Page 52 of Unspoken Ties

“Dillon Carrington,” I muttered, my voice barely a whisper. The taste of his name was like a bitter gall on my tongue. Fury blazed through me, setting my insides on fire.

Vincenzo had his home address less than two minutes later. The rich prick had multiple, but he most likely took her to the New York house.

“We go now.” I declared, buckling in my seatbelt. My friends exchanged glances with each other, the dim light in the room reflecting off their worried faces.

“Is that wise?” Emilio asked cautiously, his steely eyes resting on mine. “We don’t have a plan. We haven’t done any recon, or tried to get the house blueprints.”

“We don’t have time for recon or blueprints,” I retorted. “Every second we waste, Liria is in more danger. We go now.”

Emilio nodded, understanding but clearly hesitant. “Alright,” he finally said. “But we’re making a stop at the warehouse first.”

“Good idea,” Rocco chimed in. “We need to gear up. This Dillon guy might not let Liria go without a fight.”

Everyone agreed, a silent understanding passing among us. The car roared to life and Felix drove towards our destination with a grim determination that mirrored the emotions coursing through the rest of us. The sky was a deep violet as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the city. They seemedto stretch out into the night, reaching towards us, a tangible representation of the fear and uncertainty that gnawed at our guts.

“Make it quick,” I said to the others as we walked into the warehouse.

I grabbed guns and ammunition, swiftly stowing them in the duffle bag slung over my shoulder. Vincenzo, ever the tactician, chose his weapons methodically. A silenced pistol for quiet takedowns and a shotgun for when subtlety gave way to necessity.

“Did you know we had a flamethrower?” Felix asked, lifting it from the arsenal.

“Felix!” I said, snatching the flamethrower out of his hands. “This isn’t a game. Pick something practical.”

Felix grabbed weapons more suited for the job, but I didn’t miss when he tried to hide the flamethrower under the other weapons in the back of the van. I ignored it, having too much on my mind to argue over his rash tendencies.

We left the warehouse, now geared up and ready for whatever was waiting for us. We stopped short of reaching the house - it wasn’t like they would just open the gates for us.

“It’s dark out,” I said. “Let’s pick the lock of the neighbor’s gate and then hop the fence. Felix, you wait in the car until we call.”

Unfortunately for us, fences between mansions were ten feet tall, and we were carrying bags of gear.

“Emilio, give me a boost,” I said, handing him my bag. Emilio cupped his hands and offered me a leg up. We had done this many times before, scaling walls and fences in our reckless youth.

I grabbed the top of the fence. The cool, iron bars bit into my palms as I pushed myself up and over, landing softly on the other side. Turning, I reached up to take the bags from Emiliobefore helping him climb over. Vincenzo was next, who was surprisingly nimble for his size, followed by Rocco.

The four of us hid in the shadows of night beneath the gnarled branches of oak trees. Rocco, who was always a lookout, stationed himself where he had a clear view of the mansion’s entrance.

“Keep your eyes peeled. We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” I said to him through the earpiece that connected us.

“Got it, boss,” Rocco’s voice came through the earpiece, a static-infused replica of his usual deep growl. “I’ve got your back.”

“And watch for security cameras,” I added as we moved silently through the manicured landscape. All four of us were good at slipping into places we weren’t welcome.

Right after I said it, a small, blinking red light caught my attention. The camera swiveled towards us, and then an alarm went off in the silence of the night. The red lights flashed, bouncing off the walls of the mansion and casting eerie shadows around us.

“Get ready,” I said, and pressed down on my earpiece. “Felix, get over here.”

I had no idea what awaited us, but I knew for sure that whatever it was, I’d fight through it to get to Liria.

Chapter twenty-seven

Liria

With my back pressed against the cool bedroom wall, I gazed up at the endless expanse of stars in the night sky. My mind was consumed with thoughts of my life, one that I never could have imagined before meeting Ettore. Being with him had opened my eyes to what true happiness felt like, making me realize just how miserable I would have been if I had ended up married to Dillon. I shuddered at the thought and couldn’t be more grateful that our marriage never went through.

But now…would it? I furrowed my brows as I looked out the windows. Dillon implied he would be “taking care” of Ettore. Ettore had immense power as a Don, but Dillon had one thing going for him - political power. He had no skill to kill Ettore, but he had endless resources and money to find someone who did.

A chill ran down my spine as I contemplated the lengths Dillon might go to satiate his pride. The thought of Ettore in danger from Dillon’s cunning and insidious mind was a nightmare I didn’t want to entertain. But as the night grew darker, so did my fear.

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