22
Enzo
T he deputy looked thoroughly unimpressed with me as he passed by my cell, handing out mail to the other inmates in the hole. But he didn’t slide anything under my door, which was unusual.
Amara,
Are you avoiding me, baby? What’s going on? Talk to me, or I’ll have to come find you myself.
-Enzo
She should’ve replied by now; she always did. I stood, going to the door to my cell. “You got anything for me?”
“Nope,” the deputy smirked. “Guess even your lawyer gave up on you, Ricci.”
“Is there a backlog or something?” I pressed, wondering if there was a logical explanation.
“No, she’s just done with you, I bet,” he shook his head. “Smart woman.”
Then he disappeared down the hallway.
My eyes met Vitali’s across from me, at his cell window, staring at me.
“She still hasn’t written you, huh?” Vitali questioned.
“The only times she didn’t write me was when she wasn’t sure if I was back in, and I hadn’t written her,” I began. “But I wrote her every day. There’s no reply, and it’s been a week. That’s not like her.”
“Want me to get someone to call around?” he asked. “Ludovic’s in Gen Pop, so he could. We just need to get the message to him.”
Something didn’t feel right, and I hadn’t heard back from her since the day she didn’t write back to me. There was a pit in my stomach, and my gut had never been wrong.
“No,” I conceded, palming my hidden cell phone. “I’m done waiting. But in the meantime, we need to figure out a way out of here.”
“Medical,” Vitali replied. “Unless you have a lighter in there or something to get them to evacuate you.”
“A riot works,” Luca volunteered. “But good luck getting us out of here unless it’s rec time, and even then, we’re shackled when they take us out.”
“Not if it’s Russo or Romano,” I countered, speaking of the sergeants who had ties to our family.
“I fucking knew those fuckers were crooked,” Durante muttered.
“Are they working tonight?” Luca asked.
“There’s usually always at least one of them working,” Vitali agreed. “Call your girl; if she doesn’t pick up, medical it is.”
I went to the corner of my cell and dialed Amara’s number.
No answer.
I pulled up the tracking app I downloaded and hid it on her phone, tracking her location, messages, and calls.
My stomach burned when I realized she hadn’t called, texted, or moved from her home since last night after she left her office. If she was sick, she at least would’ve called out of work once.
I scowled, dialing my brother.
“What?” Alessandro snapped.
“Call Russo and Romano,” I ordered. “She’s not picking up and hasn’t moved in a week. Her phone’s at her house.”
“She probably went on vacation and forgot her phone,” my brother snapped. “I don’t have time for this—”
“Make time,” I snarled. “Paradise, you said? What would you do if yours went MIA for a fucking week ?”
He went silent, and then he cursed under his breath. “He’ll be at least one of them in less than an hour. Hang tight.”
The line went dead, and I placed the phone back in my pants. “One hour,” I announced. “If no one shows up, medical it is.”
The minutes ticked by, and around twenty later, Russo burst through the door to our wing, muttering profanity under his breath. “The fuck you want, Ricci?”
“Fucking Russo,” Durante laughed, and Russo shot a glare at him before he turned back to me.
I gave him a pointed look, the same one I gave him every time I had to cash in a favor. He groaned, running his hands across his face. “Really? You’re going to get me in a lot of shit, Ricci.”
“It’s important.”
“It’s always fucking important,” he let out a harsh breath, his keys jangling as he wrenched my cell door open. “What is it this time, huh? Rival family insult you or some stupid shit like that?”
I lifted my chin. “Would you consider it important if your wife went missing, Russo? Her name is Mia, right?”
His lips thinned.
“Yeah? Feel that fucking pit in your stomach at just the fucking thought? That’s been me this past week. Try stewing with that for seven fucking days, Russo, unable to do shit to help her,” I snapped.
He stepped inside my cell, shaking his head at me, and for the first time, he had sympathy in his eyes. But I didn’t want his fucking pity.
Russo decked me.
My head jerked to the side from the impact, and I smirked, tasting the copper tang of my blood on my tongue.
“If anyone asks, I’m taking you to medical,” he muttered as he cuffed me, looser than usual.
“Us too,” Luca demanded.
“If you three keep this up, they’ll send you to separate prisons,” Russo snapped. “Is that what you want? ”
Silence.
“Anyone else’s girl missing?” Russo inquired.
No one answered.
“No? Then shut up and sit there,” he snapped, tugging me from my cell.
Russo’s boots thudded against the concrete floor, and my sneakers squeaked in protest at our fast pace. He led me down the hallway, slamming the isolation wing door behind us as he walked toward medical.
I quickened my pace as I rushed behind Russo. “Sorry about this,” I warned him before launching myself at him, jumping him. I clocked him as hard as I could behind the head, and he let out a harsh breath.
He crashed face-first on the floor. I slipped out of my cuffs, took his badge, and ran for the nearest exit. I didn’t have time for theatrics or outfit changes.
I had to get to her. Now.
I had minutes before they triggered the alarm if I was lucky, but that was if they saw me immediately. It was a shift change that bought me more time than usual.
The guards who liked staring at their phones were due to come on shift, so I had a chance.
I scanned Russo’s card through the doors, going as fast as I could, my heart pounding as my blood ran cold at the possibilities running through my mind.
Was she dead? Had Mark gotten to her? I saw that she had no calls from him in a while. I thought it was because I had scared him off, but apparently, that might not be the case.
When I burst outside, the cold chill of the air barely affected me as I got to the nearest car and began to hotwire it. There was a gym bag inside, and I quickly changed into the clothes so no one would recognize me in my prison uniform.
I floored the gas pedal as I tore off to the highway, willing to catch every charge on my way to her. Nothing would slow me down.
I’m coming, Amara.
I’m coming for you.