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“Thank you,” I say, heading out the door to my car. “I’m going to meet with Matteo at the mall now to make sure there is nothing that we missed.”
“Is there anything else you need, Salvatore? You know we could be out there in a few hours if you need any of us.”
“I know. It’s better that you stay there for now. Once I get her back, I’m bringing her out there. The entire family will be around to protect her while I hunt down the bastards that did this to her.”
“You don’t know that anything is wrong yet. You need to keep a level head while we figure this out. I’m going to start making the calls. If you need me, call Aria. I might be on my phone.”
“Thank you, Sofia.”
“We’re family, Salvatore. There’s no need to thank me. You would do this for me too.”
She hangs up and I take off toward the mall. My mind is racing with the possibilities of what could be happening to Brielle right now. Dangerous people are after her.
If they got her and they hurt her, I’m never going to be able to forgive myself.
I was supposed to be watching her. I never should have let her go to the washroom alone. I should have been watching her instead of keeping my distance.
There is no way that I should have ever allowed my attraction to her to get in the way of doing my job. This is all my fault.
I press the accelerator to the ground, needing to get to the mall as quickly as possible. The moment I’m parked, I get out and head to the camera store.
Matteo is walking out of the washroom as I walk down the corridor that leads to it. He holds up Brielle’s phone, the front of it smashed.
“This hers?”
“Yeah.” I look around, a small part of me hoping that she’ll materialize out of thin air and say that this has all been some miserable prank. “Fuck!”
I run my hands down my face as my phone starts ringing. My heart is pounding as I answer it, moving farther down the corridor and away from anyone who might be listening.
“Hey, Sofia, please tell me that you have some kind of lead,” I say as I watch Matteo fiddle with the phone.
“Well, I don’t know if it’s good news, but there have been some members in the area who have decided to leave the cartel without informing us. I have it on good authority that two of these people are working together and have links to Brielle’s parents, although there are a few others who have also left who have weaker links.”
I process the information for a moment before sighing. “Do you know where these people are?”
“I’m already sending you the list of locations. The one at the top is where your two most likely suspects were last seen.”
My phone vibrates as the message comes in.
“Thank you, Sofia. I owe you for all of this.”
“Salvatore, I already told you once. We’re family. That means that we help each other out. Now, go get your girl.”
“She’s not my girl,” I say, even though the words feel like a lie.
“Sure, Salvatore. If you say so.”
I hang up and head back over to Matteo, showing him the list of locations. As soon as I send him the list, I tuck my phone back in my pocket.
“I’m going to the place at the top of the list. An old warehouse near the marina. You take the location after that. If neither of those are right, I’ll take the third and you take the fourth.”
Matteo nods and leads the way to the parking lot. “Stay safe, Salvatore. I’ll let you know if I find her.”
“Thank you.”
We head our separate ways, but the entire time I’m driving, all I can think about is what will happen if I’m too late. I need to get to her and make sure that she is alright.
I need to know that she is alive.
