Mafia Fall-Out

Chapter Twenty Five

Luca

I shoved my hands in my pockets to find my cell phone as I walked away from the stash house. The guys inside had been more than willing to talk, but it was all a bunch of hearsay, nothing really concrete I could move on. I made a mental note of all they had to say and left them $1000 for their time and headed on my way. Charlotte had probably been through more calls by now, and would have a new address for me to check out. That was why I have been looking for my cell phone, but my pockets were empty. I got in the car and looked around, spotting my cell phone on the floor. It must've slipped out of my pocket as I was getting out.

I picked it up and checked my missed calls, realizing that I had for from Charlotte. Fuck, this couldn't be good.

"Luca, call me as soon as you can. I talked to them. I know I told you I'd wait, but I have to go. We don't have enough time. She's at the warehouse on 10th Ave and Park St. Please, please meet me there."

Her message was brief, but it was enough to almost send me into cardiac arrest. What the hell did she mean she'd talked to them? Or that she had to go? Hadn't I'd be explicitly clear about staying at the hotel? I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. Part of me wanted to strangle her, but the other part of me knew there would've been no stopping me if our situations were reversed. There is nothing in the world she wouldn't do for our family, and that included putting herself right in the middle of danger. Putting her own life at risk.

I dialed your number as quickly as I could, my anxiety growing with each ring of the phone. Finally, she picked up.

"Luca." She was out of breath.

"Where are you?" I was hoarse, relieved to hear her voice on the other end.

"I'm almost at the warehouse. Did you get my message?" She started rambling. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what to do. He only said I had an hour."

"Slow down, babe." I said, heading towards the crossroads she mentioned. "Start from the beginning."

She was almost hyperventilating on the other end, anxious and worried. I needed her to pull it together, though. I needed all the information I could get before we walked into whatever this situation would bring.

"I don't know. Someone called pretty soon after you guys left and told me that they had Lucy. I could hear her crying in the background." Charlotte's voice broke. She was close to tears herself.

"Charlotte, listen to me." I said sternly. "DO NOT go into the warehouse without me. Do you understand? This is a game. They must've been watching us and knew you were going to be alone. I will be there in five minutes. Please." I begged, winding down the road so fast that the car tilted up on two tires when I took a curve.

"I won't, I swear." She said genuinely.

"Okay." I let out a heavy sigh. "What else did they say?"

"They only wanted you and I to come. No one else. And they asked for $100,000."

I frowned. A hundred thousand? That seemed like nothing compared to the reward we'd offered earlier. It just reinforced the idea that this was never about ransom and everything to do with getting me, or me and Charlotte, to that warehouse. "You're sure they just said $100,000?"

"Yes. I got it out of the suitcase underneath the bed. And I left a note for Angelo and Marco when they get back there so that they know where we are but they won't come in right away. They said they'd kill her if anyone else showed up. I'm sorry Luca, I didn't know what to do. The second I realized who it was, I panicked, and I did the best I could."

"Baby, you did awesome. You did everything I would have done, okay? Now just wait there for me and I will be there any minute. We're in this together now, okay? I don't want you to worry any more." I knew how futile that statement was. We were about to confront the people who had stolen our daughter, possibly my brother, and God only knew what else was waiting for us there.