Chapter 6
MASSIMO
I glance at the buildings on both sides of the street as we make our way toward Lucy’s apartment. It’s a quieter neighborhood, if you can count any neighborhood in downtown New York City quiet. Still, other than a few people walking the streets this late, there isn’t much movement.
“Her building is right here,” Zeno announces as he pulls up in front of a larger brick building with fire escapes lining the front.
It looks clean enough, and no one seems to be skulking around the front door.
“She’s on the second floor. Apartment two-zero-four.
The schematics on the building show that there’s only two apartments on that floor. ”
“And the apartment across from hers? Occupied?” I ask as we make our way inside.
I note with a scowl that there is no security.
That’s a problem, especially in this city.
Then again, since her husband passed, she may be on a limited income.
Once this is over, however, I’ll be speaking with Nico to ensure that she’s taken care of and safe. Her and the baby.
“Ahhh, no,” Zeno says after a moment. “The last tenant moved out a month ago, and it’s still showing as available on the local sites for viewing.”
Well, that makes things a little easier. Won’t have nosy neighbors interfering. Still, we’ll have to be careful. I have no idea how her sister is going to react, and as much as I don’t want to have to remove her by force, I will if I have to.
When we reach the second floor, the first thing I hear is the angry squalling of a baby and a woman trying to quiet him desperately. “Soren, please,” she pleads. “I know you want your mama, but I don’t know where she is.” There’s a half sob in her voice, but also some panic.
I glance at Zeno and see his expression is sympathetic.
We head to the door and I knock loudly. The baby doesn’t stop crying, even as the door flies open, a dishevelled woman standing there, holding the screaming baby in question.
“Please tell me you found her,” the girl pleads, rocking the baby even as his little face somehow manages to get redder and redder.
“If you mean your sister, then yes, we found her,” I say with a charming smile.
“Oh, thank God,” the woman breathes. The more I look at her the more I realize that despite not being biologically related, the two women have similar features.
They both have the same long dark hair, though her sister’s is quite curly, with dark brown almond shaped eyes, and full lips, while Lucy’s nose is a bit perkier than her sister’s, and her sister’s face is softer.
I wish I could remember the name Zeno gave to me earlier so I can at least make this conversation seem a little friendlier.
“Where did you find her?” she demands, stepping back to welcome us in. “And thank you for taking the case. I know that the desk person I talked to said I have to wait a full forty-eight hours before I can report, but this isn’t like Lucy. She would never leave Soren like this.”
We step inside and shut the door behind us, neither of us yet correcting her assumption.
I glance around quickly, clocking anything that might be a weapon, but I don’t see anything other than the knives in the kitchen, which are definitely too far for her to grab from here.
Taking in the rest of the apartment I note that it’s small, full of baby things, and chaotic.
Bottles litter the small counters in the kitchen, the garbage overflowing with dirty diapers, and dirty clothes strewn about, with some clean ones folded on the sofa.
It’s clearly been a stressful thirty-six hours for her.
Still, the apartment has a small but cozy feeling, and the walls are lined with photos of Lucy and a man, smiling and happy.
I wonder what kind of man he was. From all appearances they looked content.
“Where was she? Is she alright?” Lucy’s sister demands, drawing my attention back to her. “You need to take us to her. Soren needs her. I need her.”
“We can take you to her, Ms…”
“Oh, sorry, I’m Kida. Kida Delagado,” she rushes out, a tired smile on her face.
“I’m just so glad you’ve found her. Did you arrest the people that took her?
There’s no way she wasn’t taken or hurt to leave Soren.
She would never.” She says that last part so vehemently that I feel it deep in my gut.
She clearly loves and trusts her sister.
“Actually, Ms. Delagado,” Zeno starts.
“Kida, please,” she interjects firmly.
He gives her a warm smile. “Kida then.” Before he can continue, I jump in.
“Kida, we’re not the police,” I tell her, making her freeze.
She stares at us, and her eyes widen, panic starting to flare as she clutches the baby tighter, making him squall and cry even louder.
“It’s alright,” I soothe, holding up my palms hoping to calm her.
“We’re not here to hurt either of you. We found your sister and…
fuck!” I curse loudly as something comes flying at me, hitting me on the side of the head.
It’s hard enough to have me seeing stars, and then I hear a loud snarling screech as I shake my head to clear it.
Damn it. Guess this isn’t going to go smoothly.
I blink my eyes a couple of times and stare as Kida, still clutching a screaming baby in her arms, continues to grab toys and books, anything she can get her hands on to toss at Zeno, who is trying to dodge, while also actively trying to get her to stop and listen.
“Stop it!” he barks sharply at her. “We’re not here to hurt you.
We’re here to take you and the baby to your sister.
Damn it, woman, stop!” He barely manages to dodge the lamp she suddenly picks up and tosses at him, but he isn’t quite as successful at dodging the pillow she throws at him immediately after.
He takes it right to the face, making him let out a loud grunt and stumble back, almost falling on his ass by tripping over the items around his feet.
“Kida,” I bellow, the sound loud even with the noise and crying baby.
Kida stills, the bottle in her hand stopping before it can launch at me, but her eyes narrow at me, fury starting to replace the fear just a little bit.
I can work with that. “I get that you’re scared but we are not here to hurt you,” I reiterate sternly, watching her.
“Or him,” I add with a nod toward the baby.
“We don’t have the time to get into everything, but we found the men that took your sister.
It was her biological family. The problem is that they were planning on marrying or selling her off, and we took her out by force.
As far as we know, they don’t know about you or the baby, but that will change if we don’t get you both out of here.
These people, they will take you, they will kill you, and they will take the baby and raise him to be terrible or sell him off, depending on their plans. ”
Her eyes widen in horror at my blunt statements. The charm is going to have to wait because we are running out of time to get them out of here before the De Lucas get wise to where we are. “W-W-Who are you?” she stammers out. “How do you know all this?”
“My name is Massimo Caruso and your sister’s biological sister is in a relationship with my eldest brother.”
“Wait, you’re mafia too?” she demands.
“Yes, but—”
The bottle in her hand goes flying, and this time, it hits Zeno square in the forehead. He curses, and I step forward. “Get away from me!” she screams, frantically searching around for something else to throw.
“Kida!” I bark, but this time my tone doesn’t stop her. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. Damn it. If the cops haven’t been called already, they will be soon and that shit is not on my plan tonight. Guess we have to do this the hard way.
I move fast, grabbing her wrist to keep her from throwing anything else, but also make sure I don’t crush her or the baby.
She struggles, but I quickly and easily restrain her.
“Stop it,” I snap at her. “You’re going to hurt him, and I refuse to bring him back to his mother with a single scratch or bruise on him. ”
“Fuck you,” she hisses furiously, still struggling, but at a lesser degree.
I huff out a frustrated sigh. “Kida, we do not want to hurt you. Or your sister. I get it, you don’t trust us now that we’ve told you who we are and what we do, but in this, you need to trust us.
The safest place you can be is with us. With us, you will be safe.
Your sister is safe and being cared for right now by her brother-in-law’s doctor, my sister, and a woman that has a dog that loves to take bites out of people if they even think of pissing him off.
We’ll explain everything else when we get there, but right now, you need to come with us. ”
“I don’t—”
“You do,” I interrupt, staring down into her eyes.
“Do you want to die?” I ask her harshly.
“Are you willing to sacrifice him?” I nod at the still crying baby, though his cries have turned hoarse.
“Because any of those other people that will come in that door, they are going to force you out of here. They will rip him from your arms, and you will never hear him again. That’s if they don’t kill him in front of you.
Because that is exactly the kind of people they are, and then you will disappear.
Either sold, killed, raped and disposed of.
” Her body shudders with fear at my words.
Good, we’re getting somewhere. “We are not going to do that. We will never do that, and as much as you don’t want to believe that, we are your only shot at getting out of this alive.
I need you to get him loaded up quickly, grab anything you need immediately like diapers and formula, and then we need to get out of here.
I will replace anything else you or he needs okay. Clothes, whatever. Can you do that?”
She still looks like she wants to argue, but perhaps my gory reality check is enough to sink in that this isn’t a fight she wants to keep digging her heels on.
Her eyes search mine, and some of the fear fades, but then it’s replaced by a dark determination.
A fire that almost makes me smile, but I keep my stern expression in place.
“If you even think about hurting a single hair on his head, or mine, or Lucy’s, I’ll kill you myself.
I don’t care if you are mafia,” she threatens darkly, pulling away from me.
Then she looks at Zeno. “And that goes for you too.”
I glance at Zeno, whose eyes narrow. “Get what you need. We’ve wasted enough time.” He nods at the baby. “If you need to hand him to one of us—”
“Fuck off,” she hisses at him. “You’re not touching him.” Zeno opens his mouth to argue with her, but I shake my head sharply, indicating for him to let it go. The more she fights, the shorter our window.
Zeno huffs out an annoyed sigh, but nods. “Fine, what do you need? Point it out so I can grab it then.”
Kida gets to work on telling both of us everything the baby will need.
I put my foot down when she starts to say she needs a swing and other things for him.
We don’t have the time or space for that shit.
“We’re making one trip out of here, Ms. Delgado,” I warn her.
“So only what is essential. Now, hurry, please, so we can get the hell out of here before we have company.”
She rushes to pack up the last of a few things, all while the baby continues to cry.
She tries to calm him at the same time, but it only ends with her dropping more things she tries to put in the bag she grabbed.
I step forward, impatient, and while she’s distracted, I scoop the baby from her arms. She rounds on me, eyes furious, but I just put the baby in the crook of my arm and bark, “You can have him back in the car. Pack things up. He’s fine with me.
” She wants to argue but Zeno takes that moment to grab the bag from her hand too and starts stuffing things in it.
“You two are fucking bossy, you know that?” she barks, but she starts grabbing things and yanking the bag away from Zeno roughly.
“Whatever it takes to get you to move faster,” Zeno snaps back at her. “The longer you take the more danger you put us in.” They glare at each other but I ignore it and look down at the now silent baby in my arms.
He looks up at me with dark brown eyes that are puffy and red-rimmed from crying.
His face is a dark angry red, and his little lips are open in a suckling motion.
My chest tightens realizing how hungry he must be and how much he wants his mother.
He’s so fucking tiny in my arms, wearing only a white onesie and a diaper.
His thin, dark brown hair is standing on end, and I can’t help but smile.
He’s a cute kid. I give him my pinkie finger, not making a sound when he latches on to it with his tiny little hand, gripping it with a surprising strength. “You’re going to be a strong one, aren’t you, ometto?” I ask him softly in Italian. He doesn’t react to my words, just watches me.
“We’re good,” Zeno announces, snapping my attention back to him. Kida holds out her arms for the baby, but I shake my head.
“Car, then we’ll give him to you,” I tell her. Am I being a dick to not hand her nephew back to her, yes, but I also need her to cooperate and get in the SUV and not try to make a break for it. I don’t like using a child this way, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Kida’s lips pinch, but we leave the apartment, and I have Zeno quickly turn out all the lights and put up a few cameras in case we get lucky and Leonardo’s men do show up here. Once Kida and Zeno are in the SUV, I hand him back to his aunt and climb into the driver’s seat.
We pull away, but I don’t breathe a sigh of relief until we’re driving through Nico’s gates.