Surprise Baby for the Don (Dark Daddies #2)

Chapter 22

22

Mateo

I race through the streets, pushing my car to its limit, the engine roaring as I blow through intersections and ignore every red light. I don’t have time for traffic laws, don’t have time to be cautious. Every second I waste is a second Ginny and Rocco are under the Savinis’ thumb, and God knows what they’re doing to them. Every second it takes to reach them, my rage builds, coiling tighter in my chest, filling me with a fury that I can barely contain.

I can’t stop thinking about her terrified, handcuffed, her face bruised because those bastards dared to put their hands on her. The thought of it sends a surge of powerful anger through me, and I press down even harder on the gas, weaving through traffic with reckless abandon, ignoring the sound of horns honking at me as I pass. Every single one of them will pay with their lives.

They think I’m coming for a truce. They think I’m going to negotiate, hand over property, play nice. But I’m not coming for peace. I’m coming to get the people I love back. And if I don’t find them both in good health, I’ll burn the whole complex to the ground. I’ll make them regret the day they ever crossed me.

We’re close now. I can see the rundown warehouses in the distance, the shadows stretching across the empty lot. The Savini compound is an ugly, squat building that looks abandoned, unremarkable. They use that to their advantage to hide their operation from the general public and the cops. But I know better. I know what kind of filth hides behind those walls.

A block away, I pull the car to a stop and kill the engine, my hands still clenched tight around the steering wheel. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, to force some of this rage into focus. I can’t go in guns blazing, not yet. They’re expecting me to play nice, to be desperate enough to follow their rules. I’ll have to pretend to play their game. For now.

Red and Bats head to the trunk to load up, checking their guns, their faces hard and grim. I’ve brought two other men with me, each of them loaded with firepower.

As we approach the building, I look up to the roof to see two dark figures silhouetted against the night sky. I nod to Red, murmuring orders in Italian, and he glances up, his gaze flicking to the rooftop as well. They’re snipers, their guns no doubt trained on us even now. The Savinis aren’t stupid. They know what kind of game they’re playing. And they know I’m not one to back down easily.

Red meets my gaze, giving a subtle nod to show he’s seen them too. They’ll be a problem when we’re leaving, but we’ll deal with that when we get to it. Right now, my focus is on getting inside, on finding Ginny and Rocco.

We approach the door, moving in a tight formation, each of us ready, alert, our hands close to our weapons. A couple of men step out, blocking our path with that same arrogant smirk I’ve come to associate with Savini lackeys.

“Only you, Rossi,” one of them says, holding up a hand to stop my men, his tone dripping with disdain. “Boss says you’re allowed in, but only you. And no guns.”

I stare him down, letting the silence stretch, letting him see the barely contained fury in my eyes. They want to make the rules, to put me at a disadvantage. Fine. I was prepared for this.

I turn to my men, who are already fuming at this change of plans. They’re so thirsty for blood, they’re practically vibrating. But I put my hands up, letting them know to stand down for now.

I meet Red’s eye and nod at him. He nods back, stepping back and making his brother and the others fall back with him. Red is wise enough to bide his time. I know I can trust him to handle things out here if it all goes wrong.

I turn back to Savinis’ men and smile cheekily, raising my hands to show I’m unarmed, and they step forward to pat me down, their hands rough, intrusive. They’re trying to assert their control, to remind me who holds the power here. But they don’t realize that every second I’m here, every second they keep me from Ginny and Rocco, they’re just fueling the fire inside me. The power they think they have is an illusion. It’s only what I allow them to have.

When they’re satisfied that I’m clean, they step back, motioning for me to follow.

“Boss is waiting in the office,” one of them sneers, jerking his thumb toward a door on the side of the warehouse. “Better not keep him waiting.”

I shoot him a cold look but say nothing, forcing myself to stay calm, to keep my anger in check. I can’t afford to lose control now, not when Ginny and Rocco depend on my cooperation. I follow them into the building, my gaze sharp, scanning every inch of the dimly lit space for any sign of them.

The warehouse is as grimy and decrepit as I expected. Rows of rusted shelves, old machinery covered in dust, the air thick with the smell of oil and mildew. Shadows flit along the walls, men stationed at every corner, their eyes trained on me. I can feel them watching, feel their smug satisfaction, their belief that they’ve got me exactly where they want me.

The Savinis have been waiting for this a long time. They never liked my father, and that disdain has seamlessly been passed down to me. It was my inheritance, whether I wanted it or not. Perhaps they thought that my father’s passing would mean that they’d be able to fill a power vacuum, to step up and take the city after he died.

What they didn’t know then, what they still seem to fail to grasp, is that I was calling the shots long before my father died. He was very ill in his last years, his mind not what it had once been. So I took over for him quietly, only Rocco aware that there was any change of guard. To everyone else, it seemed that my father was still in charge, still the powerful man he’d always been. It was the least I could do then to protect his legacy.

The men lead me down a narrow hallway, the silence heavy, oppressive. My footsteps are steady, my gaze forward, my mind racing with a thousand different scenarios, a thousand different ways this could go. I don’t see Ginny or Rocco yet, but I know they’re here. I can feel it, this pull in my chest, this certainty that they’re close.

Finally, we reach a door, and one of the men steps forward, rapping on it with a knuckle. A muffled voice responds from the other side, and they open the door, motioning for me to go inside.

I step through, my heart pounding, my fists clenched at my sides as I take in the scene. Carlo Savini is sitting behind a desk, his face twisted in a smarmy grin, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. David stands beside him, leaning against the wall with that same arrogant smirk, his gaze fixed on me like I’m a prize he’s already won.

“Mateo,” Carlo says, spreading his arms in a mock gesture of welcome. “Glad you could make it.”

I don’t respond, just stare him down, letting him see the fury simmering beneath the surface. I don’t bother hiding it. I want him to know exactly how close he is to death.