15. Luca

I'm drinking another scotch, knowing I shouldn't, but unable to stop myself. I like control, and too much booze robs one of that. But my chest is filled with an ache that I want to get rid of. I'm thinking that no amount of scotch will work.

My phone rings. Seeing it's Bruno, I pick up the line. "Pronto."

"The car is parked in the garage. She was booked on a flight that left ten minutes ago."

"I thought I told you to?—"

"I had to find the car. Since I was there, I thought I'd find out what was up." Bruno is nothing if not efficient.

"Get the car back to my villa."

"Of course. The thing is, Boss?—"

"I don't want to know?—"

"She didn't make the flight."

It takes a moment for the words to get through my scotch-soaked brain. "Where is she?" What is going on? My phone pings with a notification, but I ignore it.

"I don't know. I've been able to look at surveillance inside the airport, but it doesn't appear she made it in."

I wonder what that could mean. "Maybe Niko or someone met her and took her to the private airport."

"Maybe."

There's something about his tone that tells me he's not buying it. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that if she hasn't been rescued, she's either hiding or missing. If the latter, that could be a problem with Don Leone."

Fucking Niko. He's the last person I want to think about now.

My phone pings again, this time with a call notification. Who the fuck is trying to call me now? I ignore it.

"Get eyes and ears?—"

"On it. And I'm working on getting the surveillance from outside the airport."

"Good. Let me know." I hang up and glance at my phone to see if the notifications are important. I recognize Sabini's number. An unsettling feeling grips my gut. There is no voicemail, but I see a text with an image. I click it and my blood boils. That motherfucker has dared to touch what is mine?

I call Bruno back. "It's Sabini." My brain is short circuiting. I can't be sure if it's the booze or the rage that is burning like an inferno inside me. When I get that bastard, I'm going to rip him to shreds, slowly, painfully.

"Aw, fuck. Where?"

"I don't know." The image looks like a dirty room. It could be a hotel. A safehouse.

"We could raid that warehouse. Rumor is he has a shipment of women about to be moved. Maybe she's one of them."

It doesn't seem possible that I can be more pissed than I am, but the thought of Aria being sold to some fucking rapist nearly gives me a coronary. I'm not a good man. I commit many crimes every day. But there are a few business endeavors I'll never do. One is sex trafficking.

I head to the kitchen to make coffee. "Get it organized. I want everyone we can spare on this."

I work to sober up, and an hour later, I pull up to Sabini's warehouse with nearly twenty of my men.

"Kill them all. If you find any women, escort them out to someplace safe and call the authorities. Make sure they can't link us. You're just good Samaritans." I turn my attention to Gino and Leonardo. "If I find out one of you has touched them inappropriately, I'm going to cut off your dick and make you eat it. Got it?"

"Yes, Boss."

"If you find Aria, get her safe and call me."

I want to burst in guns blazing, but I don't want collateral damage if they do have Aria or other women. So, we sneak in, one by one, taking Sabini's men out except for one. Bruno drags him to a chair, tying him down.

"This is Sabini's underboss, Aldo," Paolo says.

The multiple scars on his face, some newer than others, make it look like he's been in scrapes like this before. It means he'll be difficult to break. Difficult, but not impossible.

I grab a chair and sit in front of him.

"You're wasting your time, Don Conte. I won't talk," he says.

I nod. "I understand. But all I want is the woman. It's bad enough that Enzo is bringing me down on you and all your men, but that woman's brother doesn't see the Atlantic Ocean as an obstacle to coming here and burning Rome down. Don Leone? Have you heard of him? I'm sure you have. Enzo has a hard-on to get into the American market."

Aldo shrugs like nothing I'm saying matters.

"That's Leone's sister Enzo has tied to a dirty bed."

Aldo's brow furrows, and I'm guessing that he wasn't aware of who Aria was.

"And if he's fucked her…" The idea of it nearly makes me retch. "Leone will string your dicks up for every made man to see." That's not true. I'll string their dicks up first, but I want Aldo to think he can make a deal with me. "Tell me where she is."

He spits at my feet. "You're killing me anyway."

"That's true. I'm sorry for it. Had you come into my Family instead of Sabini's, I imagine you'd be better respected and appreciated."

He sneers.

"The thing is, Aldo, you might be a dead man, but you still have choices. You can tell me where Aria Leone is being held and die a quick, painless, dignified death, or you can protect Enzo, who you and I both know would squeal like a pig, and die a slow, painful death."

"You don't scare me. I've been cut many times."

Paolo nods, holding up his hand, showing only three fingers indicating that Aldo has lost two.

I'm doing my best to be patient. The truth is, calm terrifies people even more than bloodthirsty rampages. But Aria doesn't have time.

I stand. "Strip him."

My men's brows furrow in confusion, but they obey, using their knives to cut away Aldo's shirt.

"Pants too."

Only then do Aldo's eyes flash with fear. It's only a nanosecond, but I see it. When his pants are cut away, I pull my knife and stand over him.

"You're a tough guy, Aldo. I admire that. I wish you were one of my men. But you made your choice not to help me. So, I'm going to castrate you and choke you with your dick."

My men shift uncomfortably, exchanging glances. It's not that I'm not a violent man. But twice tonight, I've threatened castration, and that is new. I've never done it before. But in both cases, it feels warranted.

"That's how you'll be found, Aldo. Naked, having swallowed your own dick."

He snorts like a bull. I admire his effort to stay strong, but I don't have time for this.

"Normally, I might cut your balls off first, but I'm in a hurry." I toy with his shriveled dick with the tip of my knife. His stomach tightens and he tries to move back. "Where is Aria?"

"Go to hell."

I run the knife along the edge of him. Droplets of blood appear.

Aldo grits his teeth. "You like dick, do you, Conte?"

I lean over and get into his face. "You're the one who'll be eating dick." I poke the tip of my blade into his dick and begin to push. It pierces the skin, descending into his shaft.

"Fuck!" Aldo jerks, his chair jumping back, causing the blade to cut along the length again. He rattles off an address.

I look up at Bruno, who is already researching it on his phone. "Could be Sabini's," he says. "It's an abandoned hotel outside of Rome."

I pull out my gun and hold it to Aldo's head.

"What if he's lying?" Bruno asks.

"If he's lying, he's not going to ever tell me the truth. But I don't have time to fuck around anymore. Ciao, Aldo." I pull the trigger and march out of the room.

Moments later, I'm in the car and we're racing to the abandoned hotel.

"What about Don Leone?" Bruno asks.

"What about him?" I ask the question even though I know what he's asking. He's thinking I should contact Niko. I probably should. But right now, my focus is on saving Aria.

It takes longer than I'd like to get to the hotel. When we arrive, we enter like the military, quietly but swiftly. We reach a room that I'm sure is the one Aria was held in the picture. There are ties still on the bed. But she's not here.

"Fuck!"

"He must have heard about the warehouse," Bruno says.

As if on cue, my phone buzzes with another notification. Another picture appears. Aria is on another bed, her eyes are closed, and I'm terrified she's dead.

You think you're smarter than me,Enzo texts.

I nearly hurl my phone in frustration but manage to rein it in. I'm going to store up this rage and take it out on Enzo Sabini.

"Sabini is texting. Who do we know that can help us trace him?"

"Cabella has a guy," Bruno says, already tapping on his phone.

Taking the woman proves otherwise, I text back to Enzo.

I imagine her brother will thank me when he learns I rescued her.

I shake my head, thinking this would be funny if Aria weren't in a bad situation. If you believe that, then you're too stupid to live.

I guess we'll see.

I think for a moment on how to respond. I want to kill this man so badly I can taste it. I also want to scare the shit out of him. The question is, will that make him panic and hurt Aria? Or will it unsettle him, as I want?

I'll see you dead, and more likely than not, it will be Don Niko Leone who sends you to hell. I'd wish you luck, but nothing can save you now.

I look at Bruno. "How long before they can track him?"

"Working on it." Not fucking fast enough.

My phone rings. I look, thinking it's Sabini. Maybe he'll work with me, after all. Instead, I see Niko's number.

I want to ignore it but know I can't. He deserves my respect in this situation. "Pronto."

"Where the fuck is my sister? I know she's not on the flight I arranged for her."

"She was taken by Enzo Sabini."

"Who the fuck is that?"

So Enzo hasn't contacted Niko yet. "He's a dead man when I find him. He may tell you that he's saved Aria, but it's not true. He has her tied up." I wonder if I should send him the pictures so he believes me. I don't care if Niko is my enemy. He can be a help to find Aria if I can keep him on my side for now.

"I'm coming to Rome."

I want to tell him to stay off my turf, but I know I can't. I have to remember that Aria made her choice. She wants to go home and clearly found a way to reach Niko, who arranged her return. I have to respect that.

I hang up and turn to Bruno. "Any word?"

Bruno holds up his phone with a map.

"Let's go kill this motherfucker."