heroines who aren't afraid to take what they want. When she’s not busy with a book, she likes to watch TV shows and listen to music. Never miss a new release! Sign up for Talia’s newsletter: https://taliaellison.weebly.com/newsletter.html

Book preview

Chapter 1

WAIT, WHAT? CHIARA gaped at me after I finished telling her what had happened only an hour ago. Is this some kind of a joke?

I shook my head. If only it were.

But no, Seth had been taken from me. My mother had walked into my club with a group of men and handed Seth over to Gustavo, a man who claimed he owned Seth because of a contract Seth had signed as a teenager. As soon as I’d been able to think again, I’d called Chiara and we’d been in my office ever since.

I know it sounds crazy, I said. But my mother must have found out that Gustavo was looking for Seth and she just took the opportunity to get him away from me. I stared down at my hands that were clasped on my lap, my mind still a little hazy.

After Seth and everyone were gone, I’d pinched myself multiple times in hopes I’d wake up from this nightmare, but my reality didn’t change. Tears stung the corners of my eyes, but there was no time to cry. I had to find Seth. The only problem was that I didn’t know how I was supposed to do that.

I don’t understand, Chiara said, her dark brown eyes focused on mine. Did you know about that? Seth’s deal?

No. He didn’t want to tell me. Why hadn’t he trusted me with his secret? We could’ve done something about it or at least be prepared. I knew there was someone after him, but I didn’t know who or why. And he didn’t seem too concerned over it, so I assumed it wasn’t anything serious. I should’ve pressed. I ran my hand over my face. I should’ve forced him to tell me.

Don’t blame yourself for that. She reached out across the desk and placed her hand over mine. We’ll get him back. Do you have any ideas as to where that man could’ve taken him?

Not really, but I think Gustavo isn’t from this city. He’s from somewhere else. I suppose that’s why Seth thought he was safe, although people were already talking about The Deadly Sin, so he should’ve assumed word would get out quickly and spread. Maybe he expected it to happen. I don’t know. He couldn’t have known Gustavo would have my mother’s help, though. I gritted my teeth. I shouldn’t have let her in. We could’ve defended the club and ourselves if we’d just... I was never going to forgive my mother for this. Never.

Okay, Chiara said, leaning back in her chair and pulling out her phone. Do you know Gustavo’s last name?

No. It was frustrating just how little I knew about this and about Seth too. I’d been hoping that, with time, we’d get to discuss everything. Hell, after all we’d been through, we needed to just enjoy ourselves and relax a little. Unfortunately, my mother had other plans.

But you know where Seth’s actually from, right? She tilted her head at me. Gustavo has to be from the same city. Seth wouldn’t be traveling to a different town just to meet up with Gustavo. It had to have happened somewhere near his home.

Yeah, I guess, but we never talked about it.

Do you still have access to those files about Seth that your father had when he hired him as your bodyguard?

I’m not sure. Maybe they’re still somewhere at my father’s house. But those files were fake anyway, so I don’t see how that could be of any use.

He might not have lied about everything. You mentioned he lived with his mother and his sister. Didn’t his file say the same? What about his last name? Can you use it to track down his family? He told you their names, didn’t he? Chiara was tapping her phone.

I’d already tried searching for any useful info on the Internet, but without much success. Gustavo didn’t seem to have any online presence, or at least I couldn’t find any without knowing his full name or city. Even if he owned a training club that served as a cover for a fight club, that would still be hard to find without having more details, and he could’ve opened it by proxy or under a false name. Maybe Gustavo wasn’t his real name either.

I doubt Seth’s last name on file is the real one. Gustavo would’ve tracked him down easily then, wouldn’t he? I sighed. If only we hadn’t sent home the guards who were at the door during fights. We also could’ve hired a few more and have them posted outside. Then we would’ve at least been able to... Thinking about it now wasn’t going to help, so I might as well stop torturing myself and find a way to get to Seth as soon as possible.

But didn’t Gustavo already know Seth was here? I mean, if John bought him...

Maybe. We don’t even know if Gustavo’s men were here and looking for him before or if Seth was merely being cautious in case they showed up. I groaned. John could’ve given fake info about himself to Gustavo, especially if he was planning to free Seth.

I still can’t believe this. Why didn’t John involve the cops? He was a good man and he protected all of us, but none of us here had such serious problems. I don’t understand why he...

When Seth and I broke into Rubio’s office, we found a police report on John. He was under investigation for human trafficking. I think that might’ve been related to this. For all we know, he tried going to the cops, but Gustavo stopped the investigation, or John thought reporting it was too much of a risk for people like Seth.

There are so many things we don’t know. Do we still have any of John’s stuff somewhere? We might be able to find out where he traveled or when he could’ve gotten Seth.

It was all sold or thrown away, and there’s never been anything personal in here. John had trusted me enough to leave me in charge of the club after his death, but why hadn’t he trusted me with any of this? If he’d left me something. Anything. Any information about potential enemies or other fight clubs. But I supposed he hadn’t wanted to involve any of us in that.

Do you think John saved someone else too and not just Seth? Do you think he bought others, who might still be out there and who might be able to help us?

I don’t know. I already hated saying this. He might’ve been able to get only Seth.

But if Gustavo wants Seth so much, why did he sell him in the first place? Do you think John had something on Gustavo?

Seth told me John had saved his life when he was planning to lose his next fight. Gustavo might’ve been aware of that, so he opted for selling him instead. Seth might have hidden a lot from me, but I didn’t think he’d outright lied to me about everything. It was more like he’d just evaded and tweaked the truth a bit. And if Gustavo thought he’d get Seth back later if John didn’t pay in full like they agreed... This was all just speculation, though, since there was no way for us to know the truth. I wish it were still about money, because then I could buy Seth from Gustavo. I don’t think Seth will ever be willing to fight for that man again.

Chiara’s eyes widened. But if he won’t... does that mean Gustavo will...?

I don’t know. I swallowed hard. I don’t think he intends to kill him. He would’ve done that already right here. At least I hoped I was right about that, because if Seth died... I didn’t even want to consider that. I think Seth went after Gustavo’s associates and killed some of them. Maybe even freed their fighters. I think that’s how he knew about the Wolves, because they had been forcing people to fight for them too.

So during the time that Seth was with John, he was going after criminals? Her jaw went slack. Geez. That’s just...

Yeah.

I never thought John would be okay with that, she said quietly. I mean, I’d expect him to try to find a better way. A legal one. Not like some kind of vigilante stuff.

Seth could’ve done it on his own. I shrugged, although it was unlikely John hadn’t known about it or helped him in some way.

I just can’t believe Seth was forced to fight for that man for years, and to the death.

Gustavo must’ve trained him first, gotten him away from his family, and... My voice cracked a little. Seth was just a child who needed money for his family, and Gustavo used that and...

Didn’t Seth talk about some fighter he knew—the one from Mortesana who was forced to fight—and said that the guy’s family had been told all kinds of lies so they wouldn’t look for him? Was Seth’s situation the same? Gustavo must’ve threatened his family.

I nodded. Speaking of Mortesana... My mother probably had something in mind for her fight club. My mother made a deal with that man and I don’t know what it is. It can’t just all be about Seth. She wants something, and she knows exactly where Gustavo is and maybe even where he took Seth.

Is there any way for you to get your hands on that info? We could ask the Cobras for help again. I know we still owe them, but...?

I don’t have an army with me to break into the Rosa Nera’s hideouts, and if I ask my mother about it, she won’t give me anything. She doesn’t want me to be with Seth. And the Cobras might not be willing to help since, like you said, I still owe them a favor. Besides, I don’t have any information to give to them, and I don’t know if they’d betray me. Sure, they helped me save my father, even though they risked pissing off my mother. But they didn’t break any deals with her, and I don’t know if they have any ties to Gustavo or if they’d be able to track down someone from a different city. My mother controls too much of this city now, so it’s complicated for them or anyone to spy around. Not to mention, it’s risky. They lost too many members already.

But what did your mother gain with this? She only ensured that you hate her forever. I don’t get her logic. Why do this to you? You were happy. How does she expect you to work with her again after this? Or has she changed her mind? Chiara put her phone down, and I assumed she hadn’t found anything either. And with so little info, it seemed impossible anyway.

I don’t think she understands. She believes I’ll forget about Seth or that I’ll be horrified because of what he was forced to do, although I’m not sure how that would make sense since she’s responsible for a lot of people’s deaths. So maybe it’s not that. Maybe it’s all because he signed that deal and was practically a slave, so she thinks that’s somehow beneath us all. Or that I’ll be upset because he didn’t tell me anything. My mother was crazy, so trying to figure out her logic was pointless.

Could you maybe lie to her and get her to give you what you need? Chiara bit down on her lip. I know you don’t want anything to do with her, and really, who would? But so far, she’s the only person that we know of who might lead us to Seth.

Maybe, if I can get her to trust me. But I can’t be the one to contact her. She’d have to approach me first. I didn’t know if we had enough time for that, but if I just showed up and told my mother that she was totally right about Seth and that I was back on her side, she’d never believe me and would know I was plotting to get him back.

But we don’t...

Yeah, I know. We might not be able to wait too long, but I hope she still needs me for something. She doesn’t seem to be very patient, and she might want to try to distract me from thinking about Seth. I’ll go to my father’s house to see if there’s anything in Seth’s files that could help us. I got to my feet. Do you think you could ask around if anyone saw any strange men around? We might be able to tell which direction they’d gone.

I’ll see what I can do. Did they happen to have any recognizable symbols?

No. Either Gustavo didn’t have a symbol that represented the gang or organization he was leading or he’d been careful enough not to show it around here.

We’re going to find him, Chiara said.

I really hoped she was right.

Chapter 2

AS I STRODE TOWARD my father’s house, I ignored the dull ache in my stomach that had been present ever since Seth had been taken from me. Glancing down at my phone, I let out a frustrated sigh. My mother still hadn’t called, and I wondered if waiting for her to do so was a terrible idea. But if I went back to her now on my own, she’d know something was up and she’d do everything in her power to prevent me from ever finding Seth.

I just wished I knew if he was fine. Maybe there was actually something useful my father had uncovered about Seth. The guards opened the front door for me, and I hesitated a little, the bad memories connected to this house still not completely gone from my mind. But I had no time to worry about that.

The papers still had to be somewhere in Shawna’s office, so I immediately headed there. Hopefully, Seth hadn’t faked all the information about himself or had left me enough to be able to track him down. If not, I’d have to go around the city and visit some gang to ask about Gustavo. But that would be too dangerous, especially since I didn’t know who was aware of the fact that I was Ingrid’s daughter.

My mother had a lot of enemies, but a lot of friends too, so I’d first have to make sure I wouldn’t be walking straight into a trap. If I contacted someone who worked for her, she’d know and she’d stop me.

Victoria! What a pleasant surprise, my father said as he appeared at the end of the hallway, his brown eyes sparkling with joy.

Hey, Dad. I actually need something Shawna might have.

He inched forward, the cane he used to help him walk hitting the floor with loud thuds. Even though I’d shot him to save his life, I was still a little bothered about it. It shouldn’t have happened. My father shouldn’t have gotten dragged into my problems with the Wolves, but there was nothing I could do to change the past.

What do you need? His face grew serious. Please tell me and I’ll have someone fetch it right away.

My father was working on no longer being the bitter man who hated me for things I hadn’t done, and I kind of liked that, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. I’d explained some things about my mother and the gangs to him, but hadn’t really mentioned my fight club or Seth. I figured he still wasn’t ready to hear all that.

Honey. He stopped in front of me and caught my hand in his, his gaze intent on mine. Whatever it is, you can tell me. If I can do anything to help, I will. But please don’t hide important things from me. If you’re in trouble again or if Ingrid did something...

Well, yeah, my mother had definitely done terrible things, but I’d deal with that eventually. Right now, all that mattered was Seth. Should I trust my father with this? I took a deep breath and figured I should try. It wasn’t like I had too much to lose. At least I was sure he wouldn’t be contacting my mother to tell her what I was doing.

I told you Seth and I have been living in an apartment at the other end of the city, but actually... I also own an underground fight club. I waited for my father’s reaction, but his face was expressionless.

Go on, he said.

You won’t laugh or say how ridiculous that is?

I’m trying to get better at accepting your decisions, even if I don’t like them or agree with them. You were right before. You’re an adult now and I should treat you like one. It’s your life. But tell me, when you were sneaking out of the house for months, was it because you were going to that club? And those bruises you had...?

I nodded. "Yeah, but don’t worry about that. The club