That’s a death wish.
Could it be a trap?
Lucia stands in front of the chain-link gate with five guards. She looks like she’s trying not to cry.
“Where’s Gigi? Why are we here?” I gasp as Matteo and I stop in front of her.
Lucia holds up her hand, Gigi’s burner is clutched in her fingers. “The tracker pinged it to this location and we found it right here in front of the gate. She must be here. Somewhere.”
My blood runs cold. Could someone have killed Gigi and left her on our turf as a warning? Another episode of the killer mocking me about how he’s able to get past my defenses with ease.
No. I won’t think like that.
A car horn honks loudly.
A range rover comes barreling into the parking lot, slamming its brakes and stopping next to my car. The doors open and my mom gets out followed by Bruno and Salvatore.
“Mom! What are you doing here?”
Mama stomps over to me. She’s dressed in a bomber jacket and jeans. She never wears jeans. “You think I’m going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs when my daughter has been kidnapped. Absolutely not. Lucia called me and told me this is where you think she is. I came right away. When I find the bastard who did this, he’s going to be getting a nice headstone.”
“Where’s Nonna?” I look around expecting her to appear.
“She’s home, resting. She wasn’t feeling good. I don’t want to upset her with this news. Bruno was in the living room and wanted to come.”
I sigh. I’m starting to feel like Bruno is becoming more of a liability than a helper.
“Then we picked up Salvatore on the way. Now why are we all standing around, my baby is in there.”
I push open the gate. “Everyone spread out and search. I want every train car, every track, every inch of this place turned over. We don’t stop until we find her. Keep aware of your surroundings. We don't know who else is in here.”
The guards go first casing the perimeter.
“Here,” Salvatore shoves something into my hand. “You might need this.”
Looking down, I see it’s a gun.
“Thank you.”
Everyone splits off in different directions.
Lucia heads to a line of boxcars.
Matteo breaks left.
Enzo, Luca, and Mom go right.
Bruno and Salvatore head to the empty flatbeds.
I sprint past the rusty tankers to the freight cars.
The maze of steel tracks stretches endlessly under the clear sky. Metal glints in the sunlight. Long lines of freight cars sit motionless like rusty giants. Chipped paint and graffiti marks cover the sides. Massive tankers, flatbeds, and boxcars are scattered across the grounds. Smells of oil, diesel, and dust fill the air. Barbed wire crowns the chain-link fences that surround the yard. No Trespassing signs are posted every few feet. Forgotten signal lights stand like a ghostly omen. A whistle sounds in the distance.
Gravel crunches under my boots as I walk down a set of tracks near the freights. Rust flakes at the edges of the steel. Grass sprouts in uneven patches between the ties. Some tracks disappear completely into the weeds that have taken over. A few of the wood sleepers have been devoured by ants and rot.
My pocket vibrates. Moving the gun to my other hand, I pull out my phone. The word Private flashes on the screen.
“Hello?” I raise the phone to my ear.
