Page 28 of The DeLuca Crime Family: Vol. 1

“I’m feeling much better.”

“I’m sure you are,” he replied, cryptically.

“In fact, I feel so good that I’d like to take Sophia to the park this morning.” It’s a question couched as a statement because I’m annoyed that I have to ask permission for something so mundane.

“I have a meeting and won’t be available until this afternoon,” he answered, his voice full of regret.

“We’re just going across the street and we’ll have two guards with us the entire time.”

“Gianna,” he groaned. “Why is it so impossible to tell you no?”

“Because you love me,” I quipped with a smile.

“I really do,” he murmured against my lips before claiming them in a hard kiss.

The trip to the park was as uneventful as I’d expected. I pushed Sophia on the swing, watched as she went down theslide, and chased after her in the open field. As we were riding the carousel, I started to feel light-headed and was relieved when she told me she needed to use the bathroom. The guards were standing, each one covering an entrance to the open area in front of the ride. Their heads were swiveling as they assessed the area for possible threats, particularly the tunnels under the bridges where, I suppose, someone could easily be hiding in the shadows. There were so many people milling around, it seemed like overkill to me. I jerked my head towards the public restroom across the way to let them know where we were headed, before I helped Sophia off a brightly painted, wooden horse. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she was off, racing ahead of me. I moved as quickly as I could to catch up to her, reaching her just as she was a few feet away from the bathroom door. I placed my hand on her shoulder to slow her down, ready to remind her about not running off like that when I noticed the shadow of two men coming up behind us, quickly. Looking over my shoulder, I expected to see the guards. I was shocked when I found two burly men I’d never seen before, their hands outstretched as they reached past me for Sophia.

“Run!” I screamed at Sophia, stepping into their path. She looked up at me in startled confusion, never having heard me raise my voice to her before. I gave her a little shove. “Get to Daddy’s friends. Now!”

Her wide eyes filled with tears, but she nodded and went running past us. One minute, I was watching Sophia’s little legs moving as fast as they could as she ran to the guards who were running towards us, and the next, I saw nothing but black as something was dropped over my head. Strong arms wrapped around the middle of my body and lifted me off the ground. It felt like I was hefted over somebody’s shoulder and then I was flying through the air, landing hard on my side on a firm, carpeted surface. I heard the roaring of an engine, the squealingof tires, and then I went flying until somebody reached out and pushed me back down. They weren’t the least bit gentle, and I didn’t think for a moment that they’d done it to protect me from harm.

I opened my mouth to scream, but it came out as a startled yelp when I heard a rough voice in my ear. “I told ‘em ta go after the girl. It seemed only fair since DeLuca cost me a daughter, don’ ya think?”

Oh, crap. This was really bad.

“Everyone knows DeLuca is a sucker for his young one, but ya just wouldn’t let me boys get to her, would ya?”

I felt crushing pain in my wrist as my hand was lifted, followed by a sharp tug on the ring on my finger.

“Judging by the size o’ this rock, I’m thinking I still managed to catch meself a mighty fine prize.”

Chapter Eighteen

NIC

“Why isn’t the son of a bitch in my hands yet, Enzo?” I asked, deadly calm. It had been well over a week since that little shit Darby took a shot at Brandon, sending Carly on the run. The word on the street was that he was hiding out like the little pussy he is, and I was tired of waiting. I knew his next target would have been one or both of my girls and for that alone, I wanted to string him up and let the boys use him for target practice.

Enzo stood in the doorway to my office at the Washington Heights building. He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes cast down to the floor.

“You’re testing my already thin patience,” I warned.

“He’s got another gang hiding him,” he confessed.

I stood so fast my chair flew back and into the wall, followed by my left fist as I spun and sent it crashing through the drywall. “Motherfucker!” I yelled as rage built up in my chest. I should have expected this. There were other organizations in New York, though they were much smaller than the O’Reillys or us. Usually, they fell in line behind one of us, seeking our protection as well as keeping a truce. With the shift in leadership, they werewatching closely, looking for weaknesses and an opening to build their power. Whoever was hiding Darby saw it as a test. They were trying to find out which family to throw their lot in with.

I clenched my fists, ignoring the ache from my injured hand, and pivoted back around. Pointing at Enzo, I stared hard at him, making it clear I wasn’t fucking around. “We discussed this on the phone, I don’t want to see you in my office again until you have Pat or Darby O’Reilly in tow. Or better yet, both. Now, get the fuck out of here and do your fucking job!” My calm gave way to the rage and I was shouting by the end.

“Yes, boss,” Enzo grunted, his eyes returning to the ground again. He turned to leave but glanced back at me for a moment, and among the fear in his eyes, there was a respect I hadn’t seen from him before.

“Daddy!” The sound of Sophia’s voice, clearly terrified, had me racing out the door of my office and down the hall. Tears streaming down her face, she barreled toward me, throwing herself into my arms as I bent to scoop her up. Her little arms wrapped around my neck, squeezing tight as she sobbed into my shirt. I placed my hand on the back of her head, holding her to me and kissing her hair. Devon was right behind her, his normally expressionless mask cracked, revealing anger and worry. I looked around for Gianna, surprised she wasn’t with Sophia, but knowing she wouldn’t be far behind.

“What the hell is going on?” I growled. Every second I didn’t see Gianna, my anxiety level shot higher.

“They took my mommy!” Sophia wailed, and panic punched me in the gut so hard I almost stumbled backwards. Hearing my baby girl call Gianna “mommy” for the first time should have been a moment to savor, as a family. Gianna had missed it. Just another reason the people who took her would die.

“Ms. Martin was abducted, sir,” Devon stated, his neutral tone of voice pissing me off. “Linc took off after the two men and called for backup, but they lost the car on the Queensboro Bridge. We’ve got our best man on the satellites and local traffic cams. He’ll find her.”

“My mother?” I asked as I rocked Sophia from side to side, tamping down my emotions to help calm her. I wanted to go after Gianna but doing so without intelligence and a plan would get me nowhere.

---