Grayson
I pull into the parking lot of Casa Niclodi and rush in, stopping at the host stand. “Hi, I’m an investor for this establishment and I’m expecting a phone call. Would you mind handing me the line when it rings?”
The young hostess stares at me. “Scusa, non capisco.”
Right . “Sono un investitore per questo stabilimento. Mi aspetto una chiamata, ti dispiacerebbe consegnarmi la linea quando suona?” I repeat it to her in italian.
“Ah, certo, qui basta prenderlo.” She replies, handing me the landline.
“Grazie.” I force a smile and take a seat at one of the tables.
Everything I’ve done to keep Rowan safe and it was all for nothing, I basically handed her to them with a bow.
The phone rings and I answer it immediately. “Hello?”
“Hey it’s Laila. ”
“You’re not calling from your phone, right?”
“No, just tell me what the fuckin’ plan is.”
“Listen,” I start, lowering my voice. “They took Rowan and I think Austin is in on it. You need to meet me at the hangar and we’re going to get him on the phone and try to figure out where he’s at.”
I hear Laila talking to my mom in the background, filling her in. “They have Rowan? Is she alive?”
“Yes but we need to move quickly. The more time passes the less likely we’ll be able to find her. Start heading over there, I’ll be there in twenty.”
I hang up the phone then dial my friend, Jack’s number. Jack is an air traffic controller for the Air Force. He’ll be able to locate any non-commercial planes flying in the area which will help me find out where they’re taking her if they’ve gotten that far yet .
I pull up to the hangar, my tires screeching as I come to an abrupt stop. As I step out of the car, I see my mother standing with her arms crossed, her usually composed face marked with worry. Laila’s dark hair and sharp features mirror my own as she stares at me with tension in her eyes.
I stride over to them, my mind racing. “I have a plan.”
“How solid?” My mom asks immediately.
“Solid enough. I have a friend in air traffic control, he’s going to keep an eye out for any non-commercial flights in this area and the surrounding area. I picked up a couple burners for us to use until things are straightened out.”
My mother narrows her eyes as she always does before questioning my plans. “You trust this friend?”
“I don’t trust anyone right now, Ma, but he’s my only option.” I tell her. “In the meantime, I’m going to call Austin. He still thinks I don’t know anything, so I’m going to get him to meet with one of my allies and they’re going to get him to a bunker in Indiana.”
“How do you know he’s not going to have the cartel protecting him?” Laila cuts in .
“I don’t but he’s going to think he’s meeting with me and he’ll actually be meeting with the Hellfire MC so if he has protection, they’ll be unprepared.”
“So, what are we doing right now?” Laila asks,
“You two are going to be flying to France and staying at my penthouse in Lyon. I’m staying here until I get a lead on where Rowan might be,” I inform them. “I already put my burner number in both of your new cells so keep in touch once you get there and don’t talk about your location.”
Now it’s time to start my search. Conejo’s men are in uncharted territory, they don’t know Sicily like I do.