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“Okay Gabe, okay,” Jeffrey’s blue eyes widen. He didn’t want to get Gabbriello angrier. “She came home, and I thought she was out with another man. Over the past few months, she has been distant. I got a copy of her schedule because I was worried. She wasn’t coming home on time, she smelled like cheap cologne, and I didn’t know what to do.”
“What did she say?” Nicholas asked, who is sitting to the left of Jeffrey.
Jeffrey shrugged. “Nothing really. She denied she was seeing another man, but I knew she was. I just knew it. We fought about it, but she ended up running off. I tried to follow her, but she was gone by the time I got out the door.”
Gabbriello let out a heavy sigh and looked him straight in the eye. “Did you put your hands on Samantha?”
Jeffrey’s blue eyes widened. “What? I…, no, I didn’t hurt her. I would never hurt her. I just don’t know where she went. Usually, if she runs off, she’s back within the hour. She would just buy a pack of cigarettes and then come back. I went to the store, but they said she didn’t come in. I don’t know where she is, and her phone keeps going to voicemail.” Jeffery said in a shaky voice.
Gabbriello turned toward Rinaldo and his brother before speaking. “Do you think someone has her?”
“I don’t know,” Mariano responded.
“The Balotelli family has been sending more threats lately, but they’ve always been all smoke, no action,” Rinaldo responded.
Donato Balotelli aka Big D ran the Balotelli family business.
Gabbriello thought about Big D.
What a fucking joke. He had no moral compass and would do anything for a dollar, including selling kids. He knew one day he would eventually kill that fat bastard, but he didn’t want to cause a war without a just reason.
Mariano’s voice interrupted Gabbriello’s thoughts.
“They could be behind her disappearance, but that doesn’t make sense, because if they did do something, they would make sure we knew it was them. She would already be dead.”
“None of this makes any sense. She is not officially in the family, so why would they bother her? I think she probably ran off somewhere and she will show up in about a week.” Nicholas said dismissively.
A wave of silence fell among the men. Gabbriello knew, as the boss, it was his call on how to handle the situation. They could either do a citywide search and try to find her or wait it out until she turns up, dead or alive.
“Please,” Jeffrey begged. “I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“If she ran off intending to turn us into the cops to get back at you, then we are all at risk.” Mariano said.
Gabbriello remained silent. He was very careful about who he allowed in his inter-circle. Samantha was not a part of that circle, but he couldn’t be sure how much Jeffery had told her. He once had a worker from the hotel who was an undercover cop and attempted to infiltrate his illegal businesses. Gabbriello found out about it and had Mr. E. take care of him. To this day, Gabbriello does not know where the man’s body is and, frankly, he could not care less. Nothing or no one was going to threaten his way of life.
Jeffrey shook his head. “No, she wouldn’t do that. I know she wouldn’t. You have to help me find her.”
“How much did she know?” Rinaldo asked.
Jeffery looked nervously at the men.
Gabbriello leaned into Jeffery. “Answer the fucking question. How much did she know?”
“What… She didn’t know anything, well, not really…” Jeffery’s voice trailed off.
“What the fuck did you tell her?” Gabbriello yelled.
“Nothing. She knew about some drugs being sold, but that didn’t reach you, I swear. I would never betray the family.”
Gabbriello wasn’t really worried about Jeffery telling her too much because he wasn’t privy to most of the dealings with the illegal side of the business. He was too soft, and Gabbriello knew he would crack under pressure. Jeffery worked at the club and over saw a few drug transactions, but that was it.
“I can have my men sit on her relatives’ homes to see if she turns up there,” Rinaldo offered
“And I can have some men out to cover more ground. She’s scheduled to work in an hour, so I can wait here to see if she turns up for her shift.” Nicholas said.
“Okay,” Gabbriello said as he stood. “Jeff, you wait at home. Mariano, go back to the hotel. Nic, review any surveillance footage to see if it gives us any more info.” He paused. “Let’s go Rin, I’m going to pay a visit to Big D?”
“Gabe, why the fuck would you go there?” Nicholas asked.
