CHAPTER X
I settled onto the piano bench, my fingers gliding over the white keys while my dog curled beside me. Playing was the only thing that brought me any semblance of peace now.
Gigi invaded my thoughts, day and night.
Every second and every hour without her felt like my punishment for breaking her.
Whenever I closed my eyes, all I saw was her face, radiating with an ethereal beauty so breathtakingly angelic that it hurt to look at her.
It was as if her bright light served as a shield against my darkness.
But no matter how blinding that light was, I would fight against it and willingly get burned just to get to her.
Those warm and inviting golden eyes had the power to see deep into my soul, compelling me to drop to my knees and repenting my sins.
I could almost feel her soft kisses and gentle touches, each one a stitch weaving together my broken heart.
The more time that passed without her, the more unhinged I felt.
It was as if I were standing on the edge of the cliff, teetering on the brink and ready to jump.
With one hand still dancing over the keys, I reached for my glass of whiskey, the amber liquid shimmering in the dim light.
As it slid down my throat, it felt like molten lava, both burning and soothing, a contradiction of sensations that mirrored my madness.
With a soft thud, I set the glass down and continued playing “You Are the Reason” by Calum Scott.
Each note resonated with the pain of my loss, the lyrics echoing the bleeding of my heart. I would sacrifice my soul to have Gigi back, even if it meant I would have to go to the fiery depths of hell.
As if sensing my despair, Demon let out a soft whimper.
When I struck the final note, a voice pierced the silence, calling my name from somewhere behind me. I turned, and my eyes widened in shock as I saw Tabi standing there.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “I called your name a few times, but you didn’t seem to hear me.” She fidgeted slightly, her gaze darting between me and the floor.
I closed the lid softly, and walked toward her with one hand tucked into my pocket and the other cradling the glass.
“How are you?” I asked. She looked so much better than when we had first found her. Her hair was pulled back in a loose, carefree style, her bruises were fading, and she was no longer pale.
“I’m good,” she replied.
“Do you want to sit?” I gestured toward the couch, hoping to ease the tension between us.
“Um, no that’s okay,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I just wanted to check in on how things are going with… you know.” She tucked a loose strand of silver hair behind her ear, her expression growing somber.
“Nothing new,” I admitted, my voice flat. “But we’re not giving up.” My heart ached with the weight of the truth, the uncertainty hanging in the air like a storm cloud.
She nodded, and tears welled in her eyes. “I think I’m ready to talk now,” she whispered, brushing away the tears that had begun to fall.
I gestured toward the couch again. “Please, sit down.”
She sat and paused before she spoke. “I had just called an Uber to get home after my shift.”
“Where was your guard?” I asked.
Guards were assigned to all the girls who worked for me. The guards were meant to escort the girls to and from their vehicles. If they didn’t have a car, they would be driven by one of the guards. There was no reason she shouldn’t have had one with her that night.
“I didn’t wait for him. There was an argument between the customers and clients…it was chaotic. I didn’t want to bother the guard, so I called an Uber.”
“But it wasn’t an Uber driver, was it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No,” she whimpered. “I was exhausted and just wanted to go home. I didn’t pay attention to anything that might have been out of the ordinary.”
When I had questioned the guards, their story matched the one she was telling me now.
“It was a man…he had a hat and sunglasses so I couldn’t get a good look at who he was,” she explained, her lips quivering. “But when I noticed he wasn’t taking me home, I panicked and tried to jump out of the car.”
She took a deep breath. “He knocked me out when I attacked him.”
There was a brief pause before she spoke again.
“When I came to, I was in a cage with some other girls.” Tabi started to cry, rubbing her hands up and down her jean covered thighs.
“Th-they forced us to remove our clothes. Then they took pictures of us. I didn’t know what was happening until I saw the screen where I saw men bidding on them.
” She shut her eyes as if the memory was too hard for her to relive.
“When I saw my name on the screen, I knew I was going to be sold.”
“Tabi,” I gently probed, “did Mayor Walsh provide any clues about Gigi’s whereabouts or…?”
She shook her head, her eyes filled with anguish. “No. After the bidding was over, they chained us up and made us form into a line while they pulled us toward the container. That’s when I saw Winter…I mean Gigi.”
“What did they do to her, Tabi?” I asked, my voice strained with restrained fury.
“She was in a cage, and they were…” She sucked in a breath.
“They were what, Tabi?”
She kept her gaze on me, and tears continued to fall like a relentless stream from a faucet. “They were burning her with an electric prod.”
I was going to murder him and anyone associated with him. But I kept my cool for Tabi’s sake.
“They gave us some kind of drug, but not before I saw Gigi. She fought to get to me, but the men tasered her.” She shuddered. “She was so strong.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to rein in the tide of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.
When I opened them again, Tabi was looking at me, a watery smile breaking through her sorrow. “She wanted me to tell you something.”
My shoulders tensed involuntarily, bracing for the harsh truth of how my angel truly felt about me. I had given her plenty of reasons to hate me.
“She told me not to give up, that you would find me and bring me back to my son,” Tabi said softly.
A heavy breath escaped my lips, the tension in my body easing slightly as relief washed over me, knowing that my angel had trusted me to save her friend. Now, all I could do was hope that Gigi held that same faith in me—that she believed I would come for her, no matter what.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice steady, but the beast inside me was threatening to reveal himself and go on a killing spree.
“I’m glad we were able to save you,” I said. But my heart couldn’t help wishing Gigi had been found then too.
“Nico, please find Gigi and bring her back home.”
“I will,” I promised.
Even if I had to die to get her.
My knuckles turned white as I pounded the punching bag, each blow driven by the anger simmering inside me. Matteo struggled to keep the bag steady, his arms shaking from the force of my strikes. The sound of my rage echoed through the gym, a primal release of emotion.
After the incident at the funeral, we were still not close to finding Gigi. The pain of her continued absence and not being any closer to finding her was like a festering wound, driving me to the brink.
“Damn it, Nico, you’re gonna break the bag!” Matteo shouted, his voice barely audible over the thunderous strikes.
My fist was cocked, ready to strike, when the doors swung open.
Miguel who was standing in the doorway with serious expression immediately caught my attention.
“Boss, Enzo is here,” Miguel said.
“What the hell does he want?” I spat, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
“He claims to have information about the bomber.”
My heart skipped a beat, torn between feeling hope and battling against my seething anger. “Let him in,” I growled.
Enzo strolled into the room, his posture relaxed as if he hadn't shattered my trust. My jaw clenched at the sight of him.
“Enzo,” I snarled, my hands still curled into fists.
He met my furious gaze without flinching.
“Nico! I got something,” Luca said as he bounded down the steps two at a time. He halted in place when he looked at Enzo.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Uh, maybe I’ll tell you later.”
“No,” I snapped. “Tell me now. Did you find something on the cell phone that could lead us to the Puppet Master?”
Enzo’s head snapped in my direction. “What are you talking about? Has he been sending you messages?”
When I didn’t respond, Enzo cursed under his breath. “Damnit, Nico! I told you to tell me everything. How can I help you find Gigi if you keep me in the dark?”
“What did you find?” I asked Luca, ignoring Enzo.
“Right,” he replied, stepping closer, his expression grave. He handed me a stack of papers. “These are text messages from the Puppet Master to Smiley.”
“Enzo, did you have some information about the bomber?” I asked, scanning the series of messages.
“Yes. His name was Rafael Santiago,” Enzo said. “He was normal as they came. Blue-collar. Divorced, with a family we managed to locate—all unharmed, by the way.”
“Then how the hell did he have connections with the PM?” Matteo asked.
We all turned to him. “The what now?” Enzo asked.
“The PM,” Matteo said like we should already know. “The Puppet Master. It’s a stupid name anyway, and way too fucking long.”
I rolled my eyes and refocused on the texts, searching for something that would connect the dots.
“We went through Rafael’s phone, but there were no unknown numbers.
He was using a burner,” Enzo explained. “His ex-wife mentioned he got mixed up with drugs, which is what led to their divorce. I’m starting to think that was his entry point with the PM.
” He shifted his gaze to Matteo. “You’re right. PM is better.”
Matteo’s mouth twitched. “I told you so.”
“Focusing back on Smiley’s texts,” Luca interjected, pointing to a specific line on the sheet, “the initial messages are written in some kind of fucking code. But then... look here.”
“Lana,” I whispered.
“Yep.”
“What does it say?” Enzo asked, taking a step closer. I handed the document over to him.
“And who the hell is Lana?” Enzo asked.
“You don’t remember her?” Lo asked. “She was one of the housekeepers. Nico fired her ass when she acted inappropriately toward Nico in front of Gigi.”
“As opposed to what he did with Lana behind closed doors?” Enzo countered.
I ran my hands down my face in frustration. Now wasn’t the time to be reminded of my fuck ups. “Who cares about what I did,” I snapped. “We need to find her. Now .”
“Let me help, Nico,” Enzo reiterated.
My gaze fixed on Enzo. “You already betrayed me once. I’m only tolerating you because of Gigi. But if you cross me, I’ll put a bullet in your head without a second thought. And I don’t give a flying fuck that you wear a badge.”
Enzo’s jaw tightened, but he stood his ground. “All I care about is finding Gigi and bringing her home safely. I would think that since that is our common goal, we could work together instead of against each other.”
I stepped closer, my face inches from his. “Fine. I’ll work with you, but remember—Gigi is my priority. Get in my way, and you’ll regret it.”
“Let’s focus on finding Gigi. We’ll deal with our issues later.”
“Consider this your last warning. One more fuck-up, one more whisper of treachery, and I won’t hesitate to send you to the grave, regardless of what Gigi thinks. You’re on borrowed time, and I’m done playing nice.”
“Before you go,” Luca stated. “On the phone, there was an app that was encrypted, sealed behind a digital barrier. Unfortunately, I don't have the high-tech equipment the FBI would use to crack it.” Luca handed Smiley’s phone to Enzo.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Enzo replied. With a nod, he slipped out of the room.
Luca and Lorenzo exchanged worried glances. My obsession with Gigi and my explosive temper had created a volatile mix, and I knew they feared the consequences that loomed ahead. I understand their fear because I shared the same concerns. But it didn’t matter as long as I got Gigi back.