Page 39 of Cruel Redemption

Ciro didn’t care that I stopped asking questions. “He thought her name was Simone. All I had to go on was a baby photo and the hospital where she was born.”

“He wouldn’t have left a child like that.” It wasn’t possible. My father was cold, but there was one thing that warmed him, and that was family blood. The ties and power it gave him. If he had could have collected five more children, he would have.

“The woman was married. Your father was a widower. He wanted the baby. She hid her and raised her with her husband. That’s all I have. The last names don’t even match, so I keep coming up empty.”

“Stop. Stop.” I shook my head.

“It’s true.” He reached in his wallet and withdrew a folded photo. He handed it to me.

I examined it. It was a picture of a baby. It was blurry and there were no features that stood out. It was just a baby. I didn’t feel anything when I looked at it. I gave it back to Ciro.

“I can’t do this now. I have to talk to Enzo’s parents.” I nodded toward the hotel lobby. “Tell them I have a few minutes.”

Ciro began to open his mouth. “All right. I’ll bring them to the car.”

“Thank you.” I picked up my phone and waited for what was going to be another hellish conversation.

A few minutes later, the back door opened and Ciro ushered the parents into the backseat.

“Mr. and Mrs. Barone,” I greeted them. “I’m so sorry. Please come in. It’s cool.”

They observed the interior of the SUV and climbed inside. Ciro shut the door and stood outside the vehicle.

“I’m Enzo’s boss. He’s very important to me. More than I could describe.” The three years he had worked by my side couldn’t be summed up in a quick meeting like this one.

His mother started weeping. Shit. I handed her a tissue. “Here. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. Everyone is nervous.”

His father had the same blue eyes as Enzo. “We just want our son home. That’s it. We appreciate you coming down here, Ms. Amato.”

“Of course.” I waited for Mrs. Barone to blot her cheeks. “I’d like to help with the search.”

“We have a lot of people in the city looking for him.”

“Not like that exactly,” I explained. “Please, use the resources I have. I’d like to offer reward money for his safe return, but anonymously. Just to keep the attention where it should be, and that’s on Enzo.”

The parents exchanged a look of relief or confusion. I wasn’t sure which.

“That’s very generous of you,” he responded. “But, we don’t want to put you out.”

“You won’t. I want him back. You can’t really put a price tag on that, can you?”

They shook their heads.

“All right. I’ll have my attorney deposit money into a trust with your names on it for the reward disbursement. Half a million should get you started.”

His mother sputtered. “Dollars? Half a million dollars?”

“Yes. And anything else you need.” I jotted my number down and handed it to them. “Call me. No matter what time of day it is. I’ll get you anything you need.”

Enzo’s father, tucked the phone number into his pocket. “Thank you, Ms. Amato. Enzo has said nothing but how much he loves working for you. We can see why.”

I pressed my lips together. Ciro opened the door. That was the cue for them to leave, but they seemed stuck in limbo. I’m sure it was a feeling like trying to walk through quicksand. There was no good place for them to sit and wait this out. For a minute, they were using my SUV as their refuge. For Enzo, I could wait with them a few minutes more.

Twenty-Two

Luka

My head hurt like hell. So did my knees. I’d crouched against the cement wall all night. Every time my eyes closed, my head went bounce forward and my neck would jerk it upright again. I didn’t think I’d ever get the smell of this place out of my nose. It was in my hair, under my nails. I’d burn this jumpsuit the first chance I got.

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