Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ALESSANDRO
The heavy iron doors of the warehouse groan as my men throw them open, the sound echoing through the cavernous, desolate space. Dust motes dance in the shafts of the late-afternoon sunlight cutting through the cracked high windows, but there is no sign of life.
"Search every fucking inch!" I roar, my voice booming off the corrugated metal walls. "He was supposed to be here! Find him!"
Instantly, a dozen of my soldiers scatter across the floor.
The warehouse is a graveyard of rusted shipping containers, overturned wooden crates, and abandoned machinery.
My men start upturning everything in sight, kicking through piles of debris, ripping tarps off old equipment, and shining flashlights into every dark, rotting nook and cranny.
But with every passing second, the silence of the room tells me the exact same story.
He isn't here.
I stand in the center of the concrete floor, my hands buried deep in the pockets of my overcoat, my chest heaving with a mixture of raw fury and exhaustion.
We had a solid tip. A high-level informant swore on his life that Luca had been spotted sneaking into this sector of the industrial district less than two hours ago.
It was supposed to be a guaranteed trap.
Instead, it’s just another dead end. Every single lead we've chased today has gone completely cold, and it is grating on my absolute last nerve. This is the fifth lead we’ve chased that has turned up empty.
Luca is out there, a loose thread with enough classified knowledge to dismantle my operations, and he’s playing me like a fool.
The sound of heavy, familiar boots approaches me from behind. I don't turn around as Valerio comes to stand right beside me, his eyes scanning the chaotic sweep of our men.
"Nothing," Valerio says, his tone tight and thick with the same frustration burning through my veins. "The nest is completely cold. Looks like he cleared out at least an hour before we breached the perimeter."
"He's mocking me," I growl, my jaw clenching so hard a dull ache throbbed in my temples. "He knew we were coming, Valerio. Someone is feeding him our movements."
Valerio frowns, his eyes shifting from our men to look at me directly. "You think we have a rat in the inner circle?"
I nod, my eyes narrowing into slits as I stare at a discarded blanket in the corner of the empty room. "I’m certain of it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be escaping us like this. Every single time we get close, he’s already a step ahead. Someone is telling him exactly where we are looking."
Valerio hums, a dark, heavy cloud settling over him. For a while, we just stand there in the suffocating silence of the desolate warehouse, the echoing sounds of my men kicking through empty crates fading into the background.
I turn to him, my mind made up. "I'm going to go confront the elders."
Valerio lets out a heavy, warnings-filled sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alessandro... I know you're furious, but you know how they are right now. They're already mad at you. Pushing them today might start a war we aren't ready for."
“When are they not mad at me?” I huff, a cold, brutal laugh escaping me. "I don't give a fuck what they're mad about. If one of them is protecting a traitor, they will answer to me."
Valerio sighs again, realizing there is absolutely no talking me out of it. "Fine. But you won't find them at the usual syndicate boardrooms. The elders are currently at a private gathering at the Melvitto Garden, having a get-together to unwind and drink."
"Send me the address," I command, already turning on my heel and walking toward the exit.
I leave the dusty warehouse behind and get straight into my car, the engine roaring to life as I pull onto the main road. I'm halfway across the city, my hands gripping the steering wheel tight enough to turn my knuckles white, before a sudden thought hits me.
I'm going to take Sienna along with me.
I try to tell myself it isn't because she has been on my mind all day, or because I’m desperate to see her again after the way we left things this morning.
No. It’s a strategic move. She completely owned the room the last time we met with the elders, standing her ground with that lethal Caruso pride.
I need that exact same fiery energy by my side today to show those old bastards that the Gallo empire stands completely unified.
As I navigate through the evening traffic toward the estate, I pick up my phone and send her a quick, direct text:
Get dressed. I have to meet with the elders. You are coming with me.
A minute later, my phone buzzes. I look down to see she has sent me a single rolling-eyes emoji.
Despite the blinding fury that has consumed my entire afternoon, I catch myself smiling at the screen. She is so fucking fiery. Damn.
But when I finally pull up the long, winding driveway of the mansion and kill the engine, the amusement vanishes, replaced by a sudden rush of anticipation. I walk through the front doors, and she is already waiting for me in the foyer.
She looks breathtakingly beautiful and elegant, wearing a perfectly tailored dress that commands respect without saying a single word. She doesn't offer me a smile, and I don't offer an apology for this morning.
She glides past me, her perfume hitting my senses as she gets into the passenger seat of the car.
I slide back into the driver's seat and pull out of the estate.
For the first few minutes of the drive, neither of us speaks a word, the silence between us heavy, charged, and thick with undeniable tension.
I glance over at her profile, her jaw set as she stares straight ahead out the windshield. "Are you not going to ask me what we're heading there for?"
She turns her head toward me, a sarcastic sweetness coating her tone. "Almighty Alessandro, can you please tell me why we’re headed there?"
I cast her a sharp look, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I don’t want your attitude right now, Sienna."
She scoffs, looking back out her window, but she doesn't push the sarcasm further.
"Luca is on the run," I explain, my voice dropping as I focus back on the road. "We’ve been turning the city upside down all day and coming up empty. I think the elders know exactly where he is. I think someone is sheltering him."
Sienna frowns, appearing thoughtful as she digests the information. She shifts in her seat to face me. "If the Gallo empire is brought down because of a rogue lieutenant, won’t they also take the fall? Everything they've built is tied to your family."
I nod grimly. "Yes. But they hate me too much to see it that way. Their spite blinds them to the bigger picture."
"Why do they hate you so much?" she asks, genuine curiosity replacing the hostility in her voice for the first time today.
I let out a heavy sigh, the weight of a decade's worth of internal syndicate politics pressing down on my shoulders. "After my brother’s death, they all wanted Luca to lead the family instead of me."
"Why?"
"It’s a story for another day, sweetheart," I tell her, checking my mirrors as I make the final turn onto the secluded, heavily guarded road leading to the estate.
She accepts that with a slow nod, sensing the boundary I've just drawn, and turns her gaze back to the approaching gates.
The vehicle is immediately swarmed by three armed security detail, but the moment the lead guard steps up to the driver's side window and catches one clear look at my face, he freezes. He quickly gestures to the security kiosk.
The heavy gates swing backward without a single question asked, letting me through into the territory.
We park by the grand villa overlooking the perfectly manicured grounds. The elders are laughing and having a great time around a long lunch table filled with high-end food and expensive wine when I arrive.
The boisterous laughter instantly ceases the second their eyes land on me, the sudden silence so heavy you could hear a pin drop. I almost laugh out loud at their reactions; they look like they’ve just seen a ghost, or worse, the executioner.
"Why am I not invited to the party?" I ask, stepping up to the patio with a salty smile cutting across my face.
Enzo, the designated leader of the council, narrows his eyes at me through his cigar smoke. He sets his wine glass down with a tight, resentful snap. "Because the last time you ate with us, Alessandro, you almost made a man bleed."
I let out a dark laugh, entirely unbothered by the memory. "I almost made him bleed because he chose to insult my wife."
My arm winds around Sienna’s waist, tightening to pull her flush against my side, and I look every single one of those old bastards dead in the eyes. "If no one insults my wife, no one will bleed."
Sienna doesn't flinch. Instead, she plays her part beautifully, leaning into my side and offering them a sweet, incredibly poised smile that tells them she is exactly where she belongs.
Without waiting for an invitation, I pull out a chair for Sienna and then seat myself, forcing our way into their private sanctuary. After a long, suffocating second of pure, unadulterated tension where the elders exchange uneasy glances, Sienna decides to break the ice.
She looks elegantly down the table at Enzo, her voice smooth and entirely commanding.
"I must say, Don Enzo, it would be a shame to ruin such a beautiful afternoon.
The Melvitto Garden has always had the finest vintage in the region, surely we can toast to a successful wedding before we get to business? "
Her flawless diplomacy catches them completely off guard. Enzo blinks, a slow, appreciative gleam replacing the hostility in his eyes. He clears his throat, lifting his glass toward her. "Salute, Mrs. Gallo. You possess far better manners than your husband."