36. Salvatore
thirty-six
Salvatore
“Where the hell are you?” Marco curses, and he never does that.
“What is it?”
“Sabatini was caught on camera near Hall Media. When I called Valentino to tell him to be careful, he was searching for Isabella.” The moment he mentions Isabella, I jump from my chair and grab my keys before leaving my office.
“What do you mean searching for Isabella? How the hell did he lose her?” Maybe our relationship is not in a good place, but I made sure that she is safe and has everything she needs.
Until now.
“Apparently, she got a phone call and slipped out. I traced the call to the area thirty miles south of Hall Media. Does that mean anything to you?” I open the door of my car and enter. Going still for a second, I can hear the clicking of the keyboard through the phone.
“Maybe,” I say, switching on the car and drive. “I want to know who she spoke to on that call.”
“Already on it. It is well covered. I’ll have it in a few minutes.”
I kill the line and call Isabella; it goes directly to the voice mail.
What are you doing Bella?
I call a few more times, but there’s still no answer.
Fuck.
She could be anywhere.
I kick the steering wheel and clench my fists until they are white. I need to calm down. I need to have a clear head so I can find her.
My phone rings with a call from Marco.
“Talk,” I order.
“The call came from the same area where you caught Bernardo. It came from a diner...”
“Bill’s Diner,” I finish for him, knowing exactly where she was going.
“Yes. I suppose you know where that is?”
“I do. Check for any abandoned warehouses or factories in a twenty-mile radius. Somewhere with electricity and running water. It could be out of sight from the public.” I end the call and dial Gabriel.
“Isabella is missing. And Sabatini was spotted near Hall Media. If he has her, he is planning something. I’m sending you the location where I will go. I want you to gather men and meet me there.”
I end the call before he can say anything and focus on where I’m going and what my next move will be.
I drive over the limit to the place I was with Isabella a few months ago. I should have searched that area the moment I caught the traitorous bastard there. Unfortunately, it’s too late to be sorry. I just hope I find her on time. I can’t even imagine what he will do to her.
I shake my head. I will not go to the places where my darkest nightmares lie.
I park in front of the house I found Bernardo in. This time, I will search the place by myself. The house reeks of mold and cigarettes; it is disgusting. The place looks clean enough. Other than a few leftover takeout boxes, there is no sign anyone was living here. I go through drawers and cabinets until I hear cars arriving. My men are here.
This place is empty. Bernardo made sure he left nothing useful behind him.
I wait for men to come in. Gabriel has gathered a small army of thirty men that barely fit in the house.
My phone pings with a message and I open a long list of places Marco gathered.
Fuck, there are a lot of places he could have taken her. But first I need to know who called her and why.
“Could you trace who called her from that diner?”
“Unfortunately not. The call was made from the phone line.”
Dammit. It could have been just the story she was working on, but still, I need to be ready for anything. I call her one more time. It goes to voice mail again.
I turn to Gabriel, who has his eyes on me, his brows knitted. “Stay here with the men and be on standby. Marco should have sent you the address of the places we will need to check on. Plan the best way to approach the situation. I’ll take Dante with me. I need to check on something.”
He stops me with his hand on my shoulder, pressing slightly. “We will find her.”
I look at him with regret and sorrow. “I just hope we find her before it’s too late.”
The diner was destroyed. The moment I parked in front of it, I knew something was wrong.
Dante and I drive to the next place, an old warehouse. Gabriel had split the men into three groups. One of them is on their way to us. Before I even park in front of the warehouse, I can see it’s empty. Nevertheless, we sweep the place. And with every room corner I pass, there is a small piece inside me that shatters.
I will never forgive myself if anything happens to her. If anything happens to my child. The thought of that crushes my heart, and the air leaves my lungs. I clutch my throat and breathe slowly. Please, God, let them be okay.
The fear of losing them overpowers my promise to my father, making me realize they are more important.
With a heavy breath, I go back to my car, searching every place on that list.
I scream as I trash the room of the last property we’re in; it has been hours, and it is getting dark outside. I lost track of time and I still can’t find her. I will cut the bastard into pieces when I find him.
“What do you have?” I call Gabriel, hoping he has something for me.
“Nothing,” he says. “We checked everything.”
“NO!” I roar. “I will turn this neighborhood upside down until I find her.”
“Salvatore, be reasonable. You are losing your mind. This isn’t going anywhere.” I breathe hard as I clench my hand over my phone. If he was beside me I would have taken my rage on him.
“Goddammit, Gabriel! I can’t sit while he has her!”
“Where are you?” I can vaguely hear him over the pounding in my ears, but I don’t answer because something catches my eye. I end the call and turn on the flash on my phone as I approach the corner of the warehouse. A shiny piece of jewelry has been lying in the dirt. I pick it up and all the blood drains from me. A necklace. Be brave, be strong, be fearless is engraved on the back of it. This is Isabella's, her mother’s, that she rarely takes off.
I palm the necklace and shout at my men.
“She was here. Turn the place upside down.”
We look around. This is a small warehouse. If she was here, we would find her. But to my devastation, she is not here now.
I look at my men as they all shake their heads.
My phone alerts me to a message and I open it to a video that is playing in front of my club. But as soon as the person comes into view with a sadistic look on his face, I know this is going to be bad.
“This is for you, Catalano. For you taking everything from me. For taking what was supposed to be mine. But I will tell you a secret. I will not let you have what was supposed to be mine. This is only a distraction so I can disappear, but not for long. You will be seeing me. You will all be seeing me. And this.” The camera shows the unmoving body of Isabella. “This is just the beginning for you and that bastard Ruggeri.” The sound of the sliding door is heard before Isabella’s body is thrown in front of my club.
My eyes don’t move from the screen as I drop to my knees, and all I can think about is how I hurt her and how I made her feel. All the hurtful things I said to her instead of what I really needed and wanted to.
Most importantly, that I love her.