Chapter 25 Luca #2
"He threatened the baby." My voice doesn't sound like mine. "He's using the baby to control her. To terrify her. And I'm not there. I can't—"
I can't protect her. Can't do anything except stand here and wait for Alessandro to call back with his demands.
"We'll get her back." Romeo's grip on my arm tightens. "I promise you, we'll get her back."
"How?" I turn to face him. "He's in Marchesi territory. He's fortified. He has her, and he knows we can't move without risking her life."
"Then we negotiate." Dante's voice cuts through my panic. "We give him what he wants, and we get Giulia back."
"And if what he wants is unreasonable?" one of the capos asks. "If he demands territory, we can't give up, or resources we can't spare?"
"Then we find a way to get to him." Dante's expression is cold. "We’ll make him believe he will get what he wants and lure him into a false sense of security.”
The words should be comforting, but they're not. I know what Alessandro really wants. He wants me to suffer. He wants revenge for the humiliation of losing Giulia. And he's using her and our baby to make it happen.
"There has to be another way." Romeo is looking at the map, his tactical mind working. "Some way to get to her without triggering a war."
"There isn't." The other capo shakes his head. "The warehouse is a fortress. Even if we could get inside, Alessandro would kill her before we reached her."
"Then we wait for his demands." Dante starts gathering the maps. "We prepare for negotiation.”
"No." I'm surprised by the firmness in my voice. "We don't wait or negotiate. We get her out."
"Luca, that's suicide—"
"I don't care." I meet Dante's eyes. "You want to negotiate? Fine. But I'm not leaving her in that warehouse one second longer than necessary. So while you're preparing your offers and your compromises, I'm preparing a rescue."
"You'll get her killed." His voice is sharp. "You heard Alessandro. Any rescue attempt—"
"Will be done right." I turn to Romeo. "I need blueprints of that warehouse. Security assessments, guard rotations, everything."
Romeo looks at Dante.
Dante studies me for a long moment, then nods slowly. "Get him what he needs."
"Sir, with respect—" The capo starts.
"Get him what he needs," Dante repeats. "Luca is right. We prepare for negotiation. But we also prepare for extraction. If Alessandro's demands are unreasonable, we'll need another option."
Romeo is already on his phone, calling contacts and requesting information.
I should feel relief. Instead, all I feel is the crushing weight of time passing.
Every minute Giulia is in that warehouse is another minute she's terrified, another minute Alessandro has to hurt her, threaten her, use the baby as leverage.
Another minute I'm failing to protect her.
"Luca." Romeo disconnects his call and moves closer. "We'll get her back. I promise."
"You can't promise that."
"Yes, I can." His voice is firm and absolute. "Because I'm not letting my sister die. And I'm not letting my best friend destroy himself trying to save her alone."
The words sink in, and suddenly, I feel something unravel inside me.
Since the wedding, I've felt completely isolated, trapped in a marriage everyone knows is a disaster, pretending to be happy while dying inside, and pushing away the one person who might actually understand.
But Romeo is here. Standing beside me and refusing to let me fall apart, refusing to let Dante sacrifice me to get Giulia back.
"Thank you." The words come out rough, and they feel inadequate, but they’re all I have right now.
"Don't thank me yet." Romeo's expression is grim. "We still have to get her out alive."
"We will." I don't know if I believe it or if it's even possible. But I have to try. The alternative—a world where Giulia and our baby don't come home—is unthinkable.
Dante's phone rings. He answers, listens, then looks at me. "Surveillance confirms Alessandro is at the warehouse. He's not hiding. He wants us to know where she is."
"He's taunting us." Romeo’s jaw tightens. "Showing us he's in control."
"Then we take that control back." I'm already moving toward the door. "I want eyes on that warehouse. I want to know how many men he has, what kind of security, and every possible entry point."
"Luca—" Dante's voice stops me. "Don't do anything reckless. We got one chance at this. If we move too soon, if we make a mistake, Giulia dies."
"I know." I meet his eyes. "But if we wait too long, she dies anyway. Alessandro isn't going to keep her alive indefinitely. Whatever he's planning, it has a timeline. And I'm not going to sit here and wait for him to execute it."
Dante nods slowly. "Then we move fast. Romeo, coordinate with surveillance. Luca, start planning extraction scenarios. Everyone else, prepare for full mobilization. If this turns into a war, I want us ready."
The room erupts into activity. I should be focused, thinking tactically. Instead, all I can think about is this morning—Giulia in the kitchen, and the way she touched my arm when I told her to be safe. The way she said, "You too," like she was worried about me.
Like she cared.
"Luca." Romeo's voice pulls me back. "I need you focused. Can you do that?"
Can I? Can I think tactically when every instinct is screaming at me to get in my car and drive to that warehouse, and tear it apart with my bare hands until I find her?
"Yes." I force myself to push everything else away for a moment. "I can do that."
Romeo doesn't look convinced, but he nods. "Good. Because we're going to need you at your best for this. Giulia's going to need you at your best."
Giulia. My wife. The woman I've been punishing for weeks because I was too angry to see past my own hurt. The woman carrying my child… and the woman that, despite everything, I still love to the point of desperation.
And I’m going to bring her home.