Chapter 14
Tommaso
I’m sitting in my downtown headquarters, fuming.
Marco had successfully gotten the picture and article about my engagement pulled; however, the damage was already done. I just prayed that Gina didn’t see it before I could explain what’s going on.
That I’m, in fact, not engaged, but being coerced by my own father of all people, into an arranged marriage that will not happen.
The past few days have been hell, not only because I couldn’t see Gina, but because the Altera family is worse than I expected.
Spending time with them has been a true test of my patience.
Rosa is a conniving bitch; I wouldn’t put it past her to be the one responsible for the news article and picture after we went to the fundraising dinner.
And Arturo is a snake. His oldest son and heir, Camillo, who is roughly my age, is only slightly better than his sister and father.
He traveled here with them, and I know it was because they found out Emanuele and Vincenzo were here and wanted to snoop around to find out why.
Vincenzo called me today, saying his father’s heart condition was acting up, and that they needed to head back to Catanzaro immediately. I still don’t know why they were here or why they stayed so long, and that makes me uneasy.
I push back from my desk and go to the window overlooking the bay. It’s dark, and the only lights come from the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ve felt uneasy all night. All day, if I’m truthful.
Like something is wrong, and I don’t know it yet.
I go back to my desk and try to call Davide again. I spoke with him this morning, for my regular check-in about Gina, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of him since.
Silvio was in San Francisco for meetings, and I sent him to Caruso’s house to investigate.
I could speak with Salvo, the guard captain, or one of the other guards stationed there, but Davide is my direct line regarding Gina, and I don’t want to involve more people than I already have.
My phone rings, slashing the silence of my office, and I see Silvio’s name on the display. I answer immediately, but he doesn’t even give me a chance to say hello.
“Davide didn’t report for work,” he states.
“What do you mean? I spoke with him this morning.”
“Salvo said Davide was here earlier, but it wasn’t his scheduled shift. He hasn’t seen him since.”
“Where’s Gina?” I force out through a closing throat as dread grows.
“Inside the house. Salvo said she hasn’t left. No one has been in or out all today.”
I relax marginally, but my unease won’t abate. “I want you to check on her.”
“On it,” Silvio says without any hesitation or questioning. “I’ll call you right back.”
I pace my office, waiting for him to call me back, reporting that Gina is okay and that this unease is solely due to not having seen her for a few days. The minutes feel endless, torturous; my body feels too big for my skin, like the beast within me wants to rip it to shreds and burst free.
My phone rings, and I pounce on it. “Talk to me, Silvio.”
He’s out of breath. “She’s not here. But there’s—”
“What do you mean, she’s not there?” My heart stalls, then thunders painfully. “Where the fuck is she?”
“I don’t know. Salvo and I searched the whole house. No one’s here.”
“You said no one came or left,” I bark, then curse. “The side door in the wall.”
“What?”
“There’s a locked side door in the stone wall. Is the key in her room gone?”
“I didn’t know to check.” His next words threaten to destroy me. “Tommaso… There’s blood in her bathroom. On the vanity…bloody fingerprints, a bloody cloth, like she tried to clean up.”
There’s a roar in my head. “Where’s Caruso? Guila?”
“I don’t know. No one is here, T.”
“Find them.”
“All our resources will be all over this,” he reassures.
“Find her.” I almost collapse, saying the words out loud, fearing the worst.
If I lose Gina, if I lose il mio sole, the world will be faced with the black, completely unhinged version of the monster I keep locked up and controlled.
“We’ll do everything we can, Tommaso.” His words are grave.
“Silvio… Caruso lives. Until I have my hands on him.” Somehow, I know he has hurt Gina. “Understood?”
“One thousand percent, brother.”