Page 39 of War Within
“You don't get anything until the big boss gets here!” The man stepped over to my side, nudging me with his cold, leather boot. “Hey, princess. Are you awake?”
“Weren't they ordered not to hurt her, Tony?” Carmine spoke up.
“Which one of you assholes did this?!”
Suddenly, I heard the reverberation of multiple guns cocking. I wanted to leave. At this point, I would have chosen to be in bed back at Giovanni’s swanky mountain mansion if I had been allowed to go. I was not a part of whatever game these people were playing. How was I caught in the middle of their war when I was working for someone who had nothing to do with this; or so I thought. Maybe he was keeping secrets from me as well.
“I take orders from no one, honey.” The girl giggled. “Fuck you guys and your guns. We’ll talk to your boss about the money soon!”
“I have a better idea!” Carmine lunged forward at the girl. That’s when everything went black.
My teeth grinding, I pulled my arms tightly into my chest. I watched Emir typing furiously on a laptop in the security control room. My gaze darted back and forth at the five LED screens on the wall, studying the footage he loaded for a larger inspection.
It was taking every ounce of my strength not to destroy everything in the office. I was skilled at managing my anger to a certain point. Unfortunately, once the fuse ran out, there was no restraining the monster inside me.
“So, these on the left are outside the mall.” Emir’s typing came to a stop. He stood. “On the right is the area just inside the mall where we were. “The bigger screen is flashing different exterior angles all over the parking lot and surrounding, city streets.”
I stroked my stubble, examining the screens meticulously. Time was crucial. I did not have long to save her. Not in my business. But no stone could be left unturned. There was a rule in my world that women were left out of business, unless they had directly done someone wrong. Jane had done nothing. I knew whoever took her, wanted me. They should have left her out of it, though. Now they would all pay.
My blood ran cold. “Move!” Shoving Emir out of the way, my fingers hovered over the keyboard. I paused the rotating footage. Taking a step around the desk, I marched closer to the large screens. “The red head was in the feed at the mall in several locations.”
“Yes, she was wandering outside the mall after Jane disappeared. She was alone, though. I kept a close eye on her until she disappeared, then notified several of the men to keep an eye out because something about her seemed off. One of them sent photos of her outside a warehouse about an hour later.” He displayed the photo on a screen then joined me next to the wall. “Valentina and I stayed until my signal stopped working then we sped home.”
Shaking my head, I ran my fingers through my hair. “She must be connected, but I don't recognize her. Why is she just out there walking around like she’s looking for someone?”
“To confuse people who might be spying, maybe. She had to know she was being watched. One minute she was there, the next gone.” He fell silent, cocking his head, listening to his staff in his earpiece. “Do you have any connections here I don’t know about?”
I shook my head, grimacing. “Just you, the other employees, and a former business partner. He passed away last June. He was pretty harmless.”
“God, I'm so sorry I let this happen!” He grumbled. “I know you’re going to murder me for this.”
“Right now, my concern is getting Jane back!” I jabbed my finger into his chest. “You and I can discuss the consequences later. Prepare for departure!” Taking my shirt off, I grabbed a bulletproof vest.
He took an intense, shaky breath. “Boss, you shouldn't be on the ground and let us handle—”
Lunging forward, I grabbed his throat, squeezing. “Donotfucking tell me what to do!” I eased up, backing away, fastening my vest. “The woman I like is in danger because of me and now because of you!” I pulled my shirt back on. “Like I said, prepare for departure and gear up!”
“Yes, sir.”
Narrowing my gaze on the screen, I scowled. “People are going to die tonight.” I zoned out, memorizing every detail of the only lead we had as I slipped on my favorite black leather jacket.
“Sir, it's time to go.”
I spun around, nodding as we exited the office.
“Good thing you wore your lucky jacket.” He lifted his chin at my attire.
“If we don't find her, you're going to need one.” I shot him an angry glare as we stepped into the freezing night, rushing to the nearby black Audi.
The car was silent as Emir drove through the streets near the mall. All I could think about was someone hurting Jane right now while we were failing to find any trail of breadcrumbs. Reaching into my pocket, I yanked out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one. Chain smoking was the only thing that helped me when I felt overwhelmed or upset. It gave me something to do so I didn't go mad.
Why would anyone hurt her? My family was in a war. It was unclear how many at this point, but after rescuing her, I would focus on bringing everything else to light.
When Valentina got home earlier, she went to bed upset, feeling partly at fault for not insisting on accompanying her to the bathroom. She was blaming herself and I assured her it was not her fault. Still, she was crying when I told her goodnight in a hurry.
I did not wake Marco before I left. He would have been livid with me, and instead of helping me, he would have fought me the entire night, causing a distraction. I did not need his blame. He would hate me, especially since we had just fixed the awkwardness between us.
Here I sat, in the passenger seat, helpless. All I could do was replay the security footage in my head on a loop. Suddenly, my brain paused, recalling one of the images showed Valentina kissing Emir on the cheek while they waited for Jane near the food court.
