Page 67 of Secret Mafia Daddy

“What can we do? How do we know?”

“We wait for a bit. If this was them, nothing will happen, but if this was something else—” My phone starts ringing, interrupting Nico.

“Dante, do you have anything for me?” I’m desperate at this point, not knowing what to wish for.

“I got a text. Our friend Dmitri is claiming to have something of yours. I guess we know what that means.”

“Fuck.” I can’t believe that fucker came after my family. He’s a dead man.

“I’ll send some men your way, but it will take time,” Dante offers, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

“Thanks, man. That means the world to me.”

“Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, but for now I’m out. Gotta make some calls.”

He hangs up and I turn to Nico. “Where do we look first?”

“Alleys, downtown near the industrial area where Tony picked you up. The Russians are crawling all over there.”

I nod and put away the tequila, promising that I’ll finish the bottle if after all this Catarina still leaves.

I hop into Nico’s car and we go on a search. It takes hours, and at first, we find nothing and I should feel better that at least we are doing something, but instead, it just makes me feel worse, knowing that she needs me and I’m powerless to help her since I have no idea where she is.

But then, Nico calls me over near by the river where men are apparently guarding a warehouse door.

My heart leaps into my throat and this is worse than the heartbreak. This is something like panic and abject horror all rolled into one, and I don’t know how to handle myself.

Nico puts a hand on my shoulder. “We found them. This has to be where Dmitri’s is keeping them.”

I swallow hard, nodding, and then there’s a whoosh of bullets through the air – silenced like the bratva and the mafia liked it – as they slam into the wall behind us.

Nico ducks and I roll to the ground, hiding behind his car and drawing my own gun.

There’re too many bullets, and when we are able to see who’s shooting, there’s nearly ten men.

“We gotta get out of here!” Nico shouts, getting into his car and starting it.

“Not without my girls!” I yell back, but Nico opens the passenger side door and I have no choice but to get inside, panting, my stomach aching even though the doctor had put in eight stitches.

“What the hell are we going to do?” I gasp out, and Nico gives me a hard look as he peels out onto the street.

“We go back to the hotel, call Dante, regroup.”

When we arrive, I sit down with a groan.

“Are you even supposed to be walking around?” Nico asks, and I glare at him.

“Would you be lying in bed when your wife and son are missing?”

“Good point,” Nico agrees, sighing. He calls Dante and puts him on speakerphone.

I tiredly give him an update before standing up, bouncing on my heels to try and get more energy. I need to have my shit together for when we go for them.

"The problem is, I don't have enough firepower there.” Dante says. “It will take me close to four hours to get everyone gathered and ready to fly out and then you still have the actual flight there.”

“Where can we get men faster?” Nico asks, but I already know.

I wish Catarina’s father was here, but he is also back in Chicago, so that leaves us with just one choice.

---