Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Gabriela
This morning I’ll be going to the bakery around lunch time. Rosaura said she would have the grocery list for me then. I can’t wait to cook with all of them. I love learning all these new things from them. This is one thing my mamá doesn’t do is cook or bake.
“Are you not baking today?” Georgíos asks.
“Not today. We have to run by the bakery and grab the shopping list. Then the mamá’s are going to help me make Gianluca’s favorite dinner and dessert.”
“You’re making enough for all of us, right?” Diego chuckles.
“I suppose.” I laugh.
We head to the bakery to grab the list, we have to go into the city to get some of the ingredients. Then we get back, we start cooking. I get Carlo ready and we all head to the bakery.
“Here’s the list of things you’ll need. We have most of the ingredients, but it’s always good to replace our stock as we go. You’ll have to go to a few stores to get everything. And I’ve written down the best stores to get the stuff at.” Rosaura smiles as she cuddles Giancarlo.
“Thank you so much. I’m really excited to do this. I almost told him about it when he called last night.” I grin.
“Did he notice the house?”
“He did. But I didn’t tell him which house I chose. I told him he has to wait till he comes home. He was really mad about the other situation. I thought about waiting to tell him, but I didn’t want him to feel like I was keeping it from him.”
“That’s good. Secrets are never good, not even if you’re doing it to help him.”
“Yeah, I thought about how I would feel if it was turned around. I’d want to know everything no matter what.”
“If you can’t find something, give us a call or text and we’ll figure out a substitute.”
Rosaura hugs me and Carlo as we head out. Today’s traffic seems heavier than normal, it’s a good thing we have some time before he gets home.
Gianluca: On the plane. I can’t wait to see you. Love you
Gabriela: Safe flight. I love you
“We’ll hit the specialty stores first. They usually close earlier than the big stores.” Georgíos says to us. “Also, why do you get to drive? You don’t have a license here in Illinois.”
“Because I’m older.”
“What the fu-huck?” he says as he turns to look at Giancarlo, who’s giggling. “That’s not an answer. And you don’t even know where you’re going.”
“Of course it’s an answer. And I have the talking box there. She’s telling me where to go.”
“Wow.”
I laugh as we listen to them bicker.
“Okay, it looks like we have 2 specialty stores and then just the regular grocery store.”
“See? Now we put that into the talking thing and follow what she says.”
“Do you even know what it’s called? It’s not a talking box.”
“It’s a square screen. Would you rather I call it the talking screen?”
“Yes.”
I can see Georgíos rolling his eyes in the rear view mirror.
“Funny.” Carlo giggles more.
It takes us almost three hours to get to the city and shop at the two specialty stores. Now we’re headed to the bigger store to finish up. After we park, Georgíos grabs a cart for us to get Giancarlo in it. It’s funny how many women and men stare at Georgíos and Francisco as we walk around.
“Can I walk?” Giancarlo asks.
“Sure.” I say as I pull him out. Diego takes over pushing the cart as I walk with Carlo.
Suddenly, Giancarlo drops my hand and runs. I chase after him, knowing that Georgíos is right behind me. I hear Giancarlo scream and I tun the corner on the toy isle and see a man holding him. He’s crying and squirming.
“Yasha, put down! Mamà, help, pwease.” he’s screaming as people are just watching.
What the fuck is wrong with people. I hear Georgíos and Francisco swearing behind me.
“Please give him back to me.” I say, trying to stay calm.
“He’s my son. So no. I won’t give him to you. And why the fuck is he calling you mama? You’re not his fucking mother. That bitch is dead.” The smile he gives me sends shivers down my spine.
Giancarlo is sobbing hysterically as I try to take a step forward. I see four other men come up to stand with him. One of them whispers something to him. Yakov slides his jacket to the side and I see a gun in his belt.
“Why don’t you come over here and join us—Gabriela.” He smiles more.
I don’t know how he knows my name. But I just realized this is the man that my parents sent me here to be away from. I feel a hand on my arm. I turn, knowing it’s either Georgíos or Diego.
“I can’t let him take Giancarlo. I trust all of you that you’ll find us.” I whisper to Diego.
I can see the war going on in both of their faces. But they know I’m right. If I let Yakov take Giancarlo, I’ll never forgive myself. And what kind of mamá would I be to him if I didn’t protect him?
“Tell Gianluca I love him and I will do everything I can to protect our son.”
“You protect yourself too. We will come for you.” Georgíos says quietly to me.
“Oh come on. It’s not like I’m sending you off to be killed. At least not yet.” He smirks.
The goons with him laugh like it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever heard.
I walk over to them, Giancarlo is still screaming for me and reaching out to me.
Yakov slaps his hands which makes my blood boil.
I reach out and he lets me take him. Giancarlo wraps his arms around my neck and holds tight as he’s sobbing.
“It’s going to be okay, mijo. I’ve got you.”
“Mamà.” He sobs as he clings tighter.
Before they shove me in the car, I see Diego and Georgíos watching while they’re on their phone. I wasn’t lying when I said I trusted them to find us. Our family would never abandon either of us.
Gianluca
Just as we’re taking off, my phone chimes.
But my service cuts off before I can answer it.
It looked like it was my papà. I’ll have to call him back once we’re in the air.
I’m a little worried about why he was calling.
They never call me when I’m on a flight.
This plane needs to get up in the air now.
I don’t know why things always seem to take longer when you’re anxious. But I definitely don’t like it. Finally the Captain tells us we can use our phones and I whip mine out and call my papà.
“What’s wrong?”
I ask the minute I hear it connect.
“You need to keep calm. We weren’t going to tell you till you landed. But I wanted you to hear this from me. Yakov took Gabriela and Giancarlo.”
“What do you mean he ‘took them’? Do we know where they are?”
“Georgíos and Diego followed them as long as they could. But they were ready. And they lost them. But I need you to stay calm.”
“Stop telling me to stay calm. My family is missing and I’m in the fucking air.”
“Ares, Celestino, Marcello and Georgíos are coming to pick you up at the airport. Or do they need to get you from the field?”
“I’ll let Coach know I need to leave.”
“Okay, we’ll see you soon, figlio. We’re going to find them, we’re already headed to the places that we know he or the Bratva owns or lives in.”
“I’m sorry, Papà. I know you’re all doing everything you can. I just feel fucking helpless and I don’t like it. I’ll call you when I land and I’m with the guys.”
“I know, figlio. I know. We’ll see you soon.”
This is my worst nightmare come true. I have so many questions, how did they grab them?
They’re never alone, are Georgíos and Diego okay?
Also, Yakov had to be watching the property in order to know when they left.
And then he was following them. I feel like because he waited so long, we just felt like he wouldn’t come after us.
Even I thought that Yakov just let it all go and because I let my guard down, he took the two people I love most in this world.
Baseball career or not, I’m going to find them.
When I get off the plane, I grab my bags and head to the pick up area. I see Ares waving his arms like a lunatic at me. I can’t help but chuckle as I make my way towards him.
“Do we know anything?” I ask them as we get into the car.
“Not yet. We’ve looked at several of their houses.
We were hoping that he was taking them to his apartment in the city.
But so far there’s been nothing going on there.
Enea thinks that he took them out of the city to one of their stash houses.
Which makes more sense then him going back to his apartment. ” Celestino explains to me.
“How was he able to grab them?”
Georgíos tells me what happened at the store.
“I’m sorry that we failed all of you.” Georgíos says sounding defeated.
“This isn’t your fault. Neither of you could’ve known that he was following you or even waiting to take them. Hell I thought he was just letting it all go. It’s been almost nine months and he hasn’t even tried to contact me.”
“Gabriela said to tell you that she loves you and she’ll protect your son. Yakov had an odd look on his face when he talked about Faith being gone.” Georgíos says to me.
“Do you think he had something to do with her accident?” I frown.
“The council’s looking into that. Did he know about you?”
“Faith said he didn’t know about me. But come on, he’s part of the Bratva.
That’s something that can be found out. Maybe it took him this long to figure it all out.
But to come after Gabriela and Carlo knowing they’re under Mancini protection…
well that tells me that he doesn’t give a shit about our truce. ”
“I wonder what Ivan will say about all of this. When we were leaving to come and get you, the council was trying to get him on the phone.”
I feel some relief when I see Lake Renegade coming into view. When we get to the property, we head straight to the Cimaruta clubhouse. I hug everyone as we walk in.
“The council is in the conference room talking to Ivan. From what I could hear, he’s claiming he had no idea Yakov was planning this.
But we all know he’s pissed because he wanted Gabriela for Yakov.
And now he can’t have her. Plus he’s pissed that Ramón is partnering with our families.
I think he expected Ramón to bow down to him. ” Sebastiano says to me.
“I wish we could just be done with all of them. Once and for all.”
“We all want that. And I really thought after we took care of Fyodor, we were done. But then Oleg had to act like he had power over us. And now Yakov. Because I think Ivan is the only one that really sees that he’s not going to win this.”
“I just want Gabriela and Giancarlo back. Before he hurts them. Because if he was hurting Faith in front of Carlo, who knows what he’ll do to Gabriela.”
The door to the conference room opens and my papà comes out. He heads straight for me and hugs me.
“We’re talking to Ivan now. He’s still saying he had no idea that Yakov was going to do this.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I don’t know. I know what he’s said to Ramón, but I don’t know if Ivan is stupid enough to think he can go up against us. He knows we won’t hesitate to take him out like we did his brother.”
“So what happens if we kill Yakov? Will Ivan retaliate?”
“Again, I don’t know. He knows that his brother kidnapping your woman and son means he’s going to die. And he might negotiate to keep the rest of his family safe. For now anyway.”
“I guess we’re going to have to take out the Koslov’s one by one. I mean eventually they’ll all be gone.” Apollo rolls his eyes.