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CHAPTER 14
RAFAEL
Rafael
I don’t know if you’re reading these, but if you are, just know that I’m not gonna stop until I find you.
Rafael
Dad and Romeo are helping me now. We’re doing some digging. I have your old cell.
Rafael
I had a dream about you last night.
Rafael
Holding you in my arms all night was the best night of my life.
Rafael
I miss you.
My thumb flew across the screen as my gaze scanned all of the undelivered messages, signaling that she didn’t have her cell on. But that didn’t stop me from messaging her whenever I thought about her. I needed her to know that I was here. I wasn’t giving up on her. Or us. I’d fucked up, I’d let her brother take her away, and I would doanythingto get her back and make sure she was safe, even if it meant in the end I’d have to walk away from her.
I shook my head, hating that final thought.
“Put your cell down,” Dad gritted out. “Someone will see the light and the last thing we need is to be spotted.”
He was right, so I quickly pressed the button on the side to lock my cell, eradicating the light. It was dark out with just me and him casing out a house that we were told was part of Ace’s operation. This wasn’t the first time over the last few days that we’d been sitting in an enclosed space together.
We’d talked, but not about anything other than the plan going forward and how to get Peyton back as soon as possible without causing an all-out war. There was an unspoken understanding between us that the family issues we had were put on the back burner. It didn’t mean they wouldn’t come to light again though, because they would. But not yet. There was a time and a place.
And this wasn’t it. Not while we were watching the house, waiting for something to happen. We were still in our state, not crossing over to enemy lines, but if thiswasa house Ace used, within our territory, then he was breaking a treaty he and Lorenzo had.
He probably wasn’t that stupid, but it was a lead, and at this stage,anylead was something we’d follow. It was worth checking out, and it also meant we had a cover story if anyone else asked why we were out here.
“It’s been two weeks, Dad,” I murmured, trying not to lose hope, but it was so damn hard when all we kept hitting was brick wall after brick wall. I’d given Remy her cell the day I’d found it, and I still hadn’t heard anything from him. My hope was starting to dwindle into nothing. “What if we never find her?”
“We will,” Dad growled out. “And we’ll find those two boys too.” He paused, turning to face me. “And we’ll bring them home to you.”
Both he and I knew the implication of his words. We’d be going against Lorenzo’s orders—we already were—but if it meant they were safe, then that was all that mattered. I frowned as something occurred to me and couldn’t help but blurt out, “Why are you helping me?”
“You’re my son,” Dad said, so simply it was as if he was talking about the weather outside.
“But you don’t have to be here.” I hated the way my stomach rolled at the thought of my dad getting into trouble with Lorenzo. My father may have been Antonio Pagani, one of the most feared men in the country, but that didn’t mean he had no one to answer to. There was a hierarchy for a reason. “You’re putting yourself at risk—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there, son.” He turned in his seat to face me fully, although I was only able to see part of his face thanks to the streetlight outside of the car. “I fucked up when I was younger.” He paused, the tension in the car getting thicker as we both thought about the unspoken truth of his words. “I didn’t do right by your mom. I should have listened to my gut back then and not Luca.” He paused, the tension in the car rising to brand-new heights. “I should have done a hell of a lot of things differently.”
I swallowed, digesting his words and letting them roll around my mind, trying to figure out if I believed him or not. There was so much I didn’t know, so much that had been kept secret. But maybe it was supposed to be that way. Maybe knowing would have done nothing but cause more pain.
“So when it comes to you and Romeo,” he continued. “I…I know I need to do better. It’s why I made the effort with Bailey. She’s part of our family now. And you…your gut is telling you Peyton is in danger, right?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Right.”
“Then we listen to it and I support you in any way I can.” He shuffled in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with what we were talking about. But it was needed. For both of us. “I’m trying, Rafael. I’m trying my hardest to mend what I broke all those years ago.”
“I can see that,” I told him, inhaling a breath. I wanted to say more, but I just didn’t knowwhatto say.
