Chapter 42
Chapter forty-two
Questions fill my brain with each pounding step as we sprint from the parking lot to the abandoned railyard off Cicero Ave.
This is our territory.
Why would someone kidnap Gigi and bring her onto our turf?
That’s a death wish.
Could it be a trap?
Lucia stands in front of the chain-link gate with five guards. She looks like she’s trying not to cry.
“Where’s Gigi? Why are we here?” I gasp as Matteo and I stop in front of her.
Lucia holds up her hand, Gigi’s burner is clutched in her fingers. “The tracker pinged it to this location and we found it right here in front of the gate. She must be here. Somewhere.”
My blood runs cold. Could someone have killed Gigi and left her on our turf as a warning? Another episode of the killer mocking me about how he’s able to get past my defenses with ease.
No. I won’t think like that.
A car horn honks loudly.
A range rover comes barreling into the parking lot, slamming its brakes and stopping next to my car. The doors open and my mom gets out followed by Bruno and Salvatore.
“Mom! What are you doing here?”
Mama stomps over to me. She’s dressed in a bomber jacket and jeans.
She never wears jeans. “You think I’m going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs when my daughter has been kidnapped.
Absolutely not. Lucia called me and told me this is where you think she is.
I came right away. When I find the bastard who did this, he’s going to be getting a nice headstone. ”
“Where’s Nonna?” I look around expecting her to appear.
“She’s home, resting. She wasn’t feeling good. I don’t want to upset her with this news. Bruno was in the living room and wanted to come.”
I sigh. I’m starting to feel like Bruno is becoming more of a liability than a helper.
“Then we picked up Salvatore on the way. Now why are we all standing around, my baby is in there.”
I push open the gate. “Everyone spread out and search. I want every train car, every track, every inch of this place turned over. We don’t stop until we find her. Keep aware of your surroundings. We don't know who else is in here.”
The guards go first casing the perimeter.
“Here,” Salvatore shoves something into my hand. “You might need this.”
Looking down, I see it’s a gun.
“Thank you.”
Everyone splits off in different directions.
Lucia heads to a line of boxcars.
Matteo breaks left.
Enzo, Luca, and Mom go right.
Bruno and Salvatore head to the empty flatbeds.
I sprint past the rusty tankers to the freight cars.
The maze of steel tracks stretches endlessly under the clear sky.
Metal glints in the sunlight. Long lines of freight cars sit motionless like rusty giants.
Chipped paint and graffiti marks cover the sides.
Massive tankers, flatbeds, and boxcars are scattered across the grounds.
Smells of oil, diesel, and dust fill the air.
Barbed wire crowns the chain-link fences that surround the yard.
No Trespassing signs are posted every few feet.
Forgotten signal lights stand like a ghostly omen. A whistle sounds in the distance.
Gravel crunches under my boots as I walk down a set of tracks near the freights.
Rust flakes at the edges of the steel. Grass sprouts in uneven patches between the ties.
Some tracks disappear completely into the weeds that have taken over.
A few of the wood sleepers have been devoured by ants and rot.
My pocket vibrates. Moving the gun to my other hand, I pull out my phone. The word Private flashes on the screen.
“Hello?” I raise the phone to my ear.
“Cipriani Capuano?” A muffled male voice hisses.
“Who’s asking?”
“If you want your sister back, dissolve the family, and dismantle your empire. The Capuano Family must be no more or you’ll never see her again.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I snap.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Is this the Marconi Family?”
“Do you want your sister to live or die, Cipriani?”
My blood turns to lava. “Let me talk to her. How do I know she’s not already dead?”
“You’ll have to take my word. I’ll call back tonight for your answer.”
“If you touch her…”
Click.
The line goes dead.
The black screen burns into the back of my eyeballs as fury simmers under my skin. No doubt someone related to the Marconis is behind this.
I scream into the silence and throw my phone on the ground. Bending down to pick it up, I stare at the grass that covers the tracks. The symbol of nature’s quiet plan to take over the yard just like this masked man’s mission to end my family.
I dial Dominic’s number, but he doesn’t pick up.
I try again but am met with the same result.
I send him a text: Call me ASAP!
Cursing under my breath, I shove the phone back into my pocket.
I can’t panic.
Gigi has to be here.
The bastard on the phone doesn’t know we pinged her burner.
Picking up the pace, I go to a freight car, pressing my ear against the metal listening. Wrapping my fingers around the handle, I yank open the door with all my strength.
Nothing.
The line of train cars stretch on and on like a graveyard of metal and secrets.
We’re going to be here all day.
I move onto the boxcars and start forcing open the doors.
“Did you find anything?” Matteo yells across the yard.
“No!”
I don’t know how much time has passed.
My hands hurt from pulling at the doors.
Everyone yells Gigi’s name with no response.
The stranger doesn’t call again.
Dominic doesn’t call me back. I hope he’s okay.
Looking up, I see an abandoned car, positioned off the track.
It’s slumped near the edge of the fence like a forgotten artifact.
The metal sides are riddled with rust. Paint peels in long flaking strips.
Vines climb up the sides, while thick grass curls around the wheels rendering them almost invisible.
My heart hammers in my throat as I approach the train car.
Wrapping my hand around the cold metal handle I pull.
At first the door doesn’t move. I yank it harder and it slides back with a loud groan.
I poke my head inside.
A figure is in the shadows.
“Gigi!” I scream, leaping into the car and rushing to her side.
My sister lies on the floor in the fetal position.
Her arms and legs are bound and a gag is tied around her mouth.
“Gigi!” Tears fill my eyes as I remove the gag from her mouth.
Her eyes flutter open and a dazed expression crosses her face. She doesn’t speak.
“It’s okay, Gigi,” I reach for the knife inside my leather jacket. “I’m here. You’re safe now.”
The blade cuts through the ropes on her wrists and ankles. My fingers shake as I pull her into my arms. “Gigi! Gigi! Are you alright?”
She moans and mumbles something.
Her speech is slurred.
They must have drugged her.
Fuck.
“Gigi, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.” Cradling her head, I brush her hair away from her sweaty forehead. As I rock her in my arms, I take my phone out and call Matteo.
“I found her. I’m at the end of the yard in the old boxcar that’s against the fence. Gigi’s been drugged! Gather everyone and get here quickly.”
Matteo is talking, but I don’t hear him as I catch sight of something on the wall above us.
The phone slips from my hands and clatters to the floor.
Nailed into the wall are two butterfly wings.
They are fake and synthetic, like the ones little children strap to their backs around Halloween time. The striking orange and black are the only colors in this drab setting.
Monarch wings.
The only butterflies that are known for being majestic and royal.
Farfalla. Butterfly.
My nickname since birth.
Queen of the Capuano Empire.
A blade runs through the center of each wing, pinning them into the wall.
Bruno’s words echo in my mind: I saw your wings…painted…butterfly wings on the floor…dead.
Beneath the wings, painted in blood are the words.
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
Taking Gigi into my arms. I climb out of the traincar.
I can’t stay here any longer.
Voices call my name.
Adjusting to Gigi’s weight, I carry her away from the car, and through the trainyard.
All the early mornings at the gym are paying off.
I cradle Gigi close to me.
Matteo and Lucia are up ahead, running to me.
Mom comes around the corner, screaming.
Matteo takes Gigi from my arms.
Everyone is yelling she needs to go to the hospital but the words are a blur.
Someone takes my arm, leading me out of the railyard.
I can’t erase the image of the dead wings.
I thought Bruno was delusional at first, but it’s becoming more and more clear that his dark omen may come true.
All these death threats against me and still no appearance of the queen piece.