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Calm down, Gabe, I told myself as I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. I was dealing with a hostage negotiation where the hostages were my baby girls, and I didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Tony was unstable and deranged, and he had my infant daughters.
I didn’t say anything because nothing I could say at that moment would help get them back.
Tony continued. “You’re going to sell the property to me, and at a decent savings, because you’ve made me wait and cost my business a lot of money in the process.”
“I’m not the only one that has to sign off,” I said.
“Yes, but you’re the main one. You hold the biggest claim.”
“The property can’t be sold unless we all sign off on it though, and what happens if Roman or Dante don’t value my daughters’ lives as much as I do?”
“You’re going to make them, Gabriel. I know you well, son—”
“Don’t call me son,” I growled. My dad called me son, and Tony had sometimes tried to use the nickname on me, creating a false sense of closeness that simply wasn’t there.
“Fine, Gabriel,” he said, though it sounded like it came through clenched teeth. “I know you well, I know what you’re capable of when you want something. You’re not afraid to get your hands dirty and I know you’ll do whatever it takes to get your daughters back, I assume that ambition applies to your brothers and sister as well. So do whatever it takes. Because your daughter’s lives literally depend on it.”
The line went dead before I could say another word.
Slamming my hands down against the steering wheel, I let out a string of curse words. One of the most dangerous men I knew had my sweet baby girls.
I picked the phone up from where I dropped it on the seat next to me and quickly called Roman. He answered and started to say, “I have news about Dad—"
But I cut him off.
“You fucked up, man. You really fucked up and now you’re going to fix it before I kill you myself.”
31
Bella
Ipaced the small holding room, staring at the walls for what felt like hours. I needed to get out of there.
Finally, a door opened and I rushed toward it.
“We’ve verified with the local police that your story of the kidnapping checks out,” the TSA agent said softly. “I’m really sorry to hear about that, Ms. Stone.”
“Does this mean I can go?”
The woman nodded. “We’ve decided to release you. Your mother isn’t going to press charges, and the police are currently talking to her now.”
My ears perked up.Are they actually going to take that seriously?
“Can I speak to her before I leave?”
“Sure, if she agrees to talk to you. They should be done in a few minutes,” the agent said.
A few minutes. I needed to get out of there and get to my girls. I was contemplating my next move when I looked up and saw my mom being led away in handcuffs. The woman stepped aside and I walked into the hallway.
“Can I have a minute?” I asked.
The cops shrugged, though they didn’t walk away.
“What are you being charged with?” I looked at the woman I had thought was my mom.
“Kidnapping,” she muttered.
“My kidnapping?” I asked, my voice cracking.
