CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
LILIANA
I've never understood what true helplessness felt like until now. The feeling sits in my chest like a stone. Heavy. Crushing and impossible to ignore.
Every breath hurts. It’s been three hours since my daughter was ripped out of my hands. Somewhere out there, my daughter is alone. And I can't get to her.
We’ve moved to the Vitale Estate. One of the studies in the house has become the center of operations.
Men move constantly. Phones ringing. Orders being barked. Information being exchanged.
The Vitale family has transformed into a war machine. Matteo stands near one of the windows, speaking rapidly into a phone. Elio is hunched over a laptop.
Salvatore sits at the head of the table looking calm despite the storm raging around him. And Rafaelle hasn't stopped moving. For the last two hours he's been making call after call.
Threatening people. Calling in favors. His body is tightly coiled ball of tension and there’s no missing the worry etched into his face.
I stay in the corner silently, watching and feeling like an intruder.
This is my fault.
Every terrible thing happening right now can somehow be traced back to me.
If I hadn't hidden Mila. If I hadn't lied. If I hadn't run 18 months ago, none of this would have happened.
The thought makes me feel sick.
A warm mug suddenly appears in front of me.
I blink.
Lindsay Vitale stands there. I feel underserving of the softness and kindness I glimpse in her blue eyes.
“It’s coffee,” she informs me.
I stare at the mug.
"I'm not sure I can stomach anything right now."
"Try anyway."
My fingers wrap around the mug. The warmth helps. A little.
"Thank you."
She sits beside me.
“You don’t have to thank me. I can only imagine how you feel right now. I’m a mother too and this is my worse nightmare,” she says gently.
I don’t know what to say to that.
"We'll find her."
The confidence in her voice nearly breaks me.
"You don't know that."
"No," she admits. "I don't."
Her hand finds mine.
"But I know that those men,” she gestures and my gaze drifts across the room. Toward Rafaelle and his brothers. “They’ll do whatever it takes. They won’t stop until your daughter is back in your arms.”
My throat tightens. Tears gather behind my eyes. I feel so underserving of all of this. And while I know they’re fighting this hard because Mila is their flesh and blood, they didn’t even know she existed until a couple of hours ago thanks to me.
Shouting erupts downstairs. Immediately every head in the room snaps toward the door.
A second later one of the guards rushes inside. His expression tense.
"Boss,” he addresses Salvatore who from what I’ve been able to glean is the head of the family and the eldest as well.
"What is it?”
The guard hesitates.
“Santiago Navarro is at the door."
The room goes still. Dangerously still. The atmosphere shifts and every Vitale seems to become sharper, deadlier.
Rafaelle's smile is terrifying and predatory.
"Is that right?" he drawls.
The guard nods.
"He says he’s here to help.”
Santiago is bold, I’ll give him that. A part of me can’t believe he just willingly walked into the belly of the beast. The Vitales don’t care that he’s here with good intentions, they’ll be gunning for his blood.
I swallow softly.
Rafaelle reaches for the gun at his hip.
"Bring him in."
Fear explodes through me.
A few minutes later the study doors open.
Santiago walks inside. He’s dressed casually and his face looks exhausted. There’s a tiredness in his eye that’s been visible since the first time I met him. I just didn’t notice it. That and the resignation I can now glimpse.
Rafaelle raises his gun immediately. The click echoes through the room.
Santiago doesn't even flinch.
"If you're going to shoot me," he says calmly, "do it quickly."
My heart nearly stops.
“What? No. Don’t!” I shout finding my voice.
My brother’s eyes find mine and it’s impossible not to notice relief in them at the sight of me. I move before I can think. Throwing myself between him and the barrel of Rafaelle’s gun. Rafaelle’s expression grows dark.
“Do you seriously think I won’t shoot you, Liliana?”
I plant myself firmly in front of Santiago. My heart thuds in my chest.
“You won’t,” I say with a confidence I don’t feel.
His eyes narrow cold and dangerous.
"You have ten seconds to move."
"No."
The answer surprises even me. For a second nobody speaks.
Then Santiago sighs.
"I didn't come here to fight."
"Then why are you here?" Matteo asks.
I’m starting to realize he’s the voice of reason among the brothers. He also always has a calm head on his shoulders.
"Because I know where Ignacio took Mila."
The room explodes into motion. I whirl around to look at my brother as questions begin to fly. Demands and accusations. Everyone speaking at once.
I don't hear any of it. All I hear is he knows where my daughter is.
My knees nearly give out in relief.
“Enough!” Salvatore barely raises his voice, but everyone hears it all the same.
The room falls silent.
“Start talking,” he grits out.
My brother's jaw tightens before he looks directly at me.
"I'm sorry, Liliana,” he murmurs, his gaze dropping. “I knew our father was capable of terrible things. I just didn't think he'd take it this far."
Pain flickers across his expression.
Rafaelle's voice is cold.
"Where is my daughter?"
The fact that he refers to her as just his hurts more than I’ll ever admit.
Santiago replies to him after a beat, "He has her at one of the old properties north of the city."
Nobody speaks. Nobody moves.
Then Salvatore asks the question everyone is thinking.
"Why are you providing us with this information?"
For the first time since arriving, Santiago smiles. It's bitter and ugly. The smile of a man carrying old wounds.
"Because I've spent years waiting for someone to kill Ignacio Navarro. And now that there’s a chance, I have no intention of letting him go scot-free."
Shock ripples through the room.
"He is your father," I whisper.
I hate him and want him dead as well but Santiago and I are not the same.
His gaze finds mine. Hard and Unforgiving.
"You think finding out you have a monster for a father is difficult?"
My stomach twists. Santiago continues before I can respond.
"I’ve lived with him my whole life, and I’ve had a front row seat to the levels of his cruelty. When Gavin was seventeen, Ignacio sent him on a job."
The room grows quieter.
"He knew it was compromised but he didn’t care,” he chuckles darkly and without humor. "Do you know what my little brother wanted more than anything?"
Nobody answers.
"He wanted our father to be proud of him."
My chest hurts. So bad. For a sibling, I’ll never get to meet.
"He spent years trying to earn Ignacio's approval."
Santiago swallows.
"And he died for it."
The words land like a punch. The room is silent. Even Rafaelle doesn’t interrupt.
"He knew that the mission Gavin was on was a suicide mission. And yet he didn’t stop him. I’ve been biding my time until now, pretending to be a loyal little soldier. But I’ve never forgiven him.”
Santiago's voice is barely above a whisper.
"I never will."
The head of the Vitales studies my brother carefully.
“You’re giving us information that could help us save Mila’s life. What do you want in return?"
That question seems to bring Santiago back to the present.
His shoulders straighten. His answer is immediate.
"Protection. For myself and my siblings. No one lays a finger on us or goes looking for revenge,” his eyes are on Rafaelle as he says those words, “You kill Ignacio and that’s it.
And once he’s dead, I take control of his business.
I’ll honor the terms of the agreement Ignacio broke.
We share a niece and all I want is peace between our two families. ”
His gaze locks on Salvatore.
"I want your word."
The Don doesn't answer immediately.
Instead he studies Santiago. Evaluating.
Until finally, "You have it."
Relief floods through me. Santiago closes his eyes briefly. As though a weight has finally been lifted. Then he opens them and all traces of vulnerability vanish.
"We need to move."
The room shifts instantly back into action. The knowledge that time is ticking feels like a boulder on my back.
“You’re the one that was wasting time with your shit show of a sob story,” Rafaelle accuses.
My brother doesn’t rise to the bait.
“Ignacio has eyes everywhere. He probably already knows I'm here."
“Tell us where the fuck they are.”
As soon as we have a location, everyone starts moving. Orders are shouted. Weapons are collected. The study erupts into controlled chaos.
My pulse pounds. Because this is it. We're finally going to get my daughter back.
When I follow them downstairs and try to get into a car, I’m stopped with a brief and powerful, "No."
I glare at Rafaelle.
“I’m going,” I insist.
“Like fuck you are. We have no idea how many men that bastard has protecting him. You’ll only be a liability.”
“I won’t be a liability. I can protect myself,” I grit out.
“With what?!”
I pull out a knife from inside my jacket. One he’s very familiar with.
“I have Eliana,” I state, brandishing the weapon.
For a moment, the ice in his eyes cools and I see glimpses of the man who told me he wasn’t going to give up on us. But then the look disappears as quickly as it came.
“You already said I was dead to you, Rafaelle, just ignore me.”
His jaw clenches. Mine does too.
We're standing beside the convoy of cars ready to move neither of us is willing to back down.
"My daughter is there,” I continue, knowing this is doing nothing but waste precious time.
"Our daughter."
The correction slips out automatically. Something flashes across his face. Gone before I can identify it. Then his expression hardens again.
“Please, Rafaelle. I need to be there. I have to make sure she’s safe,” I’m not above begging him. God knows I already owe him so much and them some.
He stares at me for a moment before exhaling sharply.
Then he turns away. Done with the argument
* * *
The cabin sits deep within the woods.
Hidden and remote. It’s the kind of place people disappear.
As soon as the engines of the cars die. The forest becomes eerily quiet.
I step out of the car, same as other three dozen men that are here to save my daughter.
We proceed to the cabin on foot, knowing Ignacio must have been alerted to our presence.
As soon as we’re close, we immediately spotting movement. Armed guards. Patrolling the perimeter. Dozens of them.
My heart climbs into my throat. Somewhere beyond them is my daughter. And I’ll be damned if anyone or anything stops me from getting to her.
The next few minutes happen quickly. The Vitales spread out.
Moving through the trees. Predators preparing to strike. The attack begins without warning.
Gunfire erupts and chaos explodes. The scene is reminiscent of what occurred earlier in the day with Carlos. Men start shouting. Bodies drop.
I flinch at every shot. Every scream and impact.
But all I can think about is Mila.
Rafaelle appears in front of me, breathing heavily while I maintain my hiding spot behind the trees.
“Stay down and don’t move. I’ll get her for you, okay?”
I nod quickly and after one last look at me, he disappears inside the cabin. Several moments pass where I feel nothing but dread.
I pray to everyone and anyone that’ll listen to me that they both make it out safely.