CHAPTER XLII
T his motherfucker.
When I pushed through the door, I saw Stone with his hands wrapped around Gigi’s neck, and my heart stopped. She looked like she was about to pass out.
Without a second thought, I lunged at Stone. I wrapped my forearm around his neck and yanked him off my girl.
Stone struggled in my grasp and tried to claw at my arms and reach for my face, but I was taller and stronger. I tightened my arms around his neck.
“I knew you were fucking dirty the moment I saw you,” I growled, my voice filled with the promise of death.
He pulled a knife from his pocket and sliced at my arm. I recoiled in pain.
Before he could compose himself, I gave him a brutal kick in the chest, sending him sprawling against the wooden table. He failed to break his fall and let out a painful grunt.
“You made a big mistake putting your hands on my girl,” I snarled, advancing on him.
Stone scrambled to his feet, but I was a storm, relentless and furious. I delivered a vicious uppercut that snapped his head back, the sickening crunch filled the room. Blood spilled from his mouth.
Stone attempted to put some distance between us, but I was upon him like a predator closing in on its prey. Grabbing him by the collar, I pulled him close, my grip like a vice around his neck.
“You forget who you’re fucking with,” I seethed.
The bravado in Stone’s eyes was replaced with fear.
My knuckles smashed into his jaw like a sledgehammer. I could feel his jaw crack out of place and his agonizing scream filled the breakroom.
A sinister smile spread across my face when I noticed the blade on the floor. I snatched the knife, and with a swift and brutal motion, I plunged it into his eye, feeling a twisted satisfaction as warm blood sprayed across my skin. I delivered the final blow, piercing his other eye.
He gurgled and flailed, but I wasn’t done yet. I grabbed his throat, my fingers digging into his flesh. With a savage twist, I snapped his neck, killing him instantly.
Gigi let out a pained groan, and I rushed over to her.
When she looked up at me, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “You’re okay,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
I knelt beside her and gently cradled her face in my hands, tenderly sweeping away a stray tear. “I’m here now, baby,” I assured her.
Just as I was about to lift her into my arms, the door swung open with a bang, and Gigi jumped.
I turned my head to find Miguel stepping in, a look of disbelief crossing his face as he took in the scene. With a scrunched-up expression, he pointed at Stone and muttered, “Fuck, he was dirty, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” I replied.
I turned back to Gigi, who looked pale as a ghost. “Hold onto my neck,” I instructed, sweeping her legs out from under her and pulling her close against my chest.
She tightened her grip, burying her face into the crook of my neck. We stepped out into the hall to see Enzo and two of his men rushing down the corridor, their footsteps echoing as they sprinted toward us.
“Is she alright?” Enzo asked, concern etched on his face.
“She will be,” I replied, trying to remain calm. “Is the threat eliminated?”
“Yes. My men are sweeping each room and every corner to ensure it’s all clear.”
I nodded. “I need a doctor for Gigi."
“Of course,” Enzo said, stepping aside to let us pass. We moved swiftly down the hall.
As we reached the same floor as Liam’s room, Alphonse came charging toward us, eyes wild with panic. “What’s wrong with my daughter?” he demanded.
“She’s alright. Just a bit shaken up, but she’ll be fine,” I assured him.
I pushed open the door to an empty room and carefully placed her on the bed. She clung to me as I set her down.
I offered her a smile. “Baby,” I murmured, reaching up to peel her hands from my neck. “I need to find a doctor for you.” She nodded slowly, curling into a tight ball on the bed.
When I had told her to run, I was ready to follow closely behind, but more of those fuckers materialized from every direction and surrounded us. Miguel and I found ourselves heavily outnumbered and fought with everything we had.
I didn’t even notice Stone had slipped away, leaving us to fend for ourselves. That’s when the pieces started falling into place, and I figured he was a corrupt cop. I knew I had to reach my girl before he could get to her.
Once the last of the men were dead, Miguel and I went searching for Gigi.
We stumbled upon the son of a bitch who tried to take me down lying on the ground, writhing in agony with his eyes gouged out.
“Help…” His pathetic whimper had grated on my nerves.
I reached for my gun and fired three shots, each finding its mark directly between his eyes.
Shaking the thoughts away, I leaned down and gently kissed Gigi’s forehead.
Turning to Alphonse, I said, “Stay with her. I need to have a word with Enzo.” Alphonse nodded, settling into the chair beside Gigi. I glanced at Miguel. “I need you to guard her with your life.”
“Of course.”
I closed the door quietly behind me and gestured to two of my guards standing outside the door. “Stand watch. No one gets in.”
“Yes, boss,” they replied in unison.
I went down the hallway, ensuring I could still see Gigi’s door.
Enzo walked up to me as he ended a call. “Okay, it looks like Stone was dirty,” he said, tucking his phone inside his suit jacket.
“I already figured that out,” I shot back. “Was he involved with Gigi’s kidnapping, or is this a separate situation?”
Enzo shook his head, a bitter smile curling at the corners of his lips. “One of his guards spilled the beans. Stone’s been playing both sides all along. He was knee-deep with Walsh, raking in profits from his operations.”
The truth ignited a simmering anger within me. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“When you took Walsh out, Stone lost more than just a partner in crime. He lost his income. He was desperate, and that desperation made him vulnerable.”
I clenched my hands into fists. “Desperate enough to do what?”
“The Puppet Master contacted him. Offered him a large sum of money to kill Gigi and all of you. He was willing to trade her life to pay off his debts.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
“Where is he now?” Enzo asked.
“I killed him. You’ll find him in the sixth-floor breakroom,” I said without remorse.
“Fuck, Nico,” Enzo said. “Alright, I’ll get?—”
A chilling scream echoed through the hall. Enzo and I bolted down the corridor to Gigi’s room without a second thought.
As I reached the door, the doctor ran out of the room, her face pale.
“What happened?” I demanded, anxiety tightening my chest.
“She’s gone and they’re dead,” she managed to choke out, her breath catching on a sob.
I shoved the door open, and my heart sank at the sight before me. Alphonse slumped in the chair, eyes closed, while Miguel was sprawled on the floor near Gigi’s bed.
“Where the hell is she?” I growled. “How the fuck did she just vanish?”
Then I caught sight of the vent above Gigi’s bed—its cover was gone. “Motherfucker,” I muttered. “They took her through the vent!”
Enzo swore under his breath as he barked orders to his men to tighten the security around the hospital. He strode over to Alphonse and Miguel checking each one for a pulse. “They’re still alive. Must’ve been some kind of gas,” he said.
I slipped out of the room, my heart pounding as I called Luca.
“What’s up, boss?” he answered.
“I need you to pull up the security footage from Gigi’s room. I’ll give you the room number.”
I could hear a keyboard clattering in the background. “Why? What happened?”
“She was taken.”
“What?! How?” he asked, his voice rising.
“Someone gassed her room, knocked out her father and Miguel, and then snatched her out through the vents.”
“Jesus.”
I paced the dimly lit hallway, every step a desperate attempt to keep my composure as I waited for Luca to find something—anything. The silence felt unbearable, and each tick of the clock reminded me that we were coming closer to not finding Gigi before she came to more harm.
“Got something,” he finally said.
“What is it?” My grip on the phone tightened.
“A guy—mid-height, lean but not muscular, dressed in black. He tossed Gigi into the back of an ambulance.”
I felt my breath catch in my throat. “Can you read the plates?”
“Yeah, it’s Florida plates. KCJ 230.”
“I’m on it,” Enzo said, already dialing a number as he stepped away.
“Shit, Nico.” Luca's tone turned serious. “This is the same guy who waved at the camera at your house.”
I froze mid-pace. “What?”
Twice, this bastard had slipped through my fingers when I wasn’t there to protect Gigi. Then it hit me.
“Check her tracker, Luca!” I ordered.
There was a brief silence before he spoke again. “I started tracking the moment she left the hospital."
My heart raced, and I prayed we could catch this fucker before he whisked her away somewhere I might never reach her.
“Oh, no…” Luca’s voice made my stomach drop.
“What is it?” I demanded, anxiety coursing through me.
“Nico, I can’t track her.”
“Why not?”
“The tracker stopped transmittinglocation information.”
In a flash of rage, I grabbed the nearest object and hurled it across the room. My palms pressed against the windowsill as I tried to steady my breathing. The thought of Gigi slipping further from my grasp left me utterly defeated. I had failed her again if anything were to happen to her.
“I got him!” Luca shouted suddenly, jolting me from my despair. “I tracked his steps on security cameras across the city. He’s heading west on Queen Boulevard and headed toward the highway.”
“He could be going anywhere,” Luca remarked, a hint of doubt in his tone.
“No,” I said, realization flashing in my mind. “There’s only one place in that direction that’s secluded. The fucker is taking her to the old steel plant.”
It was the perfect place to dump a body.
“Yes, of course!” Luca exclaimed. “Nico, we’ll meet you there,” he said.
“No, you are not,” I warned. “You were shot, Luca. You ass stays home. Tell Matteo and Lo to meet me there instead.”
“Nico, you can’t be serious!” he protested.
“I’m dead serious. I mean it, Luca. Stay. Put.”
A heavy silence hung between us before he finally surrendered with an annoyed grunt and ended the call.
“Where’s my fucking daughter?!” Alphonse’s voice was slurred but angry.
I turned to see him staggering out of the room. I jogged toward him and held him upright. “Where the hell is she?” he repeated.
“We’re heading to her now.”
“I’m coming,” he grunted, attempting to walk past me, but I stopped him.
“No, you can’t. You can barely stand. I’ll find her and bring her back.”
“You fucking better, or it’s your head, Nico.”
“I promise,” I said.
I glanced down just in time to see Miguel stirring, relief washing over me as I realized they would both be all right.
I sprinted down the hallway.
Hold tight, baby. I’m coming.