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I don’t know how it happens, but I pull over. I’m shaking all over, my heart feels like it has been ripped out of my chest. There’s silence on the other end. “Baby? Thalia? Piccola?” I say, hoping she will answer one of them. She doesn’t. All I hear is silence, then creaking of what I assume is a door. A deep male voice sounds but it’s not Greg. “I’ve got the girl,” he states. Panic courses through me and every part of my body goes into shock as I stare in horror at the phone. Someone is taking my piccola.
“Leave her alone,” it’s Francois. His voice is a rasp and I hear the panic in it.
“No can do. We will return her when we get what we want,” the unknown voice says.
I jump into action. “Leave her the fuck alone. I will fucking kill you if you hurt one hair on her head.”
A sardonic laugh sounds and then the voice hits my ear. “Give us what we want,” he repeats before the line goes dead along with my heart.
I stare in disbelief, startling when a hand hits my arm. I glance at my father’s face, which is a mixture of sympathy and shock. I forgot they were here.
“What just happened?” he asks.
“Someone took Thalia,” my voice doesn’t sound right even to my own ears. I want to lie down and die. How did it come to this? Who took her? A new determination courses through me. I need to be strong for my piccola. I need answers. I put the car in drive and start towards the route she would have taken.
* * *
“What did they look like?” I bark at Francois. He flinches and I almost feel bad as I look at his injured face. Thankfully he’s okay and walked away with just a few cuts and bruises where the glass shattered, unlike Greg who was taken to a hospital. He was knocked out cold from the impact and they’re worried that he could have some head trauma. I hope he pulls through. It’ll devastate my baby if he doesn’t. I’m thankful Francois is here and cognizant. I need him to tell me what he saw. Remember anything even if he thinks it’s insignificant.
We’re at the Maxwell’s mansion around two hours after my piccola was taken and emotions are running high. Elena and Aria sit on the couch, sobbing and holding each other as my mama tries to comfort them. Thalia’s brother, Evan, paces whilst glaring and scowling at me as the woman I assume is his girlfriend tries to placate him. Christian makes several calls—to whom I’m not sure. My father stands in a corner, watching me with worry in his eyes.
Steps sound and a moment later thepolizia—police—walk through the door. I stiffen, my body bracing for news. I contacted Christian as soon as I arrived at the crash site, and he was in touch with them straight away. There is worry that she has been taken for ransom but I’m not so sure Mel doesn’t have something to do with it. I wouldn’t put it past her. I thought after everything she would stay away but after the public outburst and article, I don’t know what to think. It’s all too much of a coincidence.
“Well?” Christian snaps. I can see the emotion in his eyes. The absolute agony of his baby girl being taken. I’ve always seen him as a strong, formidable man. But in this moment, he is a father devastated by his daughter’s disappearance.
The man clears his throat. “I am Mattia Romano, Chief of Police here in Marignano. We are currently combing through the security footage from the town and interviewing eyewitnesses. The plates on the vehicle that your daughter was taken in are fake, untraceable, so we have nothing to go on there.” He sighs and I want to punch him in the throat for sounding so blasé about this. “Do you have any enemies, Mr. Maxwell? Anyone you know of that would do something like this?”
Christian steps up to the man and for a minute I think he’s going to grab him by the throat. “I haven’t got to where I am in life by not making enemies. It could be any number of people. Your initial thoughts were this was a kidnapping for ransom, but we haven’t heard anything about money. So, tell me, why the fuck are you not out there searching for my daughter? You must have something you can go on.”
Evan pulls his father away. “Calm down, dad. They’re doing what they can,” his voice is even, but I can hear the worry in it.
“If anything happens to her,” Christian chokes out.
Evan hugs his father, patting his back in a comforting gesture.
I decide it’s time to speak my worries. I can’t just stand here and do nothing if Melody is involved. “Have you investigated Melody Whitworth? She is my umm, ex-girlfriend who happens to have a vendetta against both Thalia and me.”
“This is because of you?” My head snaps to the voice and I find Evan rushing towards me. I plant my hands on his chest to stop him getting up in my face but it’s no use, the boy is seething, and I can’t even blame him. “I knew you were a piece of shit. Knew you were no good for my sister. And now you’re saying that because of whatyoudid my sister has been taken and could be dead by now for all we know,” he shouts, and I recoil at the word dead. Emotion stabs at my eyes and throat.
No.
Please don’t let any harm come to my baby. I promise I will be an upstanding human being. I will even give her up if you bring her back. I pray the words in my head as I squeeze my eyes closed.
“Open your fucking eyes and be a man.” Evan has now grabbed the shirt of my collar. At this point I don’t care if he kills me. I will gladly welcome it if anything has happened to my piccola.
“Evan, stop. This is not Theo’s or anyone else’s fault except for the people that took her. Let’s stop fighting and find Thalia. Please.” I open my eyes to find Elena holding Evans’s arm, her lips wobbling as she pleads for her son to calm down.
He releases me, pulling his mama into his arms. “Fine,” he spits. “The priority is finding Thalia. But I swear on everything holy, that if this is anything to do with you, I will fucking kill you.”
“Now, now, you can’t make threats like that in front of us sir. I know you are angry, but you can’t threaten to kill someone.” The chief steps up to Evan, a frown on his face.
Evan glares down at him but it’s Christian that speaks. “As you can appreciate, my family is very emotional right now. It was said in the heat of the moment. He didn’t mean it.” He grabs his son, dropping his mouth to his ear as he whispers something. Evan pulls back, nodding curtly, before he moves to the couch and sits with his concerned-looking girlfriend.
“Now, Mr. Maxwell, we are doing everything in our power to locate your daughter. If you hear anything in the meantime, please be in touch. You have my number.” Mattia looks to me. “If you can give me Miss Whitworth’s details, I will personally speak with her. It won’t take me long to find out if she has any involvement with Miss Maxwell being taken.”
My heart tightens in my chest at his words. So much so, I feel like I can’t breathe. My chest starts heaving, I go lightheaded. In a second, my father is beside me, holding me steady.
“Breath, son. Just breathe,” he whispers.
I do, I take deep breaths and then I remember that I need to be strong for my piccola. Determination courses through me. I will stop at nothing to get my girl back. I reel off as much information about Mel as I can. I don’t have her contact details and I only know that she is in San Giovanni with Dean because he’s competing. I don’t know where they are staying or if they are even on the showground. I tell him what I know though, and just hope that it’s enough.
I want my baby back.
In my arms.
Where she belongs.
