Chapter 39

Santo left to go out to the distillery about ten minutes ago. Which means I'm now in Gio's office with the journal. I've just filled him in on what Marcel and I uncovered about Shelli.

"I don't believe that. There's no way she would have done that to him," Gio says.

"I don't want to believe it either, but this is her writing, Gio. These are her own words," I reply before tossing the journal onto the desk.

"This is going to fucking destroy him worse than her dying," he grunts.

"I know."

"We need to find out who the detective is and how the fuck we didn't know… We have seventy percent of the cops in this town on our fucking payroll. So how could this shit slip past us?" Gio says.

"I don't know, but you think the old man knew? You think that's why he…" I leave the question hanging in the air. We both know what the fucker did.

"It would make sense, but why not tell us?"

"Think about it. We would never have believed him if he did." I shrug.

"You're right. We wouldn't have. But, fuck, Shelli? Really?"

"Kristen knows something. She was looking for this." I tap my index finger on the journal.

"You think she knew what Shelli was up to?" Gio asks.

"No idea, but we need to find out what she knows. Which ain't gonna be easy. She's not gonna wanna talk to us."

"Do whatever you have to do, Gabe. The girl used to have a soft spot for you, so use it."

I scrunch up my face. "I'm not flirting with her to get information. I can't do that," I tell him. "Would you?" I add with a raised brow.

"I wouldn't flirt with anyone who isn't my wife. But you're not married, Gabrielle. You can still flirt for the greater good."

"Yet. I'm not married yet, but I plan to be. I'm gonna marry Daisy."

"Yeah, is that wedding going to be in a basement with her handcuffed to the priest?" Gio laughs, and I roll my eyes.

I'm never going to hear the end of this shit. Kidnap one girl, one time, and suddenly it's a habit. I mean, I get it. I do. It was stupid. But it also got the results I wanted, so fuck it. They can joke about it all they want.

"Send Marcel to talk to Kristen and find out what she knows. I need you to come with me. I'm meeting up with Mancini at warehouse seven," Gio says.

"Why's that fucker in town?" I ask.

Alex Mancini runs the underworld in Sydney. We've been doing business with him for years. He and Gio used to be tight friends. Now they tolerate each other for business purposes. Seems our father fucked the guy over on a deal, and Gio being Gio had to take the old man's side, even though he knew he was in the wrong. The thing is, though, we have shit Alex needs. And we need buyers for the shit we have, so the two of them have come to an understanding. At the same time, whenever they get together, anyone on the outside looking in would think they're still mates.

It's fucking odd as shit. But it's not my problem. I have enough of those on my own.

"He wants a shipment of grenades," Gio says.

"Who's he planning to go to war with now?" I ask.

"No idea, and I don't give a fuck who he uses ?em against, as long as it's not us."

"Right. Imagine being taken out by our own weapons." I laugh.

"That's not going to happen," Gio grunts at me.

After I touch base with Marcel about Kristen, a task he was none too impressed with completing, I head back to Gio's office. On the way there, John's number flashes across my phone. He's still tailing Daisy. I was planning on switching him out with someone else, but there are so few people I trust, it was hard to narrow down a replacement. Not that I fully trust him either, but I trust John more than most of the others.

Some of my brother's men are still loyal to my father. Even though Gio's been boss for months now, I get the vibe that a few fuckers still miss the way the old man used to run things. I can't say I share the sentiment. I haven't missed that asshole for even a second since we placed him in the ground.

"What's up?" I answer John's call on the third ring.

"Ms Blake just left her office. She looks like she's crying, boss. I'm on her tail. Seems like she's headed home."

"She's crying?" I attempt to clarify. Daisy is more of a fighter than a crier.

"Looks like it," John says.

"Okay, thanks. Stay close to her," I tell him before I cut the call and dial Daisy's number.

"Hey," she answers.

"Hey yourself. What you doing?" I try to sound casual while doing my damnedest to suppress the concern I feel.

"I'm on my way home. What are you up to?" she counters.

"I have to go do a thing with Gio. You okay?"

There're a few seconds of silence on the line before she finally responds. "I'm okay," she says. "I've just pulled up. I'll talk to you later."

"Daisy, why are you going home?" I ask her.

"I'll tell you later. I can't right now, Gabe. Go do your thing with Gio. Honestly, I'm fine," she tells me.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she says and disconnects the call.

I don't know what's happened, but I do know she's anything but fine. I also know I can't let Gio go to this sale alone. I've just sent Marcel to see Kristen, and Santo is on his way to the distillery. Which leaves me as the only other option.

I run upstairs and knock on Gio and El's bedroom door. El opens it. "I need you to go to Daisy's," I tell her.

"Why?"

"Something's wrong. She's going home in the middle of her workday, and I hear on good authority that she's been crying. I need you to go and find out what's going on."

"I'm going because she's my friend, not because you're telling me to," El says.

"I would go myself but someone has to make sure your husband doesn't get himself shot," I grind out, and her face pales.

"Do not let him get shot, Gabe." I can hear the concern in her voice.

"I was kidding. He's not getting shot. Well, not today anyway. Let me know what's going on with Daisy," I say before running back down the stairs.

Gio meets me in the foyer. "You ready to go?" he asks, already walking towards the door without waiting for my answer.

"Sure thing, boss." I sigh as I follow him out to the waiting car.

"It's all there. No need to count it," Alex tells Gio before handing over the suitcase full of cash.

My brother doesn't say a word, just passes the suitcase over to Dan, who then proceeds to take out the notes and run them through the automatic counter.

"Or you can waste both of our time," Alex groans.

"You got somewhere better to be?" Gio counters with a quirk of his brow.

"Yeah, home. I fucking hate this city," Alex replies.

"Stop complaining like the old fucker you are and sit down and have a drink." Gio walks over to the table, gesturing to the seat on the opposing side before lowering himself down. He had a bottle of De Bellis Cinque placed in the middle. I follow suit and plop my ass on the remaining vacant chair.

"I missed the invite to your nuptials," Alex comments. Leo, his second-in-command, stands next to him.

"You didn't miss it. You weren't invited." Gio shrugs.

"Pity. I coulda used a tropical getaway," Alex states, which is his way of telling us that he knows all about where and when my brother got married. How he got that info, I have no idea. We didn't exactly publicise any of it.

"You hard up on funds, Mancini? Last I heard, you don't need an invite to a wedding to take a vacation." Gio pours four glasses of whiskey and passes them out.

"You're right. I don't." Alex slams back the amber liquid before setting the glass back on the table. "You know, for all your faults, you do make the best fucking whiskey. I'm gonna need another crate of this," he says while gesturing to the bottle in front of us.

"You'll find a few buried between the hand grenades you ordered. Why, exactly, do you want those anyway?"

"I'm throwing a party," Alex says.

"With hand grenades?" I ask him.

"They make a better bang than fireworks," he deadpans.

"No doubt." I laugh and pick up my glass. I'm itching to get this meeting over with. This whole hate/love thing Alex and Gio have going on means these things always take longer than they need to. They both want to mend the friendship, but they're also both too fucking stubborn to acknowledge it.

"How's the wife?" Gio asks Alex.

"Fucking perfect. Yours?" he says.

"Couldn't have moulded a better woman." Gio smirks.

"Boss, it's all here," Dan chimes in a few minutes later.

"Great. Let's get the fuck out of here." Gio pushes up from the table and extends a hand to Alex. "Mancini, pleasure doing business with you as always."

"Likewise," Alex says, returning the gesture.

Me? I'm left wondering why the fuck I was needed for this. I could be at Daisy's right now, finding out what's going on with her. As soon as we slide back inside the car, I tell Gio to drop me off at her place. I don't like that she's upset about something and I'm not there to help her.

I check my phone and have no messages from El letting me know what's going on either. Which only makes me worry fucking more. So I text John for a status update. He informs me Daisy is still at her apartment.

I don't want my mind to go there, to believe that she might be leaving me again, but that's exactly where my thoughts were leading. While knowing that she's still in her apartment gives me some peace. Now, I just need to find out who or what made her cry.