Page 68 of Inescapable Ties
“That is unfortunate,” he responded.
Before our father could even give the order, Rolando took charge and forcefully grabbed my arm. His grip was tight and forceful as he dragged me through the cold, dimly lit warehouse. My bare legs stung against the rough concrete floor, leaving behind angry red scrapes. I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back the fear and pain that threatened to overwhelm me.
The three of us eventually found ourselves in the back office area. My stomach, already sinking, seemed to drop even lower. The symbol I had been tirelessly researching for months was plastered on the wall in front of me. It had just been spray painted, and the paint was still wet and heavy-handed. There was no mistaking it - my family was responsible for this symbol’s origins.
“What is that?” For the first time, I could not hide the fear in my voice.
“Ah, yes. I imagine you’ve run into this a few times now, with your,” he paused, a look of disgust on his face, “Hobby. It is the symbol of rebirth, written in a language passed down throughout the Catucci family. We will rise and be the most powerful Italian family.”
“And overtake the Alto’s?”
I tried not to laugh. Although I was not part of the Mafia’s “business” areas, I knew the Alto’s had been in power for generations.
“Now is our moment. With Valentina dead, everything is in chaos,” my father said.
“I wish you luck,” I said, not bothering to hide my sarcasm. I didn’t bother asking him if he was responsible for the Gala shooting and Valentina’s death, because it would have been an impossible feat for him.
With a sudden, violent shove, Rolando threw me against the rough brick wall. My body slammed against it with bone-jarring force, causing my vision to blur for a moment. I slumped to the ground in a daze, my back pressed painfully against the unforgiving surface. Rolando stood over me, unholstering his gun and pointing it directly at my face. My heart raced in terror, my breath coming in quick gasps as I stared up at him with wide eyes. In that terrifying moment, I could have sworn I saw a flicker of remorse in his stony gaze - a fleeting glimpse of the man he used to be before becoming consumed by darkness. But just as quickly as it appeared, the glimmer vanished, replaced once again by the ruthless killer I knew him to be.
As I faced my own mortality, fear crept into my mind, but it was overshadowed by a feeling of remorse. All those unsaid words and unspoken feelings for Emilio would remain a secret forever.
Chapter thirty-six
Emilio
AsIleftforwork, I noticed Luciana’s still form in bed, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. She thought she was fooling me with her act of sleep, but I could always tell when she was pretending. The air was heavy with unspoken tension from last night’s argument. I longed to apologize and make things right, but I could sense that she didn’t want to talk to me just yet. Right now, I would just have to give her space and let the matter rest.
It was an exceedingly slow day at work. No one needed to be tortured, nothing needed to investigated. I needed something to do to keep my mind off the situation, and there was nothing for me today. I ended up getting lost in my own thoughts pondering the “what ifs” and “should haves.”
“This is so stupid,” I mumbled to myself, but it caught the ears of Felix, who was sitting nearby.
“What is?”
“Nothing,” I said a little too quickly. “I need to go home. Text me if something important comes up.”
“Don’t forget to log your vacation time,” he said facetiously.
Normally I would jab back at a remark like that, but I had something far more important to do. I needed to go home and beg forgiveness to Luciana, tell her I did not feel that way about our marriage.
And I did not beg.
As I sped through traffic, weaving in and out of cars, I couldn’t help but feel my heart rate quicken. Not from the thrill of the chase, but from the anticipation of what awaited me at home. The fear of an impending empty house, void of Luciana’s presence, plagued my thoughts; a gnawing fear that clouded my judgment more than any interrogation ever could.
Reaching our apartment quicker than expected, I parked haphazardly, not caring about the consequences. I ran to the parking structure’s elevator, only to see it was out of service. Fucking great. Gripping firmly on to my determination, I made my way up the stairs two at a time. It alarmed me how much I suddenly cared. How I desperately needed Luciana to understand that she meant more to me than my shitty words could ever portray.
Turning the knob with more force than required, I stepped inside. The house was eerily quiet, save for the subtle hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen. It was clear no one was home. Dino had said Luciana showed no interest in going anywhere, but I guess she changed her mind. I slammed my fist against the wall, pissed that I missed my chance. Now I’d just have to wait here, lost in my thoughts, until they arrived home.
I walked into our shared bedroom to change into something more comfortable during the agonizing wait. The stuffed octopus I won Luciana and Bait, the doll I had bought her on one of our first dates, sat on the bed. They gave me an accusatory stare, as if telling me I shouldn’t have left in the first place.
“Shut up,” I muttered, and then instantly felt like an idiot for talking to toys.
Along with her toys, Luciana had left her laptop and a pile of papers on the bed. The screen hadn’t gone dark yet and whatever she had been browsing was still on display for the world to see. I couldn’t help myself; my curiosity got the better of me. When I looked at the screen, I felt like I was going to vomit. The warehouse where we had our shootout with the Mexicans appeared on the screen. A quick cross reference with the pile of papers she had on the bed confirmed that she was definitely heading there to explore.
I leaped off the bed and sprinted towards the car, desperate to reach Luciana as soon as possible. My friends and I had already taken care of the men in the warehouse, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that some of them might still be lurking around. Enemies were like cockroaches - you can contain them, but they would never really be gone.
The route to the warehouse was etched into my mind like a scar, a reminder of a day flooded with gunshots and screams. The twisted knot in my stomach tightened as I saw Dino’s car parked in front of the building. I parked mine next to it and got out of the vehicle.
I circled the building first to look for cars. If there was no one here, Dino and Luciana were safe inside. My heart raced as I stumbled upon an Audi, hidden away behind a loading dock. It was obvious that it had just been parked there, untouched by the usual layer of fine dust that coated everything in this desolate place. My instincts were on high alert, scanning for any signs of danger.
