Metanoia

Chapter 24

Three hours earlier 

I've been beyond stressed over the last few days, all of our enemies are now aware of Darcy's existence. I knew this would happen eventually but not so soon.

As the most powerful mafia in the world, our enemies are constantly looking for a way to weaken us in order to overpass us. We've had multiple threats on Darcy's life already, most of them coming from smaller gangs or cartels that we could easily overpower.

The only one that is concerning is the threats from the Russian mafia, our most powerful rivals.

The Russian mafia is ran by a disgusting and immoral man, Ivan Volkov. My mafia and our allies have a moral code, our most important rules being, to never harm children and to never participate in human trafficking.

The Russian mafia have no such thing, torturing and killing innocent people just for the fun of it as well as running the biggest trafficking ring in the underworld.

I sit at the makeshift office I've made in this Villa and sort through emails, trying to organise more security. 

My phone abruptly starts ringing, which immediately sends red flags because all my employees have been told not to contact me or Arlo while we're away.

I pick it up, pressing the cold glass to my ear.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Lorenzo Russo you finally pick up! I was starting to think you were ignoring me," A mocking voice comes from the other end.

"Volkov," I guess, the thick Russian accent being my first clue.

"Hm," he hums in agreement. "I've called to discuss an offer that I promise you'll want to hear," He says cockily.

"Go ahead," I say curiously, knowing whatever idea he proposes I'm going to immediately shut down. 

"Here's my deal, half of all your men and weaponry-" I cut off his sentence with an amused scoff.

Giving him half our resources would make us significantly less powerful than him.

"Ah-ah-ah, let me finish," he taunts. "Half of all your men and weaponry in exchange for your sister's life," he concludes.

The mention of Darcy alarms me but I'm not worried, to get to her he'd have to make it through the armed men we have stationed around the property and me.

"Can I ask you a question Mr Russo?" He asks. He takes my silence as a yes and continues, "How can you control the most powerful mafia in the world when you can't even control your youngest siblings?" 

This leaves me perplexed as I try to decipher what he means by that. "Do you even know where they are right now Lorenzo? because my men sure do," He manically laughs.

I hang up, storming out of my room towards the sound of idiotic laughing from the living room.

"Where are they," I demand, causing all the boys to look up from the card game they're playing. "Who?" Gabriele asks. 

"Who do you fucking think," I shout, my anger taking over me. "Darcy and Romeo," I clarify.

'I dunno, probably off playing something in their room," He says dismissively. I storm off in the direction of their door, Alonzo and Arlo being the only two with enough brains to follow me.

I open it, not surprised that it's empty as it was utterly silent inside. I can feel the panic rising as I scan the room, spotting the piece of folded paper on the bed.

"Me and Romeo gone out- be back soon :)' 

"Fuck!" I shout in frustration.

"What?" Arlo asks, now concerned. I shove the piece of paper in his hands and storm past him.

We spend the next three hours having our guards look in every corner of the city while we sit in the living room, analysing cctv footage from nearby stores, trying to pick up any trace of them.

I haven't told my brothers about the phone call with Volkov, I don't have it in me.

Apart of me holds onto the hope that they're on their way but that part of me is soon destroyed when Arlo's phone start's ringing.

Knowing I told all my guards to not call if they found them and just to bring them home incase someone was tracking their calls, I knew this wasn't a call from anyone we were familiar with.

I told Arlo to let it ring, scared it was Volkov calling to now torment my brother.

"God just pick it up," Angelo says, exasperated after the third ring. "Hello?" Arlo answers tensely, putting the unknown number on speaker. 

"Arlo?" A distraught voice I immediately recognise comes through the speaker. Hearing his voice filled me with hope that him and Darcy were okay.

"Rome? Where the fuck are you? Are you okay? Is Darcy okay?" He asks frantically.

"She's gone," he whispers.