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The first place that goes up in flames is the guy Frederico’s been planning this with. Turns out his name is Rocco, and helivedin a trailer on the outskirts of Briton. If he gets wind his place is gone, maybe it’ll draw him out.
Frederico has two cousins who are like brothers to him, after finding them leaving their apartment together, Jian and Tommy grabbed them and shoved them into the back of a black Yukon with me. Both of them were clueless know-nothings, full of fear. They cried and begged and said they’d let us know if they heard from him. After knocking them around a little, we let them go.
Those two things were done within six hours of fleeing Donati’s office.
Leaving my guys in charge of finding any new leads, I go back to the casino and pick up the phone in my office. It’ll be the second time I’ve contacted the businesses along every corner on the street I know she travels on to get to work.
Her friend, Autumn, told me she talked to Mariella on Sunday night, which means she was fine until Monday morning. I made sure to make our run-in look like a coincidence and kept the conversation casual so she wouldn’t get suspicious.
My cameras outside the casino didn’t capture anything, so I’m calling every business three blocks down to see if they have anything helpful. A few hang up on me, not wanting to talk to me if I’m not the cops. The others recognize my name and that’s enough for them to cooperate.
After the first three places I called told me they didn’t find anything, I get lucky on my fourth. A small pharmacy shop says they have some footage but they aren’t sure how helpful it might be. I give him my email and ask him to send over the file. I stare at the computer for five minutes until it pops up.
The video isn’t the best quality, but also not the worst. I watch as cars move along the streets and pedestrians crowd the sidewalks, and then I spot her. Before she gets to the end of the block, it’s obvious she’s not too afraid. Frederico is next to her, like they’re going for a walk together.
It’s not until they’re crossing the road that I notice a black car pull up, blocking the crosswalk. To anyone else, it could look like this was planned. Like they had someone come get them and pulled up at the exact right time. They climb into the back and drive off, but I’m not just anyone. I rewind and pause, rewind and pause until I notice her hesitating at the door. Her head snaps to the side like she’s shocked by something he said, and then there’s just the slight jerk of her body that proves she was pushed instead of getting in willingly.
It’s hard to make out a license plate number, but it’s a black SUV which doesn’t narrow it down at all. I download the file onto a thumb drive and plan to take it to one of the cops we have in our pockets. They should have some sort of software for this type of shit.
Meanwhile, it’s been almost twelve hours since she’s been gone and the thought of those fuckheads hurting her, touching her… I have to take a breath, because just thinking about it has me ready to kill anyone and everyone I see.
There’s a quick knock on my door before it’s pushed open.
“Got some info, boss,” Jian says.
“What is it?”
“Rocco called one of Frederico’s cousins. They got in touch with me after their conversation. Rocco’s apparently dumb as fuck and runs his mouth too much. Probably why he’ll never be made.”
I gesture with my hands for him to get to the point. “And?”
“Well, Rocco told Jimmy that he and Frederico were out of town for a few days. Let it slip that they were in one of the safe houses that Donati has. Mentioned something about payback. Jimmy tried to get more information, and all Rocco said was that this would be his way in.”
My brows dip, but finding out what the hell he’s talking about is less important than finding Mariella.
“Let me call Donati. I’ll get the addresses and we’ll go from there. Wait for me outside and call Tommy, Gabriel, and Rey.”
He nods and walks out and I grab my cell and call Donati.
“What’s going on?” he asks right away.
“Where are your safehouses? And before you bitch about not wanting me to know the locations, just be aware that your daughter is in one of them, and we need to move fast. You can find new safehouses after this.”
He curses under his breath and gives me two different addresses.
“I’m going to the closest one with some of my guys. Send some of yours to the other.”
“Before you do anything, let me know. I have a right to be there for this, Moreno.”
“I’ll send you a message,” I say before ending the call.
Mariella
ChapterThirty-Four
Idon’t know how long I was out for, but when I open my eyes, it’s dark and my head still throbs with pain. My wrists are in front of me, tied with rope. My ankles are secured in a similar fashion, but they’ve allowed me a small amount of rope between them, like shackles. I can’t move fast, but I can move.
The floor beneath me is carpeted, and as I look around, I notice I’m in a bedroom.Assholes couldn’t have tossed me on the bed?
