“You good?” he asked. I nodded. “Save her, Son. Bring my daughter home.”
“I will.” The words were raw against my throat.
“Stay here,” Nicco ordered. “We’ll signal if we’re in trouble.”
Until Bella was in safe hands, we couldn’t risk open gunfire. Not that we hoped it would come to that.
Lombardi was a monster, but he wasn’t blood thirsty. He ran New Haven with an iron fist through fear, not mindless killing. Besides, if he didn’t honor his word, Uncle Al knew what to do.
“Jay, you’re with us.” Nicco beckoned for him to follow us back to the Range Rover. He’d joined us at Nicco’s insistence. Bella knew Jay; if me and Nic couldn’t get out of there, he could get her to safety.
“As soon as we negotiate Bella’s release, you move. Don’t stop for anyone or anything. You get her to my car, and you drive.”
“Got it, Mr. Marchetti.”
“Please, it’s Nicco.” He gave Jay a sharp nod.
We climbed back in the Range Rover and Nicco put it into drive. “You’ll wait outside the building. Once Lombardi gives us the green light, I’ll text you.”
“Got it. I still think we should consider placing two more men—”
“No. He’ll be watching. We already risked enough by bringing two more cars.”
But my father wouldn’t stay behind, and we needed backup nearby, just in case things went south.
The coordinates led us to the furthest warehouse. There was a single black SUV parked outside, with one armed guard by the door.
“We need to be cool,” Nicco said to me. “Follow my lead. No matter what happens in there, I need you to keep your head. Capisci?”
I nodded, too wound up to speak.
So much could go wrong. And my sister was in there. Caitlin too.
Her name isn’t Caitlin.
I shut the little voice down. None of that mattered right now. All that mattered was getting them out in one piece.
The rest could wait.
“Okay,” Nicco said, checking his gun. “Let’s go.”
Jay climbed out and opened Nicco’s door. I rounded the hood and met them, and the three of us approached the armed guard together.
“Stop right there,” the man called, his pistol trained right on Nicco.
Jay inched forward, ready to shield him, but Nicco threw out his arm and stepped forward. “Lombardi requested a meeting with us,” he said calmly.
“He specified two of you.”
“Jay is going to wait right out here. He’s my cousin’s bodyguard. She trusts him and I want someone she’s familiar with waiting for her.”
“You stay right there,” the guy ordered, shifting his pistol to Jay.
“No problem, amico.” Jay held up his hands and took a step back.
I didn’t like the idea of leaving Jay alone with this asshole, but it wasn’t like we had a choice. Lombardi held all the cards. Or at least, he thought he did.
“Wait for my signal,” Nicco said to him, and Jay nodded, not taking his eyes off our less than friendly greeter.
“I need to check you for weapons.”
“Hang on a—”
“Matt, it’s fine.”
Like hell it was.
But sure enough, Nicco let the guy pat him down and remove his gun.
“Your turn, sweetheart.” He smirked.
I hesitated, but Nicco urged me to comply. “Fine,” I hissed, unclipping it from its sheath and handing it over.
“Inside. Follow the hall.”
“I don’t like this,” I said, following Nicco inside.
“Lombardi is protecting himself. He knows he’s playing with fire taking Bella. If I were him, I would have demanded the same.”
“Or he’s one very brave coglione,” I murmured.
We walked the long hall in thick silence. My heart beat against my chest like a runaway train, blood pounding in my ears.
Eventually, we reached another door. Nicco opened it and stepped inside the large room.
“Ah, Mr. Marchetti, Mr. Bellatoni, you made it.”
My eyes landed on Massimo Lombardi sitting in a chair, smoking a cigar. Over in the corner of the room, Bella and Caitlin were seated on a bench, their wrists bound and mouths duct taped. They were guarded by two guys.
Anger swelled inside me so rapidly, I struggled to catch my breath.
“Easy,” Nicco whispered, keeping his eyes on Lombardi. “I don’t appreciate your method of business, Mr. Lombardi.”
“I needed to capture your attention. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. I’m sure you can appreciate that.” Lombardi snapped his fingers, and two chairs were brought in for us. “Please, sit.”
We did, the air rippling with tension. I surveyed the room again. Including the two men guarding the girls, I counted three more men. One standing directly behind Massimo, and two over by another door.
Dominic Cabrioles was nowhere to be seen.
I cast Nicco a sideways glance, but he didn’t take his eyes off Lombardi.
“Now,” Massimo said. “Let’s discuss business.”
“That’s not how this works,” Nicco said. “You came into my territory and kidnapped my cousin, and you want to talk business? You have some big balls, my friend.”
Lombardi chuckled, darkly. “Excuse my brashness. Your cousin was but an incentive.”
“That’s my sister you’re talking about,” I growled.
“Matt,” Nicco warned. “I’m sure Mr. Lombardi realizes what a mistake he made by dragging an innocent into this. I’m sure he wouldn’t want to find the full wrath of the Family at his doorstep all because he didn’t do the right thing when he had the chance.”
Nicco was like another person, sitting there, issuing veiled threats to Lombardi. This wasn’t my best friend, my cousin, the guy I’d grown up with. This was Niccolò Marchetti, the boss of the Marchetti crime family.
The Boss of Dominion.
Lombardi regarded him, narrowing his eyes slightly, no doubt trying to assess the young man seated before him.
“I’m sure you can understand, I didn’t expect to get your attention without making a grand gesture as it were.”
Grand gesture?
The guy was fucking delusional.
“Drago,” he snapped his fingers. “Release the girl.”
He dragged Bella up by her arm, and I was up and out of my seat, running to catch my sister as she stumbled forward. “Shh, Bella. Shh.” I hugged her tightly, my eyes finding Caitlin over her shoulder.
Her gaze was full of apologies, regrets, and explanations. None of which I had time for right now, given the terrified girl clutching my sweater.
“I have someone waiting outside to return Arabella to our family,” Nicco said.
“Fine, bring them in.”
Nicco sent the text and seconds later, Jay appeared. Gently, I pulled the duct tape off Bella’s mouth and cupped her face. “I need you to go with Jay, okay?”
“N-no, Matt, I want to stay with you. I want—”
“Shh, Bella. I need you to listen to me. Go with Jay and do whatever he says. I’ll be right behind you, I promise.”
I hated myself at that moment, but she needed to hear the words and I needed to say them, even if it was a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep.