Chapter 19 - Gabriel
"Idi na hui," the man says and spits on the floor, "Idi na hui."
"I don't really know what that means," I say and push the barrel of my gun hard into his cheek, "but I've killed enough to know it's not the answer to any of my questions."
The man smiles.
I know he understands and speaks English, but as he knows he's about to die, he refuses to speak anything other than his mother tongue.
I suppose there is some honor in that.
I glance around the room and see this man's 'comrades' spread all over, pools of blood oozing out. Six of them dead, just this one left. I was hoping to get some answers, but he's not playing nicely.
Enzo's info was right. They had tried to rob P13—our guns and weapons modifications warehouse. Lots of things here that could cause some real issues on the streets, not to mention the amount of money that we would have lost.
Too bad for them, I was waiting.
I look down at the man and know this is going to go one of two ways.
Some think rambling on will save them, but it doesn't, though I welcome them to have that false hope.
And then there's this, where they know they'll see their God soon, so they don't cooperate and basically tell me to fuck off.
The former is what I prefer, since the latter makes things get ugly.
"Are you going to talk to me, or should I just kill you?" I ask.
"Idi na hui."
"Wait. Wait. I think I just remembered what that means. Go fuck yourself, right?"
The man laughs, showing his blood-stained teeth.
"Well," I say and put the gun up to his eye and press firmly, "let's see what kind of mess this makes."
The man's head knocks back, and his body follows as he crashes onto the ground. His head hits the cement and makes a distinctive noise, one that once you hear it, you'll always be able to recognize. It was the only audible noise heard, as the silencer kept the gun quiet.
It is my turn to smile. "You go fuck yourself."
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.
"What the hell."
I have five missed calls and three text messages from Luca that all say:
CALL NOW!
CALL NOW!!
CALL NOW!!!!
It's not like Luca to be so persistent, which means something must be wrong.
I quickly call Luca back, my fingers trembling as my mind races as to what could be the issue.
"Gabriel," he says, his voice shaky and full of worry. "Thank God I've got a hold of you."
"What's going on?" I ask, my concern growing. "Why all the missed calls and texts?"
"It's Sofia," Luca says, his voice cracking. "I'm worried she's dead or something bad has happened to her."
My chest tightens, and I feel like my blood has left my body. "Dead?" I repeat, barely able to comprehend the word.
My mind starts spinning, and I feel like the warehouse is caving in on me.
I'm unable to catch my breath.
"What do you mean dead?" I say, my tone strong and loud.
"Your location, the attempted job, it all might have been a decoy, some kind of trap. I, I don't know. Shit, they planned a double hit—one there and a personal attack against us."
My grip tightens on the phone, and coldness sweeps over me so quickly that I feel like shaking. "Who? What? I don't understand?" I ask, rubbing my forehead with the back of my hand, still holding onto my gun.
Luca hesitates for what seems like forever. "They took out three of our people, Goddammit. Plus, two mistresses and a wife."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I force myself to stay focused. "Names?"
"Massimo and Vic, plus their girls Gina and Elizabeth," Luca says, his voice heavy. "And Dante's wife, Clara, who was with them."
I clench my jaw, barely containing my rage. The Russians have shown no mercy. Targeting us is one thing, but women?
"Okay, so Sofia. What about Sofia?"
Luca hesitates again, and my heart feels like it's going to explode as I listen to him breathing. "That's why I've been trying to reach you. I don't know where she is. She wasn't at the Capstone when I sent men there. I think they might have taken her."
The blood drains from my face as fear grips me for the first time in as long as I can remember. "What the fuck," I say as I kick over an empty crate.
"I need you to go to the hotel. There are rumors the Russians were spotted there," Luca says.
"I'm on my way. I will find her."
"Fuck," I yell at the top of my lungs as I hang up the phone.
If she's dead, I will kill every motherfucking Russian mobster and wipe Ivan and his family off the face of this fucking earth.
As I run to my car, I frantically try to piece together what could have happened to Sofia, but there are too many unknowns, too many possibilities.
Finally, I arrive back in the city and make my way straight to the Capstone. I can't let myself believe that something has happened to Sofia.
As I burst through the doors of the Capstone Hotel, adrenaline surges through my veins. I scan the lobby, searching for any sign of Sofia or the Russians. The place is buzzing with guests and staff, oblivious to the chaos that I'm in and the Bonventi family is currently under.
"Mr. Falcone, I didn't expect to see you this evening. Is everything alright?" the bellhop asks me, his voice carrying a hint of concern.
Since I can’t run across the lobby, attracting eyes, I start walking fast toward the elevators, the bellhop close behind.
"I need you to make sure no one goes up to the top floor that isn't staying in one of the suites."
"Yes, yes, of course," the bellhop says and hurries over to the check-in desk.
"Come on, come on," I say, pressing the button a few more times.
Finally, the elevator doors open, and I run in and repeat the same frantic pressing, but this time for the top floor.
The elevator moves slower than it ever has as it climbs.
She'll be in the room.
She'll be in the room, I think to myself over and over.
When I reach the suite level, I step out of the elevator and scan the hallway.
It's quiet, the only sounds are the hum of the fluorescent lights above me.
As I make my way toward Sofia's suite, my heart pounds in my chest. I pull out my gun and with my left hand gently insert the key card.
The door unlocks, and I push it open with my foot.