Chapter 27 Roman
ROMAN
My mind's already at home as Don Vitale drones on about shipping routes. At least I’m not at another La Corona meeting getting my ass handed to me.
But fucking hell, why am I here? Exhaustion drags at my bones after the all-night dock situation.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I ignore it. La Corona isn't a group in which one can walk out to take a call.
"What was the hold up with payoff?" Don Monti asks.
My phone buzzes again, then immediately a third time.
I pull my phone from my pocket, ready to silence it, when Marco nods at me. "Answer it, Roman. Could be follow-up on the dock situation."
I step away from the group, swiping to accept the call without checking the ID.
"What?" I bark.
The sound of sobbing hits me first. Then my daughter's terrified voice.
"Daddy!" Angelica wails, her breath coming in hiccupping gasps. "Bad men—they took Isabella! They had guns and—and they broke the door and—"
My blood turns to ice. "Angel, where are you? Are you safe?"
"Under the bed. Isabella told me to hide. I'm scared, Daddy!"
"Stay there. Don't move. I'm coming right now."
I end the call and spin toward the table where the Dons sit watching me. Rage boils up so fast I can barely see straight.
"What the fuck did you do?" I snarl, stalking toward them. "Was this meeting just a fucking ruse to get me out of the way while you took Isabella?"
Marco rises to his feet, alarm crossing his features. "What are you talking about?"
"Someone just took my wife from our home." I want to grab my gun and wipe them all from the face of this earth. "My daughter was there. She could have been killed."
Don Vitale shakes his head. "We didn't authorize this."
"Bullshit!" I slam my palm on the table. "I was told La Corona was ready to cut her loose. Now suddenly, armed men take her while I'm conveniently stuck in this meeting?"
Marco steps toward me, hands raised. "Roman, I swear to you, this wasn't us." Still, he looks around the room as if he’s concerned someone else took the problem into their own hands.
I look from face to face, Marco's concern, Vitale's confusion, Monti's shock, Ferraza's horror.
Either they're all Oscar-worthy actors or they really didn't know.
But if not them, then who?
I lock eyes with Marco, barely containing my fury. "I have to go. My daughter is alone and terrified."
"Roman—" Don Vitale starts, but I'm already moving toward the door.
"This meeting is over for me."
I don't wait for permission. I don't bow or show respect.
My little girl is hiding under a bed while armed men have taken my wife.
Nothing else matters.
Marco's voice follows me as I reach the door. "Roman! Remember your place."
I stop, turning slowly to face him. The room goes deadly silent.
"My place?" My voice comes out dangerously soft. "I've given my life to you, Marco. Loyalty. Blood. Sweat. Bodies buried. I've never questioned an order." I take a step toward him, past caring about consequences.
"But I will not give you Angelica's life. Or Isabella's, for that matter." I meet his gaze without flinching. "You'll have to kill me right now to stop me."
This moment could end my life. Challenging a Don in front of La Corona is unforgivable.
Finally, Marco's shoulders relax slightly. "I'm not going to kill you, Roman."
He turns to the other Dons. "Gentlemen, we'll reconvene later."
Without waiting for their response, he strides toward me. "I'm coming with you. We need to find out what the hell is happening."
I nod once, already pulling out my phone to call in backup as we head for the door.
"If this wasn't La Corona," I say, "then someone's about to have a very bad day."
I break every traffic law on the books getting back to my apartment, with Marco right behind me.
The elevator seems too slow as it lifts to my apartment.
I exit it, gun already drawn.
The splintered door frame tells me someone forced their way in.
Did she know them? Did she know she was in danger and that’s why she didn’t open the door to them?
"Angelica!" I shout, sweeping through the living room, checking corners, my heart hammering against my ribs.
No response.
"Angel, it's Daddy! You can come out now!"
Still nothing. Panic threatens to choke me as I move toward the bedroom, Marco covering my back.
"Check the other rooms," I tell him, pushing open the bedroom door.
The room looks untouched except for the door, which has been kicked in. I drop to my knees, looking under the bed.
Two terrified eyes stare back at me from the far corner.
"Angel," I breathe, relief washing over me. "Come here, baby."
She crawls out slowly, tears streaking her face, and launches herself into my arms.
I hold her so tight I worry I might hurt her, but I can't let go.
"I was so scared, Daddy," she sobs into my neck.
"I know, baby. I know. You're safe now." I rock her gently, kissing the top of her head. "You did so good calling me. So brave."
Marco appears in the doorway, holstering his weapon. "Rest of the place is clear."
I nod, still holding Angelica. "What happened, Angel? Tell me everything."
She pulls back, hiccupping. "Isabella told me to hide under the bed and be quiet. She said not to come out until you or Mrs. Rossi came."
"Did you see who took her?"
Angelica nods. "I–I got out when they left. I needed my phone to call you."
My heart stops. "You came out of hiding?"
"Just for a minute. Then I went back under the bed like Isabella said."
I close my eyes briefly, imagining what could have happened if they'd returned and found her.
Thank fuck Isabella had the good sense to hide Angelica, to think of my child even as she had to know that whoever this was wanted her.
"Did you recognize the men?"
"No, but he was yelling at Isabella."
I press my forehead against Angelica's, trying to keep my voice steady. My emotions are nearly my undoing at this moment. "What did the bad man want? Did he say anything?"
“He was yelling at Isabella about talking to some lady. He kept asking what she told her."
My stomach tightens. The FBI agent.
"Did he say anything about papers? Documents?"
"Yeah." Angelica sniffles. "He kept asking about papers. He was really mad."
Marco moves closer, his expression grim. "Did Isabella give him anything?"
Angelica looks at him, then back to me. "I don't know. But…" She leans in, whispering like she's sharing a secret. "Before they came in, Isabella put something under the mattress. She was really fast about it."
I exchange a quick glance with Marco. It has to be the papers.
“I’ll check,” Marco says, going around the bed. He lifts the end of the mattress. “Here.” He pulls out the folder. "Is this it?" He begins leafing through the pages.
“Yes.” I take inventory of Angelica, needing reassurance that she’s okay, at least physically.
"Jesus Christ," Marco mutters.
"What?" I demand.
He shakes his head as he looks up at me. "We need to find Isabella before Salvatore does whatever he's planning."
"Salvatore?" Angelica's small voice cuts through the tension. "That's what Isabella called him."
My blood runs cold. "Salvatore took her?"
Angelica nods. "She said his name when he stole her."
Marco and I lock eyes.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.” I say, not worried about my language around Angelica.
Marco grips my shoulder. "We need to get Angelica somewhere safe first."
He's right. "Angel, we need to go to Elena's house. You'll stay with her while I find Isabella."
She wipes her tears with the back of her hand. "Is Isabella going to be okay?"
The honest answer would terrify her. "I'm going to make sure she is." It’s not the first time I’ve had to lie to her, but this one is a doozy.
I pull out my phone and dial Elena. She answers on the second ring.
"Elena, I need a favor. Can I bring Angelica to stay with you? It's an emergency."
"Of course," she says without hesitation. "Is everything alright?"
"No. But I can’t go into—”
“I understand. Bring Angelica right away. We'll keep her safe."
I end the call and turn to Angelica. "Let’s go pack some clothes and whatever else you need.”
Unable to let her out of my sight, I follow her as she scurries to her room. I help her find some clothes and stuff them in a bag. “Find a few toys, okay?”
As Angelica gathers her favorite stuffed animal and a few of her art materials, Marco hands me the folder. "Read this."
I flip it open, scanning the photocopied pages of Isabella's mother's notebook.
It’s not a typical diary.
It lists places Isabella can go. How she can get a name change.
But then there are notes about her meetings with a man called E that can only be Ernie.
I skim through until the beginning of November.
E keeps making comments that La Corona is weak. Needs new leadership or to be destroyed with a new leadership rising. How can he know what’s going on inside unless S is telling him? I need to tell Leo. I want Isabella safe, but I can’t be a part of this.
My eyes narrow. S. Salvatore?
I look up at Marco, rage building inside me. "Salvatore was staging a coup. He's been playing us this whole time."
Marco takes the folder back, reading through it again. "And now he's got Isabella."
My heart turns to lead in my chest. The image of Isabella in Salvatore's hands makes me want to tear the world apart.
"He'll kill her," I say.
"We don't know that," Marco says, but I can tell he doesn't believe it.
"Don't we?" I snap. "He's cleaning up loose ends. Isabella got her hands on her mother's notebook, the proof that Salvatore betrayed La Corona. He can't let her live." Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “He was in my office earlier telling me to off her. I should have killed him then.”
“Daddy?” Angelica looks up at me clutching her favorite stuffed rabbit and holding her bag.
Oh, fuck. I can’t have Anglica hear all this.
I force myself to soften my expression, kneeling down to her level. “Yes, Angel. You ready?”
She nods, but her eyes are still wide with fear. "Are you going to kill the man who stole Isabella?”
“I’m going to find Isabella.” I want to promise, but I can’t find the words.
“Mr. Ginetti.” Mrs. Rossi comes rushing in looking as terrified as I feel. “Don Calabresi called me. I can take Angelica to Ms. Vitale’s house.”
I look at Marco, who shrugs. I feel bad that earlier, I was questioning his loyalty to me.
“Thanks,” I say to both of them. I kneel down again. “Angel, baby, Mrs. Rossi is going to take you to Elena’s, okay? I’m going to find Isabella.”
Angelica throws her arms around me. I hug her and for the first time get a real sense of how growing up in a family like mine as a girl, a woman, is so fucked up. Angelica deserves to never be this scared.
“Daddy loves you, you know that, right?”
She nods and sniffs, using her sleeve to wipe her nose. I hand her over to Mrs. Rossi, and only when she’s out of my sight do I let Roman the enforcer come on full force. Salvatore is about to discover what wrath really looks like.
I rush to my office, open my safe, and pull out every weapon I own. Guns, knives, even brass knuckles. Not my bat. No, that’s too gentle for what I have planned. Salvatore isn't walking away from this.
“I’ve called in help,” Marco says from the doorway.
“Nothing will keep me from decimating Sal, one pound of flesh at a time.”
“Still, we don’t know how many men he has with him.”
I follow Marco out the door, and as I do, I see a scrap of fabric on the floor. Isabella must have dropped it when Salvatore showed up.
Losing Emilia had been the worst thing in my life. I hated that with all my power and strength I couldn’t protect her from cancer.
And now I could lose Isabella.
How ironic that this would happen just when I was realizing how much she means to me. How much losing her will break me.
I tuck my gun into my waistband and follow Marco out into the cold night.
One thing is certain.
By the end of the night, either Salvatore will be dead or I will.