AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The thought repeats in my head in a scream of panic and a howl of rage.
“You sound upset, Salvatore. What’s the matter?” Lucius laughs some more. “I don’t give a shit about the stupid fucking phone. Why do you think I made it so easy for you to find? I knew you’d come for it. You’re very predictable,scarafaggio.”
“What do you want?” I repeat through gritted teeth.
“You already know. Two things. The tapes and your surrender.”
“I only have the first one. I haven’t located the second.”
“Sounds like you better move fast and find it ASAP. I expect your surrender. Then she might be returned. Mostly in one piece. I can’t promise what De Trolio is doing. He can be very… hands-on. Your girl doesn’t know how to listen, so he might have to teach her how to obey.”
Stitches opens the driver side door to the Audi, launching into excited talk about the mission, only to stop the second he spies the murderous look on my face. “What’s the matter?”
I don’t answer him. “You want the VHS tapes? You got it. And my surrender. But you give her back first.”
“Give who back?” Stitches asks, then his jaw drops. “Not Miss ADA?!”
“You don’t call the shots,scarafaggio. I do. I’m in charge. I’m the fucking king and I’m about to show you just how fucking stupid and arrogant you’ve been. I warned you, didn’t I?” he asks, amid the sound of ice chinking against glass. “I told you, you didn’t know the hell I’d bring to your life. Five p.m. The Northam bridge. Bring both VHS tapes. Come alone. We’ll make the exchange. You try anything funny, I will hurt her before your eyes.”
“I’ll be there,” I snap, my pulse racing, fists balled up. “But how do I know you’ll keep your word? You’ll do as you say? You’ll let her safely get away? I get to bring somebody who will make the exchange and take her.”
Lucius spends a good ten seconds laughing.
It makes me sick. I’m sweating, for once lost as to how the fuck I’m going to get out of this situation. Just moments ago, it seemed like I had a winning hand.
Lucius interrupts his own laugh with a cough and then sputters out, “What do you mean somebody’s called in a disturbance? How the fuck—YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!”
Click.
The line goes dead.
I’m left listening to the dial tone, lost as to what the hell just happened.
“Psycho, what’s going on?!” Stitches asks impatiently. He’s shifting weight from foot to foot like he’s ready to go tearing off if necessary the second I say the word. “Did that sound like I thought it did—Lucius has Miss ADA?”
“I… I don’t know,” I answer dazedly. “De Trolio got his hands on her somehow. When she was out to brunch. Lucius was demanding my surrender. But then he hung up on me. Something about somebody calling in a disturbance.”
As I shake off the shock and rush of other emotions that have made it near impossible to think, I know we’ve got to get moving.
“We need to try and intercept De Trolio somehow. Any way we can locate Phi through her phone?”
“Leave it to me!” Stitches fumbles, grabbing his own phone. “I’ve got an app that tracks the general vicinity of mobile phones so long as their GPS feature is on.”
We’re speeding off in the next second. According to the app Stitches used, Delphine’s still in Northam. The rest of the crew of guys I’ve brought with me today follow. I call up my other men in Northam and alert them too.
Lucius never calls back. When I try to call him, he doesn’t answer. It goes straight to voice mail.
What the hell is going on? Why would he demand my surrender and the VHS tapes only to hang up? Did something go wrong?
I have my answer in the next few minutes, as we’re speeding over 120 mph on the highway. My phone vibrates and the Caller ID reveals it’s Delphine calling.
I’m lightheaded answering, my adrenaline reaching new heights. “Phi!? Phi!?!”
“Jon,” she gasps. “Jon!”
She sounds shaken. Like she’s been through hell.
“Phi, where are you? Are you safe? Who’s with you?”
