Page 118 of In Ruins
“Yeah?” I answer. For a moment, there’s nothing but silence on the other end.
“You move fast, Andretti. Thanks for that, by the way. It made my job so much easier,” a voice says into the phone, their voice filled with glee. It’s masked by something, so I can’t really tell who it is on the other end of the line.
“Who the fuck is this?” I snap.
“That’s not important right now,” he tells me.
“Were you the one who sent those men to attack my warehouse?”
“Ding. Ding. Ding,” he says, chuckling into the phone. “I guess you’re not as dumb as you look.”
“Why the fuck did you send all those men to die for no reason?” I question. Then follow up with another one because of something I figured out. “Why the distraction?”
I had concluded earlier that those men were sent as a distraction. They were sent to die because none of them were experienced enough to be made men.
“You’re asking the wrong question,” the asshole sneers.
“What question should I be asking then?” I grunt into the phone, already losing my patience.
He pauses for a second before answering, and my whole world changes in an instant. “You should be asking where your wife is.”
I can hear the smile in his voice, as my world and vision narrow to a single point. I couldn’t speak for a second. “Is this some kind of fucking joke, you piece of shit?” I snap.
“No. Call and see if you’ll get through to her. See if she answers. You took something that didn’t belong to you, and now I’m taking back what’s mine,” he says before the line goes dead.
“Motherfucker!” I bellow, rage coating my voice.
“What’s happening, boss?” Aldo asks, rushing over to where I’m standing. I hold up a finger while I dial…
My wife, no answer.
Giana, no answer.
Bruno, no answer.
Umberto, no fucking answer.
I slam my fist into the wall, a pained howl leaving me. Not because of the pain in my hand but because of the pain in my heart and my fucking soul.My pregnant fucking wife!
“Somebody took my pregnant wife!” I yell, rage coating my every word. “The attack was a distraction, just like we knew it was. But what we didn’t know is that they used it to take my fucking wife!”
Whoever took her is going to feel my wrath because this wasn’t just about business anymore. The asshole responsible for this made it fucking personal when he decided to take my pregnant wife. I’m going to fucking kill them all.
Just then, one of my men runs into the room, frantic and panting. “Boss! There was an accident. Umberto’s dead and Bruno’s in surgery at Northwestern Memorial. He’s in pretty bad shape, and we don’t know yet if he’ll make it. Giana is also injured pretty badly, and the six guards they had with them are all dead. They were attacked and… and Mrs. Andretti was taken,” he bows his head, most likely hating that he’s the one who has to give me the news.
I grab my gun and shoot the prisoners before instructing two of my men to clean up the mess as I walk out of the room with the rest of my men following behind me.
“What’s our plan, boss?” Aldo asks.
“Get all our men over here now,” I tell him, and see he already has his phone pressed to his ear.
It feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. The only thing keeping me going right now is the utter rage that’s fueling me and the need to find my wife. I won’t rest until I do.
“We find my wife, no matter what it takes. Or the whole of Chicago will feel my wrath when I turn the streets red and burn it all to the motherfucking ground.”
CHAPTER 34
ARIA
