Page 35 of Claimed By the Don

“Gregory! Language!” The woman admonishes him. “Do you have the kid?”

“No, Ma, I don’t have a kid. Benny, you need to leave her alone.”

“Let me see my son,” I say again, losing patience.

“I’m telling you I don’t have your kid,” he says again.

“This is your last chance to put my son on this call before I give you a visual incentive to do so,” I say coolly.

The color drains from his face and all the bluster goes out of him. “Jesus. Fuck. Gimme a second,” he mutters.

The next thing I see after some blurry movement is the boy from the picture on Daisy’s phone.

“Liam?” I say.

“Y-yes sir,” he says, his chin trembling as he tries not to cry.

“I know you don’t know me. I’m a friend of your mom’s and I’m going to get you back to her real quick. Are you okay?”

“He won’t let me go home!” the little boy wails and starts to cry. I hear Grigo curse at him and clear my throat.

“Don’t touch him,” I warn. “You have fifteen minutes to bring him to this apartment and hand him over unharmed. Don’t be late because as soon as this timer goes off—” I turn on his mom’s oven timer, “the repercussions start. I’ll be sure your mom keeps in touch as needed.”

I’m about to end the call when I see Daisy in my peripheral vision. The kid sees her too, and his face transforms, lights up.

“Mommy!” he cries and the call cuts off.

I catch her by the waist as she crumples. Her whole body shakes like she’s having a seizure. All I can do is hold her up, shift her onto the couch. Mrs. Cappelli brings her a mug of tea.

“Have some tea. Don’t worry, dear. This is just business,” she says. “My Gregory is a good boy.”

“Just business?” Daisy says, teeth chattering.

For a second, I think she’s going to punch this old woman. I keep my hand on her shoulder. She just has to keep it together for another few minutes and Liam will be back safe and sound.

25

DAISY

Ican’t think at all. I can’t think of how I betrayed and hurt the man I love. I can’t think of how I’m going to make any of this right. All I know is that Liam has to be okay, has to get through this and back home to me. I can’t exist without my little boy, and nothing else seems to matter at all.

I hear them talking, Benny and Mrs. Cappelli.

“I don’t hold with him going against the family,” she says, her voice rueful. “He’s always been stubborn, but I didn’t think he’d go this far.”

“I know you don’t condone it, Mrs. Capelli. I apologize for having to involve you and coming into your home.”

“You’re always welcome here, you know that,” she says to him.

I look back and forth between them and know there’s more being said than I can understand. I can’t read the subtext, but I know this is something bigger than the grief of a parent over her son’s bad choices.

“You’ll be provided for,” Ben says to her. “And I’ll see that you get a chance to speak with him in private.”

“Thank you. That’s kind of you,” she says, still calm and stoic.

I get it now. My son will be safe in my arms. Her son will walk out of here and never be seen again. He has to pay for his crimes, and there’s no pleading for his life, no chance for mercy here.

“You have a beautiful boy,” Mrs. Capelli says to me, “and he was being very brave on the call.”

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