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A cold chill slid down my spine as soon as I noticed Sabatino’s figure standing on a deck. It was a restaurant. He was with a group of men. It was obvious the shot had been taken from a distance. I flicked back to the list, frantically searching the information.
At the bottom was Sabatino’s name, typed notes written by it.
Will likely be inducted into the Brotherhood.
What the hell did that mean?
Even more crazed than before, I realized Andres had his email up. The man didn’t waste any time. I glanced at the door again before pulling up one that had been sent a couple of hours before. It listed the address. I sucked in my breath, trying to keep from making a single sound.
The email address was one I recognized. It was Rico’s private email.
No. No.
I backed away, trying to think clearly. The man betraying the DiMaggio family was his own second in command. That’s how the incident in front of the ice cream store had occurred.
As I moved to the hallway, I thought about the weapon in my purse as well as my phone. I had to call Sabatino and warn him. I tiptoed toward the living room. When I passed by the foyer, I noticed the alarm was off. What in the hell was going on?
The same kind of fear I’d experienced all those years ago returned in full force, but I was determined not to be the frightened girl I’d been before. I raced toward the guest room, slowly opening the door. The boys were still sleeping but Max wasn’t there. Where the hell had he gone? Maybe he was searching the house. God. I needed him by my side. I waited until I was close to the living room to call out his name. “Maxie. Where did you go, buddy?”
I couldn’t stop shaking. We had to get out of here.
Hearing nothing, I wondered if maybe Andres had taken him outside with him. Why would he do that? Another sick feeling tore through me as I took cautious steps into the living room. The pup wasn’t in here either. I was ready to head back to the kitchen to grab Alicia, although I didn’t want to alarm her. I thought about my purse again and knew I’d feel more comfortable having the weapon closer.
Even though I tried to keep it from happening, panic tore through me and I raced toward my purse, trying to keep from waking the children. Before I had a chance to grab either the weapon or my phone, I heard a sound drawing my attention. Then a scent assaulted my senses and my purse fell from my fingers back to the floor as horror set in. No. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. No. No!
Seconds later, a light was flicked on across the room.
Very slowly I turned my head, trying to keep from screaming.
There sat the monster enjoying a drink as he studied me. His grin was evil and, in his hand, he held a weapon that was pointed directly at me.
“Are you okay?” Alicia asked from outside in the hallway.
“Don’t come in here,” I exclaimed but it was already too late.
“No, please do come in. In fact, I insist.” His laugh was exactly as I remembered.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “How did you get inside my home?”
“Because I had help, some valuable help,” he growled and leaned forward in his chair, his glare centered on me. “Hello, Charity. Did you miss me? I think it’s time we had a little chat, don’t you? Tell me, how is our son?”
Sabatino
I pressed down on the accelerator, careening around several cars on the two-lane road. There was no time to lose. “Try them again,” I barked at my brother, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision. As the driver of the oncoming car pressed down on his or her horn, I was forced to take a hard swerve to the right, almost running off the road.
“Jesus Christ. Don’t fucking kill us. I’ve tried four times. Neither one of them are picking up the phone.”
“How much further?” I barked out.
“Less than a mile. Around the bend and it’s sharp. So fuckin’ watch it.”
We weren’t talking about the elephant in the car, the fact neither Andres nor his two men were answering their phones. The entire situation had been a setup and I’d played into it.
Miguel had called in more reinforcements, but by the time they arrived on the scene, our families could be taken from us. The thought weighed heavily on both our minds, so much so I couldn’t think clearly. However, Constantine and Gabriel remained in the city on some business along with several of their men. They were also on the way. With any luck, we’d have backup within a few minutes. One of the possible saving graces had been that because the airport was south of the city, we’d only been twenty-five minutes out.
Especially given the way I’d driven, like a bat out of hell.
All I could see was blood before my eyes, the words Diego had said over the phone lingering in my mind.
