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“There’s no honor in any of this,” I growl.
“Do you want to meet me in the club, talk it over?”
“No time, I’m about to meet with Gio Lombardo. He might have a read on whether any of Tony’s old crews are still loyal to him. I want you to talk to the other captains. Have them put word out to their men that there’s $100,000 reward for any information, no questions asked.”
I hang up on him and head into the bar, buzzing like I just drank a gallon of espresso. I can barely focus, barely think. All that matters is getting Ava back.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Ava
I’m awake, but I can’t move my body. My head is killing me. Dimly, I have an awareness that I’m tied up, but not in the fun way.
Sal. He did this. I blink my eyes open and everything stays black. Where am I?
A car. I’m in the back of a car. It’s moving. Am I on the freeway? I can’t see anything, but I can hear it. Is there something covering my face?
“Goddammit,” says Sal’s voice as I shift positions. “I knew I should have given you a bigger dose.”
“Why are you… doing this to me?” I struggle to ask, my lips barelycooperating.
“I’m not doing this to you, I’m doing this to your husband. You’re just an insurance policy in case Gio fucks up and we need to use you as bait.”
I groan as my head starts to throb. The car lurches to a stop, and I hear Sal get out. Then the door to the backseat opens. I wince, completely blind and helpless. A rough hand grabs my arm and fingers tap my bicep, searching for a vein.
“Noooo!” I squeal, struggling pointlessly as I realize what is happening. The needle burns as it pierces my arm, and everything disappears again.
***
Alessandro
“Gio,” I say, putting my game face on as I walk into the bar and greet him. “Thanks for meeting me. This is a conversation for the back room.”
He nods, getting up from his seat and following me through the door to where we can talk privately.
“My wife was kidnapped,” I tell him bluntly as soon as the door is shut. “It just happened. I don’t know who has her, but I suspect Tony Gagliardi is behind it. Do you know if anybody on the street is still loyal to him?”
His eyes go wide. “Aw fuck, somebody took your Ava? When was this?”
“Almost an hour ago. Any of the other captains still talk to him?”
Gio bites his lip. “Not that they tell me. But let me think aboutit...”
There’s a knock on the door. I spin around instinctively. Then something hits me in the back of the head so hard I can’t keep my feet under me. I fall to the ground, the world spinning. The last thing I see before I go black is Gio the Butcher crouching over me, holding a syringe.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Ava
Everything is fuzzy when Sal stops the car again and opens the back door. I blink as he pulls the bag off of my head, the world suddenly flooded with white. My head is pounding. My eyes can’t focus.
“Come on, get up,” he growls, snipping what must be zip ties to release my arms and legs. “Get the fuck up. I’m not gonna mess up my back carrying you.”
He drags me out of the car, and I struggle to find my feet. It’s too bright for me to tell where I am, much less to run. Sal keeps a tight hold of me as he leads me into a building and shoves me through the front door.
“You got the bitch!” says a voice I don’t recognize. “Fuck yeah! What about Alessandro?”
“Gio’s taking care of it,” says Sal. “And then we won’t need her at all.”
