Page 57 of Ruthless Passion

"No one leaves this life innocent, Agent. Look at you. Kidnapping, holding hostages, threatening the lives of civilians. The people who work here aren't working for the mob. Gina doesn't work for the mob. We only used her to get your father to open the door. We told everyone to get out of the house. You chose to stay. David escalated the situation by getting loud and belligerent."

"He thought you were going to kill him!"

"Again," I sigh. "We can't collect money from a dead man. We only came to blows because he wanted to be big and bad in front of his daughter who refused to leave the house after we asked her to go. We're sorry you had to see that, Quinn."

I use her name to show her I remember, because I do. The look in a child's eyes when they can't save their parents is a look I've worn too many times. Quinn Shaw easily morphed into Crenshaw back then, growing up by the Bay.

"It doesn't change anything. You need to bring me what I'm looking for, right now. I'm going to take you down," she reiterates.

Gina growls in frustration and puts her head down on the desk, shouting at the floor. "For fuck's sake, somebody end this already. We have work to do."

I hold my hands out in surrender as an idea clicks. I bargain with Agent Shaw. "How about I get you a mafia Don? Possible money laundering, definitely extortion, assault, and whatever else you can indict them for. All the evidence is in plain sight. You won't have to go back to your superiors empty handed or with three very serious complaints filed against you for this shit show."

"I'm listening." Agent Shaw lowers her weapon as my phone rings. It stops, but rings again incessantly.

"Let me grab this because it's probably an emergency. We can talk about how you're going to put Don Vito Dacosta behind bars after I take this call. In the meantime, please take the zip ties off my family." I take a deep breath and grab my phone. It's Jo and she's hysterical. I can barely hear her.

"Jo, babe, slow down."

"It's Jett, Luca. Duke signed him out of school. Monique's not answering. Please, you have to help me find my baby!"

25

JOSEPHINE

The way my entire body shakes at the thought of never seeing my son again is paralyzing. Fear engulfs every inch of me as I stare into the eyes of a woman who knows she fucked up.

"Play it again," I demand as we wait for the police to show up to the school.

The administrative secretary plays the morning security tape from the office where Duke stumbles inside, demanding his son.

"He had the proper identification," she begins.

I slam my hand on the desk, so hard the people in the office jump and flinch away. "LOOK AT HIM! He's so doped up, he can't even stand up straight. He was in the hospital last night after he broke into my house to do god knows what to me and Jett. You handed him over to him. You let that eight-year-old little boy just walk out of this school with a monster."

"He's the father listed, Miss Hansen. We're very sorry. We didn't know the circumstances."

"LOOK AT HIM!" I point at the monitor again. "You let my son get in a car and that fucker drive off in that condition? What kind of fucking guardians are you people?"

"He wasn't driving." One of the other staff speaks up. He approaches me with hesitation. "He, um, wasn't driving. There was a dark SUV with tinted windows. He and the boy got into the back seat."

My eyes sting from the tears falling as I desperately try to hold myself together. It's only when Luca darkens the doorway of the office that I feel a sense of peace. He's here to help. However, as the police arrive seconds after him, I know his hands are tied from how he likes to handle situations like this.

More and more, I'm okay with whatever has to be done to make sure Duke never bothers us again. Even if that means he disappears for the rest of our lives, or his.

Luca pulls me into his arms, breathing heavily as if he ran the entire way here.

"We're setting up an Amber Alert." One officer says.

The sound of my phone ringing pulls me out of Luca's embrace. It's Mojo.

I answer the call right away with everyone else falling into a silence. "Mojo, did you see Duke this morning? Do you know where he is? He took Jett."

I'm spitting out words and questions, but something's off in her tone. "Hey, JoJo Mojo, I need you to come make movies with me. If you don't it will cost ya like Dacosta."

She giggles and the call drops. I try desperately to get her back on the line, but nothing.

"What did she say?" Luca asks.

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