Chapter 40
CIRO
Fucking traffic kept slowing me down. In LA, I’d gotten stuck in rush hour. Then at the airport, my jet had mechanical problems.
Dark forces seemed to be working against me as I tried to get to Isla and my daughter.
“What’s the hold up?” I slammed my hand onto the steering wheel of the rental car. All hell was breaking loose at Isla’s place, and I was close to losing it.
When I couldn’t get ahold of Paolo, I called Fabio. What I heard in the background was madness. Several Russians had tried to overtake Fabio’s guards, killing two of them, and badly injuring Paolo.
“Let’s go!” I yelled.
What were the Russians doing at Isla’s? Were they working with Cara? Fabio couldn’t talk with all the chaos. I knew nothing about Isla and Pippa. I was in the dark. I hated being in the dark…
Finally, after breaking several traffic laws, I arrived at the apartment complex. Blue lights were flashing. It looked like the whole fucking police department had the place surrounded.
Jesus Christ, I felt sick to my stomach. I spotted Isla’s crappy car parked in her assigned spot and swallowed thickly as I got out of the rental car.
As I approached her door, yellow tape was over it. My heart stopped.
Overcome with dread, I approached the building. A black tarp covered what I assumed was a dead body.
“Ciro, over here.”
I turned toward Fabio’s voice. He jogged over and grabbed my arm, tugging me away from the building.
“Where’s Isla and my baby?” Nothing mattered to me more than my girls.
“You got here faster than I expected.”
I whirled around and stalked toward the building. If he wasn’t going to give me, and answer, I’d get it myself.
“Stop. Where are you going?” Fabio blocked my path.
“Where are they?” I yelled at him.
“Fuck, man. Hold it together. Cops are everywhere.”
“I can see that. Where. Are. They?”
“Isla’s been taken to the hospital. Remo and my right-hand man Ross are with her. Paolo’s been taken too. He’s badly hurt.”
“What about Pippa?”
Fabio stared at me like a deer in the headlights.
“What about my daughter?” I shoved him, because I knew. I just knew in my gut what he was going to say. All the air left my lungs. My daughter.
“She’s not here.” Fabio stared at me. “When I got into the apartment she was nowhere to be found.”
I squatted and grabbed onto my head. My world was spinning out of control, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop the destruction. Isla would never forgive me. She’d hate me for the rest of her life when she found out Pippa was taken.
“I have men searching for her.” He put his hand on my back. “I’m sorry about this. If I’d gotten here five minutes earlier, things might have turned out differently.”
“Ciro!” Roman’s voice came from behind me. “Holy shit. Are you okay, brother?”
I stood and hugged him tightly. Before I left LA, I talked to him and told him what Courtney said about Cara Clemente. He and Luca were to meet me here. I’d thought I was overreacting but as it turned out, my instincts had been spot on. I needed my brothers now more than ever.
“Pippa is missing,” I whispered into his ear. “My daughter was taken.”
“Jesus,” he gasped. “Do you think Cara has her?”
“I don’t know. Could be Russians.”
“Where’s Isla?” Luca approached us, hands fisted like he was ready to fight.
I pulled away from Roman. “At the hospital and Paolo’s been taken there too.”
“Then why in the fuck are you here? You need to be with her!” Luca shouted.
“Be quiet,” Roman hissed and grabbed Luca’s arm. “Pippa is missing,” he whispered.
The blood drained out of Luca’s face. “What?”
“Listen,” Fabio said, interrupting us. “We got one of the Russians and he’s being questioned. Let’s get out of the way and take care of things on our own. I’ve already dealt with the cops. All this was a drug deal gone badly.”
I nodded and jerked my chin for my brothers to follow me to my rental car.
“Excuse me, sir.” A weak voice called.
I looked over my shoulder at an elderly woman.
“You’re the man who paid Roy to leave that one night.” She gave me a small smile. “That was nice of you.”
“Yes. That was me.”
“I’m so sorry about Isla.” The woman’s smile faded as she shook her head. “She was taken away in the ambulance. Her sister, too.” She sniffled, wiping a stray tear off her cheek. “That man went nuts. I’ve never seen him like that before. And poor Isla, that poor dear…”
My heart hammered in my chest listening to her. Roman’s hand went on my shoulder as if trying to keep me calm.
“Did you happen to see the baby?” I asked her. She seemed to be a nosy neighbor. Maybe she’d been watching everything through the peephole in her door.
The old woman shook her head. “I heard her crying but didn’t see her. Just a man carrying a black duffel bag.”
“Which way did he go?” Fabio asked.
“In the direction of the emergency exit, I think.”
“Shit.” Fabio pulled me aside and whispered, “That’s where we found Emmet’s body.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know more,” the woman said.
“I appreciate it.” I removed a wad of cash and placed it in her hand. “Thank you!”
My heart pounded violently in my chest, thinking about my baby girl. But it was the fear of having to tell Isla that her baby was gone. Nothing terrified me more than giving her the worst news any mother could hear.
“Let’s get to the hospital. I’ll drive,” Roman said, nudging along.
“Good. I’ll be in touch.” Fabio raised his hand and stalked away. “She’s at Summit Medical Center.”