31. Nico
Chapter 31
Nico
I barge through the club, ignoring everyone I pass. My goal is to get to Marco’s office and anyone or anything that gets in my way will be destroyed.
The beat of the music pounds as I enter the main club, and the lights pulse relentlessly. I want to go and pull the fucking plug! I can’t think straight.
Heading around the bar, I grab the handle, pausing for a moment … If this woman is lying to me, then she will die a painful mother fucking death. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long ass time, and if she is playing games, she is playing with the wrong guy.
Exhaling, I push forward and enter.
The woman jumps as I barge in, and Marco stands in front of her, putting his hands up defensively. “Wow, wait, you need to calm down a bit, boss.” His brow raises and his head cocks back, gesturing to the woman behind him.
“Listen, we don’t have time to waste. I want to know where O’Connor is keeping my brother, and I want to know Now!” I shout.
“Look, come and sit.” He gestures to the sofa that sits along the wall opposite his big oak desk.
I grit my teeth asI do what he says. I take in the woman who is huddled in his big brown leather chesterfield chair that sits opposite his desk. She has a soft looking blanket over her tiny frame, and she is wearing an oversized hoodie with ICONIC on the front.
My eyes narrow as she raises her arm to move a piece of greasy, matted blonde hair that has fallen in front of her grubby face, which shows signs of faded bruises. The sleeve of the hoodie slips and reveals red marks from some kind of rope or chains.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. I need to calm myself. She has come here instead of getting herself help in order to save my brother, so I should be grateful and not assume the worst.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen my brother in two years, but that doesn’t give me the right to treat you this way,” I say as I look at her, and her eyes begin to well with unshed tears. “What’s your name?” I ask.
“I-I know you want to get to your brother, but you should know he’d given up hope you’d find him. We didn’t know where we were.” The tears building in her eyes spill down her gaunt looking cheeks. “I was only there for about six months, but your brother…” she breaks off and sobs. “Well, as you know, he was there for so much longer.” The blanket slips down as she buries her head into her knees and cries.
Standing, I go over to her and place my hand on the back of her head, feeling the grime in her hair, and that’s when it hits me. I don’t know what she’s been through, what he’s been through.
I bend down and look at her, lowering my voice. “Please, what is your name?” I smile reassuringly at her, hoping she knows I won’t hurt her. I just need answers.
“Rosie Carmicheal,” she answers.
“Do you know where you were kept?” I ask and nod to assure her she can trust we will do everything we can to help them both.
She scoffs out a laugh and starts to shake her head. “Pier 3, Greenway Terrace, a couple of blocks back from there.” She drops her head and screams into her arm. “I can’t believe we were so flipping close. I came out and walked a couple of blocks and there I was.” She shakes her head. “This whole time, he hadn’t removed us from the State, never mind the blooming country!” I can see she’s mad, and it’s kinda cute that she obviously doesn’t swear. The complete opposite to someone else I know.
“Do you know where exactly?” I ask her.
“I didn’t really catch the street, just ran out as quick as I could. We need to get back now before anyone returns to the house. I know where it is, so I can take you,” she rushes out as she stands to go but wobbles on her feet.
Shit! She needs to see someone. I’ll get someone to the house and send her there. One of the guys can follow us to the location. We’ll need two beds set up because if she is like this after six months, what the fuck is Gabriele going to be like?
“Marco, get one of the men around the front, he can follow us to the location, and we can head in to see if we can find Gabriele.” I look over to Rosie. “You will come with us and show us where we need to go, but when we get there, one of my men will take you back to my house so you can get looked at by the Dr. We’ll meet you back there with Gabriele,” I assure her.
“I should come with you. I told him I would come back … I promised him.” She stands and grabs hold of my arm.
“He will understand. I’ll tell him you need to be looked at.” I pull her into a hug.
“Marco, call the family Dr. and get him to the house. We need two beds set up with all the equipment they can think of. Tell them to get it, no questions asked,” I command.
“On it, and I’ve informed Tony and Tommy that we will be over either later or tomorrow, but to keep Brandon secure until we arrive.” His smile is cruel, and the outcome for Brandon is not looking good right now. It wasn’t before, but now I know he kidnapped my brother and kept him hidden for almost two years, this is something he won’t come back from.
Reluctantly, Rosie agrees with my plan, which is good because I don’t want to have to force her, not in the state she is currently in, so we all head out.
We follow her directions through the New York traffic. The journey shouldn’t take long but it feels like hours have passed when we arrive at the house in front of us.
You wouldn’t suspect that beneath the house in the basement, the owner is holding prisoners. This town house is in one of the more affluent parts of the city and we need to head in without causing a fuss. The last thing we need is the cops showing up.
The red bricks of the five windows wide, three-story property look impressive. The lights are all off, but that doesn’t mean that no one is home. I instruct my guards to have the lights off all the time, it gives people a false sense of security, and they feel bolder when they believe no one is watching.
My heart starts to pound as I exit the vehicle and signal to Marco to get Rosie back to my house.
He does the switch, and I watch closely as my men arrive and separate, several head around the back while one of the guards stays with myself and Marco.
My guard proceeds to enter the premises, and we follow. The others have already entered, signaling all is clear on this floor.
I point upstairs for that team to investigate as we locate the door with a padlock sitting at the foot of the wooden door.
This is it… I pull it wide open with a creak and head down the concrete steps.