Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
GINO
LATE MARCH
My office door bursts open, and Drew strides in. I look up at him, wondering why he did that. Because he isn’t someone to just barge in.
“Gino, I got something,” he says. He takes a seat and opens his laptop.
I look at him, hoping he’ll continue.
“I’ve been trying to hack into the Russos’ servers in their villa. I was able to crack it, and there’s a lot in here,” he continues.
“Like what?” I ask.
“Everything from contracts and deals they’ve signed to ledgers on their family history,” he explains.
“Look over everything, get Ryan’s help and Juliet’s.” He starts to get up. “I’ll go with you. I want to see more of what you found.”
We both walk downstairs, where Juliet is wrapping up breakfast. Ryan is sitting at the bar with his laptop and a cup of coffee.
“Hey,” Drew says. “I finally got into their servers.”
Juliet raises her eyebrows, and Ryan gives him a smirk.
“You hacked into their servers?” Juliet asks.
“Yeah,” Drew shrugs.
“That’s next level; we’ve never done something like that before,” she says.
“Well, none of us have been kidnapped before, so we had to do something outside the confines of our normal conscience,” he replies.
I know Drew didn’t mean it in the way it sounds, but the look on Juliet’s face tells me she’s pissed.
I walk over to her and touch her arm to move her focus from Drew before she tells him how pissed she is.
“Bella,” I whisper. “I understand this isn’t something you like, but we had to do something. Everything else we’ve tried hasn’t worked.”
She sighs, and she glances at me. She’s still upset, but I know once Drew and Ryan leave, I’m getting an earful.
“Fine, but I’m not happy about this at all,” she says to me, giving me an intense glare.
I nod to Drew for him to continue.
“I was able to get into their servers,” he begins. “And it’s a gold mine of information on them. I found ledgers of every deal they’ve ever made. All assets they have, and it’s not just the direct family. It’s extended family, friends, and all of the properties they have any association with.”
“I think we need to divide and conquer; this is a lot,” I say.
“Agreed,” Ryan replies.
Juliet wants to say something, but she’s holding it in.
“Drew, you look at anything related to their ties to other families and orgs,” I tell him. “Ryan, you review anything they have in the States. And Juliet, you look over their assets. I’ll look over the ledgers. If anyone finds anything, let the rest of the group know,” I say.
“Got it,” Drew replies as Ryan gives a curt nod.
Nothing else is said, and both Drew and Ryan can see the frustration and anger on Juliet’s face. Before I say anything, they both leave the room.
“Bella, I know you’re upset about this.”
“Upset doesn’t begin to cover it,” she says.
“We had to do something because every other idea we’ve had and everything we’ve gotten hasn’t led to anything,” I say.
“This is beyond anything we’ve done. Sure, you have questioned people, searched things, but you didn’t hack into their lives like this. There’s people’s information on those servers who have nothing to do with this,” she cries out.
“I know,” I sigh. “Juliet, everything that’s happened…none of us were expecting it. We all thought Mateo would be gone in a week and be back. But he’s not. The negotiations stalled, and even if Anthony isn’t involved, he’s an accomplice at this point because he knows something.”
“Gino, this isn’t what I signed up for.” She backs away from me.
I don’t think she’ll walk away from all of this, but I do know how much she values her morals. Shit, it took her ten years to be with someone with my family history because she didn’t want to be involved in the mafia world.
“I know it’s not what you signed up for; none of us signed up for this,” I tell her.
“Gino, I'm not going to just agree to this right away. I need to think about it. I’m going to help if I know this will work on finding Mateo.”
I swallow.
She starts to move away from me, and I grab her arm, holding her in place.
“I understand your anger and frustration about this, but I could use your help if you’re willing.”
I place a soft kiss on her forehead, remove my hands, and let her walk out of the room. I watch as she climbs the stairs, and for the first time in months, she closes her bedroom door.
JULIET
I’m not oblivious to what Gino has done in his life when it comes to the deals and questioning others. But him asking me to invade someone’s privacy like this is something I’m not ready for.
I’ve looked over the financials of the Russos, but everything I’ve seen either they willingly gave to us, or we found through public records.
Lying on my bed, I know I need advice from someone who has no association with this world. Grabbing my phone, I call my mom. She knew Antonio and knows all of the guys. But she’s only met them all a handful of times over the years.
“Hi sweetie,” my mother says over the phone as she answers.
“Hey mom,” I reply.
I must say it in a way that tells her something’s up because she asks, “What’s wrong?”
I thought I could take a minute before asking for her advice.
Taking a deep breath, I start. “Umm, I know I told you about Mateo getting kidnapped…”
“Did you find him?” she asks, sounding hopeful.
“No, but Gino had Drew hack into the Russos’ servers and hack everything. And—”
She interrupts me. “You don’t know if you can help.”
“Mom, I didn't sign up for this. I know we need to find Mateo because no one else will help, but I didn’t think they would resort to this,” I say.
She sighs. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do to protect the ones we love.
I know how much you love Gino, and I want you to remember that this doesn’t define his character.
He’s doing this because nothing else has worked.
His best friend is missing, and his sister is having to be a single parent because of the results of his decision.
Juliet, I know we taught you to have an opinion and not allow others to influence your decisions, but this is a different scenario, and we both know that. Sometimes we need to adjust our morals when it comes to the people we care about, especially when they need our help.”
“You sound like you have experience in that?”
“That’s a conversation for another day, but yes, there’ve been times when I’ve needed to do things I didn’t want to,” she says.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie, and when this is all over, bring Gino to LA for a proper introduction to this family. He’s been your friend for years, but I’ve only seen him a few times over the years. I would like to know the man my daughter is head over heels in love with.”
“Mom,” I reply and groan.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are; you are still my baby girl, and it’s a part of my job to protect you.”
“I know.” I swallow.
“I love you, sweetheart,” she replies.
“I love you too, Mom.” I hang up and lie with my thoughts.
After thinking over what my mom said and what Lucy and Francesca have told me in prior conversations. I know what I need to do.
I leave my room and look through the house for Gino. After I notice he’s not in his office, the kitchen, or the gym, I know exactly where to look.
Walking outside to his mother’s garden, I see him sitting on the bench under the maple tree.
He hears me before I say anything. He gets up from the bench and walks to me.
“Please tell me you’re not leaving,” he whispers as he places his hands on my waist.
“I’m not leaving,” I assure him.
He releases a long exhale. “Okay, good,” he replies.
“I talked with my mom, and I’ll help with anything you need to get Mateo back,” I tell him. “You’re right, we need to put aside our feelings of what we like and don’t like about this and do whatever we can to find him.”
“I promise I won’t ask you to do anything like this again,” he says.
“I hope not. I don't want to have this happen ever again,” I reply.
He lets out a soft laugh. “Come on, let’s get to work.” He places his arm around my shoulders, and we walk back to the house.