Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Garrison

I inched into the room, placing myself between D'Angelo Bianchi and the door where Ghita hid just out of sight in the hall. I trusted her to protect herself. After all, I'd seen the way she handled a knife. However, a good bodyguard was always a bodyguard, and the urge to put myself between others and danger would always win in the end.

Except, the Bianchi family leader wasn't presenting as much of a threat as I expected. The man never even looked up, too busy fiddling with something on his phone. He waved the device around for a moment then scowled at whatever the screen showed.

As I debated what to do, Ghita leaned around the doorframe and spotted her informant unconscious on the floor.

"Jason, what... You bastard."

Finally, the Bianchi leader looked up and tapped Ghita's informant with the toe of his shoe. "Oh, please, you can't be mad when you were using this man to spy on me. What were you expecting to happen?" His eyes never strayed from us, but at the same time, he also pulled out a small notepad from the inner pocket of his jacket and started writing.

There was an arrogant lilt to the man's voice, like he knew he was the one in control despite being outnumbered. Any ideas I had of trying to fight the man head on went out the window. This was the type of person who wouldn't reveal his knife until it was sticking out of his enemy's neck.

Metaphorically, at least.

The man's actual knife was on open display in a sheath strapped to his leg.

Instead, I tried a tactful approach. Maybe there was a way for us all to leave this interaction alive. "If you knew this man was a Mariano spy, why come here yourself?"

The Bianchi leader shrugged. "After I heard that Alex had gone missing, I knew you'd show up here. I have business to take care of with the Mariano family." He pulled down one side of his jacket to reveal the bandage wrapped around his arm.

Then he held up the notepad so Ghita and I could read what he'd written.

I'm bugged. My family is overprotective. But it only transmits audio. Keep talking like normal.

Once he was certain his message had been read, he pulled back the notepad and started writing again.

"The new head of your family asked to meet with me, and in the process, I was shot. Now, you're claiming that it was a hit against Alex, but since I'm the one who was injured and he came out unscathed, I'm not so sure."

He held up the notepad again.

I'm being framed. I had nothing to do with Alex's disappearance.

Then he set another notepad on the table beside an empty chair.

"However, I'm willing to hear out whatever apology you can scrape together. Maybe it'll change my mind."

Picking up the hint, Ghita claimed the open seat. As she started writing on the notepad, I moved to stand behind her so I could follow both the spoken and unspoken conversations.

Unlike the Bianchi leader, Ghita waited until she finished writing to speak again.

"It's just like we said. Someone was trying to kill Alex. I'm sorry you got caught in the crossfire, but it wasn't intentional."

Why sneak around like this?

If you didn't kidnap Alex, just say so.

The Bianchi family leader lounged in his own chair, pulling his jacket back over his wounded arm while also continuing to write.

"So you claim, but I have my doubts. Alex is new to his position. Taking out the leader of a rival family would be a good way to establish authority."

Many people in my family want Alex dead.

Losing him so soon after losing David would cripple the Mariano family, and we could take advantage of that.

If it gets out that I helped you, my position would be in jeopardy.

Just by looking over her shoulder, I could tell Ghita struggled to keep track of two conversations at once. I pulled the notepad from her hand and started writing, leaving her to handle the spoken conversation.

"We didn't arrange an attack on you. Believe it or not. It doesn't matter. However, you're right that Alex is missing. If you had anything to do with that, I promise, you will regret it."

As soon as she finished speaking, I flipped over the notepad for the Bianchi leader to read.

Why should we trust you?

All the evidence we have so far points toward you kidnapping Alex.

This made the Bianchi leader smirk and huff under his breath like he wanted to laugh, but he kept himself under control and played it off like a sneer.

"Sounds like dear Alex has made too many enemies. Not a good sign, considering how short a time he's had the position. Maybe the Mariano family should step down and let more... capable families handle things."

I'm not stupid enough to kidnap someone with a drug only my family controls.

Your real enemy is using me to cover their tracks.

A fair point.

The moment I'd heard about the Vibe drug in Alex's wine, I found it suspicious. It was an unusual choice of drug just to knock someone out. There were plenty of better solutions.

No, the drug had been used specifically to incriminate the Bianchi family.

But why?

Was it an attack against D'Angelo Bianchi, or had the man simply been a convenient scapegoat?

Ghita's fist slammed into the arm of her chair. "You mean we should just give in to you. I swear, if you've done anything to Alex, I'll—"

The Bianchi leader cut her off. "You'll what? Whether or not I'm involved, there's nothing you can do about it. So, go home, and maybe start preparing for a double funeral. It sounds like your cousin is going to end up six feet under, one way or another."

The Bianchi leader's eyes flickered toward me with a pointed look.

There were paragraphs hidden in those blue depths that I couldn't translate, but I did know one thing. We needed to wrap this conversation up.

I quickly scribbled down a simple question.

If you're offering help, that means you have help to offer.

What is it?

Taking a moment to collect himself, the Bianchi leader stood and smoothed the wrinkles from his coat. In the same motion, he pulled an envelope from his pocket.

"I'm giving you one warning. Leave this city in the next five hours, or I can promise you'll not leave at all."

He placed the envelope on the table before striding from the room with a swish of his long coat. On his way out, he flashed the notepad one last time.

I hope you find him.

Alex actually seems tolerable.

I'd hate to lose him so soon.

Then he disappeared, shutting the door behind him so silently I never heard the click of the latch.

The moment he was gone, Ghita scrambled for the envelope. Inside, she found a phone, a key, and a letter. Her hands trembled as she scanned the page, then she immediately turned her attention to the phone.

I picked up the letter when she was done.

I'm not sure who's trying to frame me for Alex's disappearance, or why, but I promise you my family had nothing to do with it. I know it must be hard to believe me since I'm one of the people who would benefit from the Mariano family's fall, but I have enough on my own plate right now. I don't need to adopt other family's problems.

As soon as I realized someone was trying to frame me, I started looking for anything else suspicious. My family has a property in this city, a construction site, that's been inactive for months. A few hours ago, the security cameras recorded movement on this property. This may or may not help, but I know I didn't authorize anything there.

The phone enclosed in this envelope has access to the security cameras of the construction site. It only includes the last twenty-four hours of footage, and connection will automatically cut off twenty-four hours from now.

Good luck. I sincerely hope you find him.

P.S. I've also included the key to a safe house outside the city, just in case you need it. No one should bother you there for a few days.

An address was handwritten into the bottom margin of the page. I assumed it was the location of the aforementioned safe house.

Hopefully, we wouldn't need to use it.

Folding up the letter and storing it, along with the key, in my pocket, I turned my attention to the phone in Ghita's hand.

"Anything useful on that?"

Ghita didn't look up and her fingers never stopped moving over the screen. "I haven't found any clear evidence of Alex on the security cameras. Most of the cameras are around the perimeter, not inside the site. However, a van did pull into the site a few hours ago. They might have transported him that way."

Breathing deeply, I instinctively moved my hand to my gun. "It's not a lot to go on, but it's all we've got right now. Let's move quickly. That construction site is on the other side of the city."