“Wait,” I murmur, pulling out from under Marcus’ arm before doubling back.
The boys stare after me as I rush back toward Roman, our earlier conversation completely pushed aside. Seeing the look on their eldest brother’s face, Levi and Marcus trail back as well. Soon enough, I’m standing before him, my hand on his arm as I meet his horrified stare. “What is it?” I question in desperation, my gaze dropping to his screen to catch the end of a video that gives me absolutely nothing.
Marcus presses his wide chest behind my shoulder, reaching around me and taking the phone out of Roman’s hand. Turning it around to face us better, his thumb pushes the scrollbar of the video back to the beginning and he hits play. I immediately suck in a loud gasp, my hand gripping Roman’s and squeezing it tight.
“Fucking hell,” Levi mutters, watching over Marcus’ shoulder to see the video of Roman’s newborn son sleeping peacefully in his bassinet.
Horror washes over me as the video plays. At first, it seems innocent until a knife cuts into the image, dropping down beside the baby’s face and plunging deep into the soft mattress. He sleeps on, completely unaware of the horrors happening around him, and just how much danger he is in.
Tears spring to my eyes as Marcus’ hand drops to my shoulder, squeezing it tight, silently letting me know that it’s going to be okay.
The camera turns, and in the very next frame, Giovanni’s face appears. A sick grin pulls at his lips and as bile rises in my throat, the screen goes black.
“No,” I rush out, grabbing the phone out of Marcus’ hand and playing it back again, Roman silently watching it over my shoulder as the deepest kind of rage builds within him. “What … what … NO!”
My tears fall, splashing against the phone. I hastily wipe them away as my desperation gets the best of me. Glancing up at Roman, I see the same fears reflected in his eyes that resonates deep inside my chest. “What are we supposed to do?” I cry. “He’s going to hurt him. He’s too little for this, too innocent. We have to get him back.”
Roman swallows, silently holding my terrified gaze, at a complete loss, just like me. He’s spent days on end searching out his father and has gotten absolutely nowhere. The man is a ghost and not one of us has any idea how to draw him out and put an end to this nightmare.
Levi takes the phone out of my hand, his brows furrowed as he starts the video again. “Look here,” he says, pausing the video on the baby’s face and pointing to the side of the screen where the bassinet ends. “There’s something familiar about those floors.”
Marcus tears the phone out of his hand and zooms in, his brows furrowed as he looks over the image. “It could be anything. A million homes would have polished floors like that.”
“It’s too dark,” I tell them, trying to see what they’re seeing and getting nothing. “It’s impossible to make it out.”
“But look,” Levi insists, snatching the phone and shoving it into Roman’s face, his determination sending a wave of hope coursing through me. “They’re your fucking floors. That polished marble with the light gray vein.” Levi cuts himself off, flipping the phone around and fast forwarding the shot to where the knife is plunging deep into the mattress. “Look at the reflection in the blade. The window finishes, the fucking high ceilings and shelving. That’s the home you built, Roman. Father has him at Victor’s place.”
A deep, guttural growl rumbles through Roman’s chest as he takes the phone and looks it over again, his jaw clenching as he looks over the frame. “Are you fucking sure?” he asks, though I see the positivity in his eyes. He fucking knows where his son is, and nothing will stop him now.
“Positive,” Levi demands.
And without another word, the four of us storm out through the boarded-up home, the shit-scared drug dealer the least of our worries.
17
Silence surrounds us as we pull up outside the mansion that Roman built. It was a long drive here, but not nearly as long as the first time we made the trip. Roman drove like a fucking maniac, breaking every traffic law known to man, though it’s not like he ever abides by those laws anyway.
It’s well after three in the morning and the heaviness that’s sat on my heart for the past few hours has been enough to nearly kill me. I’ve never panicked like this, never felt this overwhelming fear, not even when I was locked in Giovanni’s basement cells.
This is an innocent child’s life hanging in the balance, and I don’t trust Giovanni for a damn second to not hurt that sweet baby.
I made a promise to Felicity as she died before me that I would take care of her baby, that I would keep him safe, and damn it, I plan on keeping that promise, even if it’s the last thing I do.
The SUV sits idle in the massive driveway. There isn’t a light on in the house and I have absolutely no idea how we plan to do this. The long drive here was silent. We didn’t discuss a plan and we sure as hell didn’t stop to load up on weapons. We’re unprepared, though something tells me that’s when the boys are at their best. Tonight will be about acting on instinct, and if someone gets in their way, they better hope that the brothers are in a merciful mood, though the odds aren’t stacked in their favor.
Levi opens the glove box and pulls out a gun before handing it back to me. “Point. Shoot,” he warns me. “Do not hesitate.”
I swallow hard and take the gun, feeling the familiar weight in the palm of my hand. “I won’t,” I tell him, the anxiety rising high in my chest, though I won’t dare tell them that. They’ll most likely bench me, and I’m not down for that shit, especially not when people like Victor and Giovanni could be running around. I need to play my cards carefully. Getting that baby back is the main focus here, and it doesn’t matter who or what they need to sacrifice to make that happen.
Roman pushes his door wide and the boys follow his lead. I scramble after them, their long strides making them almost float across the massive driveway. “What’s the plan?” Marcus questions, checking over his gun before tucking it back into the waistband of his pants. The set of his jaw makes him look like the devil rising straight out of hell.
“Don’t have one,” Roman spits, his gaze shifting to the massive mansion and lingering on a window at the far east side. “We go in and take out every last fucker who stands in our way. Do not stop until you have my son.”
Levi nods and takes off to the left while Marcus goes to the right, leaving me flanking Roman with a ball of nerves resting heavily in my chest. We skip up the front steps and come to a stop at the very top, looking over the massive front door that’s been recently replaced.
He tries the handle and I’m not surprised when it doesn’t budge. “Fuck,” he murmurs, not wanting to cause any kind of scene that would have the occupants waking up. If we’re going to get the drop on them, then we’re going to make it count.
With a raised brow, I watch Roman pull something from his pocket and twist it onto the front of his gun. My knowledge on guns is as shit as it comes, but judging by all the movies I’ve watched, this is some kind of silencer. Roman takes a step back and I do the same, keeping my wide eyes on him.