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So, when I answer Matteo, I know I’m talking to a man who understands the stakes.
“I’m fucking terrified to live on a planet where Cambria doesn’t exist. I will stop at nothing to bring her back and to keep her safe, with or without your men or your help.”
Matteo holds my gaze, his jaw clenched as he assesses me. Finally, with a single nod, I know I have backup.
The back room lights up with a flurry of activity as if everyone was awaiting the signal to spring into action. I suppose they were.
“Did you respond to the text?” Matteo asks.
“Not yet; I didn’t know what to do.”
“Tell them you’ll meet with them to negotiate. I already have my captains searching the area with foot soldiers for any place matching the background of the photo that was sent.”
“And we’re working on tracing the number of the person who sent you those texts,” says the man sitting to the right of Matteo. Luca, his second in command, I assume. We’ve talked over the phone but never in person.
“Thank you,” I say softly, humbled by the work they have already put into place.
I shoot off a text, staring at the screen and willing for a reply with an address.Give me a goddamn address, and I’ll be there.
Another text comes through at the same time, this one from Romeo.Armando filled me in on the situation. The Moscatellis will get you anything you need, and we’ll repay them double their efforts. Get your girl and your father and come back to New York.
I shoot back a text thanking him for his generosity. I should have run this past Romeo before even talking to Matteo, but thankfully, the Boss seems to understand my frantic state of mind. I know he can relate to the safety of the woman he loves being on the line.
“We’ll get your family back,” Matteo says firmly, bringing me back into the present. His phone rings, and he answers it right away. “Bosco, any news? Southside? Yes. Yes. We’ll be there in five.”
Guns click and shuffle underneath the table as the men step out of the booth and tuck their pieces away. Matteo lifts the seat of the booth they were just in, revealing a safe. He punches in a code, then opens the top to reveal a stock of weapons.
Luca grabs another gun, along with Matteo. The third man reaches in and then tosses me a pistol. “Just in case,” he says. I nod. “Dante, right? Armando told me to watch out for you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I mumble as I check the gun and load the first bullet in the chamber.
He chuckles. “Yeah, he said you’d say that.”
I glare at him. “Rocco, I assume?”
“At your service.” He holds out his hand, and I take it. “I won’t fuck around on this mission,” he tells me seriously. “We all know what it’s like to have the one person you care about in danger. I promise we’ll do everything we can for her.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod. “Thank you.”
“Let’s go, men,” Matteo announces.
“Should I wait for them to respond?” I ask.
“If they give us the address, great. If not, we know where they’re at. Might as well surprise them.”
It makes sense, and I feel foolish for not thinking of it myself. I’m always in control of the situation. I know where everything and everyone is at all times. I’ve planned for the worst-case and best-case scenarios and have an appropriate weapon for each.
But right now, my mind is flashing hazard lights and shooting daggers into my temples. Fuckin’ tension headache won’t let up, and I know it won’t go away until I have Cambria safe in my arms again.
A handful of minutes later, we pull into what appears to be shipping docks and a crumbling storage facility that have long been abandoned.
“You’re sure this is where they’re at?” I ask from the back seat. My leg hasn’t stopped tapping up and down the entire car ride. I’m crawling out of my skin being cooped up back here.
“One way to find out,” Rocco says from beside me.
He reminds me a lot of Armando, and I can see why they would get along. Instead of being annoyed, I find it oddly comforting.
As we climb out of the car, Matteo motions for us to get down. He signals for Luca and Rocco to head around the back of the condemned building, then joins me and points toward the front.
