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I jump into the back of the Rolls just as my men reach the car and climb in.
“The park. Now,” I order. The car speeds away before the doors are even closed.
“Boss—”
I hold up my hand to stop Alessio. I can’t. Whatever he was going to say needs to fucking wait. Nobody speaks after that. The only sound is the ragged breathing of three men on edge.
That’s when I remember that my daughter isn’t the only one in danger.
I look at the man opposite me, whose face is blank as he sits ridged. Alessio has dedicated his life to me, and now he might lose his daughter too. I look away. I have nothing to give him. No words of comfort, no false promises. The likelihood of our daughters surviving the night is virtually non-existent.
As the car pulls up outside the park, we all dive out, guns drawn as we run to where a small crowd has gathered. I push my way past them, stopping when I see the woman’s body on the ground.
“Get these fuckers out of here,” I yell to my men as the gawkers continue to just stand around.
I crouch and slide the hair off the woman’s face before looking down and seeing that she’s been shot in the chest.
“That’s the nanny, so where the fuck are the kids?” I hear Alessio snarling behind me.
I’m already up and looking. Part of me almost hopes I find them dead. If my enemies have taken them, death would be a kindness. The now deserted park looks sinister as the day bleeds to night, the lone swing creaking in the breeze.
I whip my head around at the faint sound of crying. I zero in on the playground and see the neon-colored tubes woven in and out of the main structure for the children to crawl through and slide down. I climb the frame and listen for more crying. The night is eerily quiet once more, as if the darkness is holding its breath.
There. A sniffle. I duck my head and look inside the large green tube and find two sets of terrified eyes looking up at me—one set just like her mother’s. My daughter has her arms wrapped around Alessio’s girl, trying to comfort her. But now that I’m here, she doesn’t need to be strong anymore.
“Daddy,” she whispers as I reach for them both.
She wraps her arms around my neck and holds me tightly as I pass the other little girl to her father. I stand there for a moment, breathing her in, holding her trembling body a fraction too tight as I fight to get my emotions back under control.
“I want Mommy.”
I shudder at her words, supporting her with one arm as I use the other to climb back down.
“Me too,” I whisper into her hair for only her little ears to hear.
She lifts her head, her wet eyes staring into mine with a knowledge way beyond her four years of age.
“I love you,” I murmur to her, something inside me breaking.
“Love you too,” she replies, laying her head against my shoulder, her hand wrapping around the necklace she is wearing. I lift my head, my eyes meeting Alessio’s. His daughter is in much the same position as mine. Though they are both safe for now, it comes with the understanding that it wasn’t my money or men that kept them safe, but sheer fucking luck.
A feeling of helplessness washes over me, something I haven’t felt since I was a boy. I push it down, letting my anger smother my fear. This day will haunt all the rest that follow. No act of war or vengeance will bring back all that I’ve lost, but I’ll be damned if I let the bastards take any more. If they want a war, I’ll give them a war. But first, I need to make sure my daughter isn’t caught in the crossfire. She needs the kind of protection I alone can’t give her.
I stare at the man opposite me, who has already given me so much, and order him to give me more.
“Tell me, Alessio, just how loyal are you?”
His eyes widen. “You don’t have a man more loyal than me,” he answers, his voice devoid of any anger, though I’m sure my question pissed him off. Questioning a man’s loyalty is akin to testing his integrity.
“Good, because I need something from you.”
“Anything. Just tell me what it is.”
I lick my lips, wondering if he’ll still feel that way in a minute. “I want your daughter.”
He takes a step back, wrapping his arms tighter around his child.
“What?”
