Chapter 47
FORTY-SEVEN
The office is only dimly lit, and Captain Swanson sits behind his heavy oak desk, eyes scrutinizing as Clay and I enter. He looks tired. But oh well, we don’t have time for that shit.
I fucked up, and my girl is in danger.
“Carolina’s missing, Captain. We suspect her uncle,” I relay, my voice strained.
My head is still hurting like hell, and my vision is blurry, but that can wait.
Captain Swanson raises an eyebrow. “Carolina? Ms. Costa?”
Clay chimes in. “Yes. And we need backup immediately. We don’t even know where to start looking, but we know she is in danger.”
Just as the captain is about to reply, the door bursts open. Taylor, Del Moro’s partner, face pale and eyes darting nervously, steps inside. He looks at me, then Clay, and finally at Captain Swanson.
“I need to come clean,” he says hurriedly, gulping. “I just helped Martin kidnap Costa’s sister from Lee’s house. I knew he was with the Metro Milanesi gang, and I thought it was just some side hustle, but this shit is too much.”
The room falls silent. The weight of Taylor’s words hangs heavily, and the atmosphere grows tense.
Clay takes a step closer, eyes flaring, fists clenched. “You did what?”
I hold Clay back with a hand on his chest, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Let him talk. We need answers.”
Taylor looks on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry. I thought I was just helping a friend, but I realized I was way out of my depth when he wanted me to do that. I don’t want this, not like this.”
Swanson leans forward, his voice firm. “Where did you take her?”
Taylor shakes his head, desperation clear in his eyes. “That’s the thing. I don’t know. I just helped get her out of the house without waking anyone up. After that, I bolted.”
My heart is racing. Every second counts, and we’re running out of time. If I just hadn’t turned my back on that guy.
A fucking rookie mistake.
“Captain, we need that backup now. We have to find her.”
Captain Swanson nods, picking up his phone to bark orders. “Taylor, you’re going to cooperate fully. If we’re going to save those girls, we need everything you’ve got.”
Taylor nods, relief evident on his face. “I’ll tell you everything I know and help where I can.”
When Matteo pulls up in front of Roberto’s apartment complex and shoots me a look, I am surprised.
Fuck, it seems I was not done with this building after all.
He gets out of the car, his shabby Fiat door creaking open before he opens my door for me.
Feeling a growing sense of dread, I step out and walk ahead of him to the entrance, wanting to get this over with.
But just when I want to go up the stairs to meet Roberto, Matteo puts a firm hand on my shoulder, halting me in my tracks.
“We go down, carina,” he tells me, his voice cold, motioning with the gun to the stairs that lead down to the basement.
Well, fuck. It just gets better and better.
I walk down the stairs, my heart pounding with every step until I stand in front of a door, and he motions for me to open it.
It is heavy, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t open it.
He scowls, ramming his shoulder against it, making it pop open.
Then he ushers me inside, and a moldy scent fills my nostrils, making breathing even harder through the panic rising inside me.
As I look around, I realize it’s just a big empty space. Some tables and stools are pushed against the walls, and boxes are scattered around. But in the middle of the room stand two chairs, with some distance between them.
Wait, two?
“Where is Chiara?” I ask him, nearly spitting in his face. He whirls me around in an instant, his grip on my arms like a vice, pinning me to him. My heart races even faster as I feel the world closing in around me.
The door swings open with a creak, and Del Moro comes in, gripping Chiara’s upper arm. She’s in her pajamas, her tear-streaked face making her look even younger. The sight of her sends a fresh wave of fear coursing through my veins.
No, please, she can’t be here.
“Let her go, you piece of shit,” I spit out, trying to fuel my anger with my fear for her and pull myself out of Matteo’s grasp.
“Oh look, we have a family reunion. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?” Del Moro smirks cruelly, pushing Chiara down to sit on the chair on the left and tying her arms to the seat behind her back, rendering her helpless.
“Lina,” Chiara whimpers, her voice trembling with fear, tears streaming down her cheeks, and I see that her lip is swollen.
“You dared to touch her?” I scream at him, my anger and terror boiling over.
He stands straight again, walking over to us.
Matteo holds my hands behind my back while Del Moro pulls his arm back, ready to unleash a punch square in my face, hard.
I nearly see stars but manage to hiss out, “I would tell you that real men don’t beat women, but we already established that you’re a pussy. ”
A sinister grin stretches across Del Moro’s face, his eyes void of any humanity. “Oh, you can say whatever you want to, Costa. You’re not getting out of it today. And I am going to enjoy every fucking second of it,” he taunts, his words hanging in the air like a chilling promise.
“Tie her down,” he orders Matteo, who pushes me to sit on the chair.
I shoot him a death glare when he crouches beside me to tie my wrists, and he pulls his shoulders up in a shrug.
The door opens again, and Del Moro Sr. enters the room, smiling at me.
“What a beautiful sight,” he remarks, his voice dripping with malice as he steps closer, pushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
I recoil from his touch, but he huffs a laugh and leans in to whisper in my ear, his breath sending a cold shiver down my spine.
“Poor, poor girl. I told you to stop digging. So, you can’t say I didn’t warn you about what will happen.
Telling the captain about it?” He tsks, shaking his head in mock disappointment.
“What a bad idea.” He steps back, looking over to Chiara.
“Such a pity. Seems like you are going to end up as collateral, just like your mother.”
“Don’t you dare touch her,” I seethe.
“At least I am going to make sure she isn’t going to suffer too much. You should be grateful for that. I can keep my head unlike your dumb-as-fuck uncle.”
“What are we going to do with him?” Martin asks his father, sadistic curiosity in his tone.
“We’re going to keep him for a while longer,” Del Moro Sr. answers indifferently. “Make sure this doesn’t blow up in our face like when he fucked up last time, so we still have him to frame if shit hits the fan.”
Martin steps in front of me, a cruel smile dancing on his lips. “You heard that? You’re going to be the downfall of your uncle too.”
I scoff. “Funny if you think I give a fuck.”
He scowls at me. “Can I kill her already?” He turns to his father, but at that moment, his phone chimes, and he steps back to answer it, putting the call on speaker with his father hovering nearby.
“Taylor?” he asks, his tone betraying a hint of irritation.
“Fuck, Del Moro, I changed my mind. I’m in,” Taylor’s voice crackles through the phone.
Martin laughs, his amusement laced with mockery. “You’re such a fucking pussy, Taylor.”
“Fuck, I know, man, I needed to think about it, but I wanna be on the right side,” Taylor concedes.
“You fucking are now, brother.” He smirks.
“Where are you?” Taylor asks.
Martin looks at his father, who nods at him. “The Costa apartment building. Call when you are out front. I’ll come get you.”
“Thank you, man,” Taylor says, hanging up.
“You think this is a trap?” Del Moro Sr. asks.
“I trust him with my life. He just got cold feet there for a second, but I knew he would come crawling back,” he states confidently.
“Fine, but we’re going to make him shoot one of them, so we are sure he is in, and we have leverage if he changes his mind again.” Del Moro Sr. shrugs.
“I don’t give a fuck as long as I get to shoot her,” he points at me, his smirk menacing.
Chiara sobs, and I clench my teeth.
Fuck. How do I get her out of here?
I bet Clay and Joshua are already looking for us, but would they really think about looking here? It’s way too easy.
I need to buy us some time.
“So what? You guys are like Metro Milanesi idiots?” I ask, trying to keep my tone carefree, even though I’m anything but.
Detective Del Moro laughs at his son. “You told me she was big-mouthed, but you did not tell me she was stupid.” He walks over to me and grabs my hair, pulling my head back and making pain shoot through my scalp.
“I am the Metro Milanesi, girl. And if you have heard of us, you know that I don’t have any qualms or morals to keep me from killing you in the most painful way possible.
You should shut that mouth really quick if you know what’s good for you. ”
He releases me, and I turn my head away, gulping.
Holy shit, this guy is fucking terrifying.
My heart is nearly beating out of my chest, and I have to make sure my bored face doesn’t fall in front of them with my panic.
Martin’s phone chimes with a text, and he looks down at it. “Taylor is outside.”
“I am going to come with you. I wanna feel him out myself first before I let him down here. Gabrielli, make sure they don’t move. Shoot them if they try anything,” Del Moro orders Matteo, who nods as they both leave the room.
The night air is cool and crisp. I stand with Clay behind the police car next to Captain Swanson and keep my composure on the outside, but inside, I am shaking with nerves, and my head injury radiates pain through my entire body.
Detective Del Moro opens the door to the building and is the first to step out.
Shock crosses his face for a second when he sees all the flashing blue and red lights.
The whole perimeter of the building is surrounded by squad cars and heavily-armed police officers taking strategic positions behind vehicles and corners.
Captain Swanson steps forward from behind the car we are standing. “Detective Del Moro, you and your son are both under arrest for kidnapping as well as ties to the Metro Milanesi gang. Lay down your weapons and put your hands on your heads.”
Detective Del Moro, taken aback but maintaining his composure, looks around, then smiles innocently. “This is quite the reception, Swanson. But surely you must be mistaken. I’ve been on the force for years. I’ve devoted my life to protecting this city.”
“Where is she!” Clay barks, struggling to keep his temper in check. I put a hand on his shoulder, reminding him to keep his focus.
Visibly more anxious, Martin whispers harshly to his father, “We need to get out of here. They have us cornered.”
Ignoring his son, Detective Del Moro steps forward, his voice dripping with feigned sincerity. “Captain, there’s been a misunderstanding. We were here trying to save the girls. Taylor called us, concerned about their safety.”
Captain Swanson’s face remains hard. “Taylor confessed everything, Del Moro. He’s cooperating with us. We know you were the one behind all this.”
Del Moro’s confident facade falters for a moment. His eyes dart around, likely searching for an escape route, but it’s clear they’re cornered.
Seeing the change in his father, Martin, in a desperate move, reaches for his gun. Yet, before his fingers can even graze the weapon, sharpshooters swiftly align their sights, their laser dots converging on his chest. He freezes, realizing any further movements might be his last.
“Enough of this!” Swanson shouts. “Both of you, on the ground, now!”
After a tense moment, they slowly lower themselves to the ground and place their hands on their heads.
As the officers move in to handcuff the two, Detective Del Moro’s eyes meet Captain Swanson’s. “You’re a disgrace to the badge,” Swanson remarks, his voice filled with disgust.