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"You left him in charge of dealing with the Irish, and his solution was to send them a carton of beer and a bag of potatoes. Clearly, you weren't thinking." Primo agrees, the tension in his voice easing slightly.
"No, I wasn't." I sigh, rubbing my temples. "But I'm here now, Primo. I just- I need to get Lulu back."
He's silent for a moment, digesting this information. "I thought she left of her own choice," he finally says.
"Technically, she did. But I was a fucking idiot to let her go, Primo. I love her."
"Fuck," he curses, and I can almost see him running his hand through his hair. "Well, then you have to fix this, but you've really left me in a bad spot back here with the Irish. Isabella is due any day, and honestly, with the new baby on the way, I don't want anything to do with mob affairs. I made her a promise, and I intend to keep my word to her, otherwise, I'll lose her."
"I understand," I assure him. "That's why I asked Teddy to handle things. Don't worry, I'll guide him from afar."
"Okay," Primo agrees, though not without some reluctance.
"Listen, there's something else," I tell him. "Lulu is set to marry Alejandro Ramirez."
"El Lobo's head?" His voice is incredulous. "How the hell did that happen?"
"Apparently, she made some jacked-up deal to secure peace for the city and her family's safety if she marries him. But I don't trust the guy. Does anyone know anything about him?" I ask.
"Nothing substantial," Primo says. "He's always been this shadowy figure, never really crossing paths with us directly since I dealt with Lulu's father and they were at odds. Be careful, Giovanni," Primo warns. "This is the kind of thing that could drag you back in after you've worked so hard to get the family out."
"I know," I say quietly, my resolve unwavering. "But I can't let her marry him. I just can't."
"Okay," Primo says again.
The moment the phone clicks silent, a crushing weight of realization settles on my chest. I would willingly get dragged all the way back into the mob life for Lulu. All my morals and principles that I held onto fiercely back then pale in the face of a life without her.
"Fuck," I mutter to myself, running a hand through my hair as I pace around the hotel room. There's no way I'm going to let Alejandro touch her, let alone marry her. That being said, he has a fierce grip on the city, and I'm mostly unprepared to face something as powerful as his gang right now.
I glance at the calendar on the wall. Lulu mentioned the wedding was two days from now. That should be plenty of time for me to figure some things out and get backup down here if I need it. My resolve renewed, I crack open my laptop, determined not to let Lulu go. I will fight for her even if it drains me of my own breath and blood.
"Alright, Giovanni," I say to myself, eyes scanning the screen. "Time to dig up some dirt."
My fingers fly across the keyboard as I begin searching for any information about Alejandro Ramirez - anything that could help me put a stop to this wedding. As the search results start to pour in, I realize that this man is even more enigmatic than I thought.
"Damn," I mutter under my breath, frustration mounting. I can't let my emotions cloud my judgment. I need to stay focused if I want to save Lulu.
"Think, think, think," I repeat like a mantra, forcing my mind to clear and refocus. In the silence of the room, the pounding of my heart is deafening. The stakes have never been higher.
"Come on, there's got to be something," I urge myself, clicking through page after page of search results. But the more I search, the more elusive Alejandro becomes.
"Son of a bitch," I growl through gritted teeth. My fingers continue their frantic dance on the keyboard, my eyes scanning every word, every detail. I refuse to give up. For Lulu, I'll risk everything.
Then it dawns on me. The hack Lulu showed me back at the office. Maybe it could work on El Lobo's systems.
I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of my love and determination settle in my chest like a fire that refuses to be extinguished.
"Two days," I whisper to myself. "Just two days to change everything."
And with that thought, I dive back into the digital world, ready to unearth the secrets that will determine not only Lulu's fate but mine as well. No matter the cost, I'll tear down anyone or anything that stands between us.
ChapterForty-Two
It's a day before the wedding, and I haven't heard anything from my family. Other than the visit from Giovanni, I've been forced to sit silently in my room, another cage. The walls close in on me, suffocating me with their lifeless beige paint. I try to pass the time by reading or drawing, but the minutes just seem to crawl by like insects on the windowsill.
My thoughts drift back to when I was with Giovanni, how excited I was about our future together. The idea of going to college and taking classes - he said he was going to look into it for me. But now all of that is gone, evaporated like morning dew under the relentless sun. My chest tightens as I think about marrying Alejandro. Yet, I must do this to protect my family. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, no matter the cost.
There's a knock at the door. My heart races, and for a moment, I think it might be Giovanni again. Despite the turmoil in my chest, I tell myself that even if it is, I need to send him away. I can't be with him, not at the expense of my family. With shaky hands, I open the door, intent on driving him off, but my words fail me as it's not Giovanni but Alejandro on the other side.
