Real art has been... what's the word? Kidnapped? No, that's not it. But, OK, kidnapped by business.

-Vivienne Westwood

16 HOURS BEFORE THE ABDUCTION...

Marco Orsini's POV

I sat on the head of the table in the boardroom of my office. The atmosphere in the room was so thick at the moment with my right side was my good friend, Lucca. We were both staring at a huge TV monitor hang on the wall while having a video conference all the way to Sicily. On the screen, two men hadn't stopped giving me disapproving looks. Since I was the one who called for this emergency meeting, I might add.

"What the hell is this 'emergency meeting' as you put it, is all about, Marco?" It was the Greek bastard who broke the silence. "Be sure your definition of 'emergency meeting' is a valid reason for normal people like us or I'll rip your head."

I sighed. This man was really cranky lately, I swear. Not that I could blame him. Laila—my sweet little one—was near on her due date and this man was so worried to death about the safety of his wife and their unborn child. Because of that reason, I would let off his grouchy attitude today. "We are facing a dire situation, gentlemen..." I paused for a while letting my word sink into their slow-witted brain. "...or at least, our club is facing disgrace."

"Theós," Nikos started, standing from his chair on the formal library of the Palazzo di Fiorenza. "I'm not having this stupid conversation. I have tons of work that needs my urgent attention than this crap." He directed his glare to the duke who was sitting silently to my side. "You—I can't believe you let that moron have this video conference I thought it's something important that's why I agree to this."

Lucca merely shrugged from his chair. I turned to face the monitor and scowled at the humorless man. "This is a very important matter, Nikos. It concerns your wife, Laila. Are you not really interested?"

He threw a dark glare in my direction. "What the hell? Why are you dragging my wife's name into this?"

"Why don't you humor him?" Leandro suggested to Nikos with amusement in his gold eyes. The two of them stare at each other for a long while in the library of Cesare Fiorenza. I was impressed that the unsmiling man let his sons-in-law used his favorite place in his palace.

Nikos sighed deeply and crossed his arms in the middle of his chest. "All right, spill. What is this all about? How does Laila fit into this?"

I hid my grin. See how fast I could get their attention? Even the most reluctant man would be interested to know everything when it concerns his own wife.

"Are you just going to grin there like a baboon or you are going to tell us about this 'emergency meeting'?" He glowered darkly, his blue eyes filled with annoyance.

I rubbed my jaw while a smile playing on my lips. I knew he would probably kill me after this but it was worth the try. I decided to bait him. "Why so cantankerous, Nick? Hell, it was not my fault that you are not getting laid lately."

Lucca and Leandro laughed out loud while the Greek bastard cursed at me loud and clear with the word he'd been missing since Laila entered her last trimester. "Enough of this, Marco. Stop baiting him for god's sake." The duke had said between laughter. "Let's just focus on the original agenda of this meeting."

"Right," I said, focusing on the main reason why I called for this meeting. "I regret to inform you that the Moretti have a divorce."

Silence followed my announcement. "So?" It was Nikos who broke the silence again with his sardonic tone. "How does it concern us or our club?"

"Really, Nick?" I asked in an irritated tone. "Did you somehow donate your brain to a research center for their further research in the human brain? Because it seems to me that you are not using your brain today." I grimaced at him. "This matter concerns us because of this our prestigious club is tainted with disgrace."

"He's not a member of our club, right?" Leandro put in.

"Damn right, he is not," Nikos answered with conviction.

"Now see, here..." I started, giving them hard look. "As I said before, he's practically a member of our club with your little possessive gesture I saw at Cesare's birthday party. Since he was almost there to be considered as a member his divorce is unacceptable."

"Unacceptable or not you can't do anything about it since they decide to divorce you can't do anything about it but hope that won't be a messy one," Lucca stated solemnly.

"No," I contradicted firmly. "There will not be a divorced man in our club. I cannot accept it. We need to bring them back together."

"We?" Nikos echoed in disbelief. "As if, I will help you."

I raised an eyebrow in his direction with a sardonic smile on my lips. "Oh, believe me, Nick. You will be the first one to help me. When Rafe Moretti comes home you don't want the old feelings to resurface, right?"

It took him a moment for my words to make sense in his mind. He threw me an acid look. "Are you implying that—"

I shook my head in an instant. "No. I'm not implying that Laila might fall for him again but the other way around. Since he was once again a broken-hearted man he might develop his old feelings for your wife and you don't want that, correct?"

I knew when I have these men at my side. From the look of Nikos, he already made his decision. "So what are you planning to do?"

I let myself have a self-satisfied smile, standing from my chair. I flattened my hands on the table. "I will be calling this: Operation Save Their Marriage. In order for them to get back together, we need step one."

"And what is that?" The duke asked dryly.

I smiled brightly in their direction. "Step one. We need to kidnap Rafe Moretti."

The deafening silence in my boardroom was almost annoying. I nearly laughed at their collective stun reaction.

"Dios mío. He's really a crazy person." Leandro remarked after a while. "Tell me, he's not serious about abducting this man."

"I'm afraid that he is," Lucca replied wryly. "The most illogical procedures are the best in his opinion." He looked at me with amusement in his grey eyes. "How do you plan to do this? Have you already hired men for this kidnapping thing?"

I eyed him with an innocent smile on my face. "Oh, I will not hire men for this job. I already have people in mind that will help me."

"I'm afraid to ask," Lucca murmured with a strange smile on his lips.

"Of course, you do." I agreed cheerfully, looking at them one by one. "Because I'm staring at the men who will help me abducting Rafe Moretti."

"As if, we'll help you with your lunatic plan, Marco," Nikos said in a serious tone. "We don't want to end up in jail with you. Just hire you goons if you want him and his wife to be together again."

I gave him an apologetic look. "I'm afraid that's impossible, Nick. Either the lot of you helped me with this plan or I will do this alone. Either way, if I somehow end up in jail I will confess that all of you are accessories to the crime. I will tell the police that you knew the plan."

Nikos threw me a dirty look from the screen. "Are you blackmailing us?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Call it what you want. I learned from Nonna that blackmail or not as long as you achieve your goal that's fine. Since I'm dead set to convince you to help with this matter, just think that you are helping our club. Lucca and I will fly to Sicily later today."

"We are?" Lucca's eyes widened in my direction. "What are your plans to do this abduction without getting us caught?"

I grinned at them. Great, I thought with such enthusiasm. Now our club would be safe. "It's one thing that I always plan in advance. Here's what I am thinking..."

Nikos Pallis's POV

Few hours after the disturbing video conference with Marco, here I was dressing for his idiotic plan.

"You're going out?" My lovely wife asked while she has reclined on the bed ready a book. She was really heartbreakingly beautiful even now she's in the last month of her pregnancy.

I walked to her bedside with a smile. I carefully sat on the bed and lifted her chin to give her a peck in the lips. "Yes, you might call it boys' night out. Marco and Lucca are coming."

"Oh, dear." Laila feigned a look of horror, her green eyes filled with amusement. "The last time you guys have boys' night out you ruined my bachelorette party in Vegas. What are you men up to this time?"

I raised an eyebrow in her direction. "We ruined your bachelorette party because your dear twin sister was not lying when she announced that she would hire male strippers as if, we would let it happened."

"Leila would not do such a thing."

I shook my head with a smile on my face, remembering that night. "Believe me, agápi mou. She's serious knowing how crazy the brain your twin sister works."

"She wasn't that bad." She defended her sister fiercely and then her eyes lit with excitement. "So are you going to tell me where are you going with the squad?"

I sighed debating if I would tell her the truth. Marco specifically told us not to tell the wives about this plan. But I don't want Laila to be in shock if she learns that we end up in jail. "The truth is the gang and I will kidnap Rafe."

Laila placed her hand in her swollen belly. She looked at me with such a horrified expression. "Sweet Maria...you are scaring me, Nikos! Do you want me to give birth right now? Do not say things like that so casually."

"But it's the truth," I informed her with a wary smile. I took both of her hands and kissed them. "It's Marco's idea on how to get back Rafe and his wife."

My wife shook her head in disbelief. "You are all crazy."

"Blame Marco and his drive to become the next big thing in saving the marriage of other people all over the world."

My heart jolted in my chest when she touched my face affectionately. Even the slightest touch from her could set my heart into a gallop. I never thought I would love a woman as much as I love her. She's my everything. "Just be careful, all right? Don't let the cop arrest you. I don't want to give birth while you are in jail."

"I will try, darling." I kissed her one last time before I went outside where Leandro was waiting for me.

"There's waiting for us in the coffee shop near Rafe's office." He said shortly, as we slid on the car and drove out away from the Palazzo di Fiorenza.

Once we arrived at the coffee shop I raised an eyebrow when I saw the black SUV parked on the pavement. Marco cheerfully announced that would be our ride for today and gave us a bonnet mask so no one would recognize us. I think he's taking this abduction thing far too much than necessary. Leandro called Cesare's chauffer to picked our car and bring it back to the palace. Lucca acted as the driver while the mastermind, Leandro, and I would do the work.

We waited for Rafe to come out in his office like common villains in books. After half an hour he went out of the building that's how our abduction of him took place. In one swift movement, we forced Rafe into our car and Leandro managed to handcuff him while I place a black sack in his head.

He tried to escape his handcuff at his back when Marco threatened him in Italian. "Don't you dare do something stupid or I will blow your head with my gun, do you understand?"

I stared at him in disbelief since he has no gun and mouthed. You are a crazy bastard.

The idiot merely grinned at my accusation.