30. Dom
30
DOM
I needed to check on Corey or send someone else to. The thought of seeing him was like a knife to the chest. I knew he’d meant well by calling Val, and part of me wanted to see if I still had any chance with him. I wanted to know if he hated me as much as he should. I wanted to pull him into my arms and hold him, comfort him, kiss him. I was afraid of what I might do if I went to his room, but he shouldn’t be left up there on his own, and Beatrice wasn’t here.
I was considering sending one of the guards when Muffin ran in. I’d only dismissed him and the other guards a few moments ago when our meeting ended. “There are signs of a struggle out back in the alleyway.”
My leg gave and I grabbed the desk. “What?”
“The gravel is all kicked up. You can tell people were scuffling. Oil dripped from a car, and then there was this.” He held out a watch, and I stared at it. My heart pounded, and icy cold fear suffused my body. I wasn’t sure I could speak. I wasn’t sure I could move. “Corey. Go to his room now.”
Muffin took off, and I just stood there, staring at the watch, knowing what had happened. I’d worried he might run, but it didn’t sound like he’d gone willingly. What had he been doing out there? How had they gotten to him?
And why hadn’t we seen or heard anything? I should never have pulled all the guards in, but it was early afternoon, and Corey had been in his room.
Oh God, what have I done?
Muffin came back. “He’s not there.”
“Search the house. Search everywhere. And get someone reviewing video and trailing that car.”
I called X, then I called Lucien and my sons. I would get Corey back. I had to. I wasn’t okay without him. If he were hurt or…worse…I never would be okay again.
I went outside, needing to be doing something while I waited for Lucien and my sons to arrive. I stumbled out the back gate. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was barely thinking at all, since I was too busy screaming inside.
This was my fault. I hadn’t kept Corey with me. I’d sent him away.
My leg ached, burned, but I kept going, using my phone’s flashlight to examine the tire tracks in the gravel, looking for any sign of something else that belonged to Corey. I walked down the road. What if they’d left him? What if I found his body? “ No! ”
I hadn’t realized I screamed out loud until Valentino came running. How had he gotten here so fast? How long had I been out here?
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for Corey. For….”
He put his arm around me. “Come back inside.”
“No, I have to keep looking.”
“He’s not in the house. He’s not out here. He’s been taken, Pops, and we’re going to find him, but you need to come inside so we can make a plan.”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child.”
“Then don’t act like one.”
I pulled my arm from his and turned, continuing down the road.
“Pops, we shouldn’t be out here, and your phone is buzzing. You should answer it.”
I realized he was right. I turned off the flashlight and saw that I had a message from an unknown number.
Corey is with me. Keep our appointment if you want to see him again.
Leave him alone.
No. It’s important he learns a lesson about spying on me.
Don’t you touch him.
I can do anything I want with him. Be there tonight. We’ll see what kind of bargain we can come to.
“Who is it?” Val asked.
“Lisa.” Just saying her name made my stomach churn. I handed him my phone so he could read the messages himself.
How had she done this? How had she tricked me again? I would meet her, and she would die. I would save Corey. I couldn’t live with any other outcome.
“Fucking bitch,” Val muttered as he put an arm around my shoulders again. “Come on, let’s go inside. We know where Corey is now.”
“We know who he’s with, but not where.”
“Then we need to get working on that, and standing out here won’t help.”
“I’m going to meet her. Don’t try to stop me.”
Val sighed, but he didn’t argue. I was sure he knew it was useless.
When we stepped inside, there was a crowd gathered in the sunroom. Vito, Lucien, Giorgio, along with numerous Marchesi guards and cousins. Valentino whistled, and silence fell over the room as everyone turned to look at us.
Lucien moved to stand by my side, and Val remained with me, which was good. My leg was protesting, and at any time, I might fall over. I was going to have to rest it before I met Lisa.
“Tell me what you know,” Lucien said.
“Lisa just sent me a message. She has Corey.” I barely succeeded in keeping my voice steady.
No one spoke. I didn’t know how much any of them knew about what had happened between Corey and me, but they could all sense I was close to coming apart.
“She warned me to keep our appointment tonight if I wanted to see him alive.”
“It’s a trap,” Vito said. “Surely you know that.”
I scowled at him. “Of course I know, but I’m going anyway.”
“You don’t really think she’s going to release him, do you?” Lucien asked.
“No, but as long as he’s alive, I have a chance of saving him. If she comes face to face with me, she’ll be dead before she can harm him.”
“And you?” Lucien asked. “Are you planning to live to see him safe and alive?”
“I would prefer it, but I will do whatever is necessary. He was in my care, and it’s my responsibility to save him.”
Vito took a step toward me. “Pops, you can’t?—”
Fury built inside me. “Would you walk into a trap to save Zeke? Or would you just leave him there when you had a chance to help him?”
“I could never leave him, but we need to make plans. We have to have people in position to assist you and to look for Corey if Lisa doesn’t bring him with her.”
“I’m doing this alone.”
“The fuck you are,” Lucien growled.
“I’m going in with you, sir,” Giorgio said. “I promised X I wouldn’t let you go on this mission alone.”
I snarled at him. “The mission has changed.”
“You’re still meeting Lisa and planning to kill her, and you still need backup.”
“Haven’t you learned anything this week?” Vito asked.
I turned to face him, barely managing to keep my balance. “Do not speak to me like that.”
He stood his ground. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save your life and Corey’s.”
“Enough,” Lucien’s voice echoed in the room.
He gestured toward the sofa. “Dominic, let’s take a seat.”
I appreciated that he didn’t call out my weakness but gave me a chance to rest. I forced myself to walk with only a trace of a limp, then sat next to my nephew.
“You will meet Lisa tonight,” Lucien said. “And you will put an end to her. I wouldn’t ask you not to follow through with that plan, but you won’t go alone. And we will spend every minute prior to that meeting trying to find Corey’s location so that we can free him.”
“If we go in before the meeting, she’ll kill him.”
“Will she, or is she scared enough to want a way to bargain with you? Does she realize how clear the evidence is against her?”
“I don’t know if she cares. I think at this point she just wants to hurt me and find a way to get enough money out of her disgusting scam so that she can flee the country again.”
Lucien nodded. “That may be true, but we will search for him. She may not bring him to the meeting.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“We won’t make a move without contacting you, but I will ultimately make the decision about what is best.”
“Corey is mine to protect.”
“I am the head of this family, and I make the decisions.” His expression was fierce, his voice sharp and cold. He rarely spoke to me in that tone. I wanted to hate him for it, but he was a good leader. He had done a lot for the family in the few years since his father had stepped down. “Giorgio will go with you tonight. He knows how to remain unseen. He will position himself as a backup shooter. Also, you will wear protective gear.”
“Lisa will see that, and?—”
“It will be dark. And if she sees it, then she’ll know you’re wise and a headshot is her only choice. She’s got nowhere near the skill you do.”
“I’m already restricted enough in my movements. I don’t?—”
“This is not a negotiation.”
I wanted to scream. I had to make sure I had every chance to make my move. I couldn’t let this go down any other way. I had to save Corey. I had to believe he was alive and that if I ended Lisa’s life, I could have him back.
“Do you accept this plan?”
Did I really have a choice. “Yes, sir.”
“Excellent.”
He looked up and began assigning tasks to the people in the room. Val and Vito were ordered to help me prepare in any way I needed them. I was angry at them, but also glad that they would be by my side until the moment I left, in case it was the last chance I had to talk to them.