32. Ezra

Chapter thirty-two

Ezra

Thirteen Hours Left To The Deadline

Time slips through my fingers like sand, and it feels like I’m choking on the pressure. Thirteen hours to hand over the records…to lose my mafia—or lose Raven and our baby.

My chest constricts just thinking about them. But worrying won’t help me now. I need to stay focused.

I exhale loudly, hands clasped beneath my chin as I stare at the video Matteo sent to me. I’ve watched it so many times now that I can practically hear Raven’s soft breathing before it even plays.

Every second, every frame of that video is seared into my mind— the way her hair falls over her face in disarray, her eyes hidden beneath the strands, her body tense. But there’s nothing in the image that gives clues to where she might be.

Nothing I can use to bring her back.

Damn it.

I clench my fists as the thought of not finding her crosses my mind.

I rub my eyes, which are starting to burn from staring at the screen for so long, but I can’t stop. I won’t stop. There has to be something here.

Across from me, Elio sits on the other couch, his face just as tense as mine. He’s been searching for Matteo through the usual channels—tracking numbers, sifting through communication patterns— yet nothing.

It’s like we’re back to chasing ghosts, just like when we hunted Smerti, who now happens to be Matteo.

The video plays again, and that’s when I hear it. A faint sound, barely noticeable under Matteo’s voice, but it’s there.

A bell.

My eyes narrow as I pause the video and rewind it. I turn the volume up, listening carefully. The sound of a church bell rings softly in the background.

“Elio,” I shout, not taking my eyes off the screen. “ Ascolta questo (Listen to this).”

He shifts, leaning in.

“ Senti quello (Do you hear that)?” I point to the paused video, my heart racing as I hit play for the gazillionth time today.

Elio’s brows knit together, his attention locked on the screen. The bell rings again, faint but unmistakable.

“ Una campana di chiesa (A church bell),” he mutters, under his breath, and I nod.

The look in his eyes tells me he picks up what I'm driving at.

“He’s close to a church.” The realization hits me like a jolt of electricity. My mind races, sifting through possible locations.

“Elio,” I snap my fingers, “Assemble the team. I need a list of every building, abandoned or not, within earshot of a church bell. Non abbiamo molto tempo (We don’t have much time).”

He nods and rushes out of the room, already making calls.

I sit back in my chair, my fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest. The sound of that bell—it’s our only clue, but it should be enough.

Matteo can’t hide from me forever. He might’ve moved carefully, covering his tracks, but this? This is the breakthrough I need.

Minutes tick by, each feeling like years have passed on. I feel useless just sitting here, but I also know I have to take my condition into consideration. So, I simply continue replaying the video over and over again.

I keep watching Raven, hoping to catch something—anything—that gives me a clue. A bruise on her wrist, maybe. Or a shadow of a barred window, a glimpse of something outside...

My eyes dart to the digital time on the screen every now and then, my knees jerking as I wait for my second in command.

The second it hits the two-hour mark, I decide to go see what's happening myself. Just then, Elio finally returns, a map in his hand.

“We’ve narrowed it down to three places.” He spreads the map across the desk. “All within hearing range of a church bell. Two are abandoned warehouses, one just out of town and another by the docks. The third’s a mansion in Manhattan, bought earlier this year under a fake name.”

A mansion? Definitely Matteo’s style.

I nod, my mind already calculating my next steps. “The mansion’s our best shot, but we won’t take any chances. Dispatch men to all three locations. We have less than eleven hours to nail Matteo.”

Elio nods once again and marches out of the office. I get off the couch, dragging the IV pole alongside me before grabbing my gun from the drawer and then holstering it at my side.

The door opens up again, and I raise my eyes to meet Elio’s determined ones. “The men are ready, so we are going to move now, Boss,” he informs me, and I nod.

I look down at the needle stuck into my hand and immediately rip it out.

“ Capo, vieni anche tu (Boss, you’re coming, too)?” I hear Elio’s alarmed voice.

“ Certo, che lo sono (Of course, I am). We’re going to the mansion,” I scoff. “And don’t you dare say a word about it,” I warn, narrowing my eyes at him.

He stares at me for a few seconds, then heaves a sigh of defeat. “ Possiamo andare adesso (We can go now).”

He hands me a walkie-talkie, which I fit into my pocket, and we head out.

The sky darkens as I step out of the mansion with Elio and climb into the SUV, tension knotting in my chest. I’m walking into danger, a warzone, with the element of surprise as my only advantage.

However, that doesn’t bother me. What gnaws at me is getting to Raven in time. I know Matteo will not keep to his end of the bargain, no matter what I give him. And if I’m too late…

I shove the gruesome images to the back of my mind. I can’t let that happen. Not again.

We reach the mansion’s grounds quickly. The dark, weathered stone facade looms ahead, hidden behind tall trees. The isolated, secure ground is the perfect spot for Matteo.

We pull over to a concealed spot that overlooks the property.

“We’ll take them out quietly,” I say, eyes sweeping through the property once more. “ Entriamo senza problemi (We go in clean).”

Elio nods once and steps out to address the men filing out of the van behind us.

My eyes sweep across the property once more. Then I pull out my gun, screw on a silencer and get out of the SUV.

The men get into position. Using the darkness and tall trees to our advantage, we approach the mansion, moving swiftly and silently.

As we near the area where the mansion is fully visible, I spot them—armed men patrolling the perimeter, unaware of what’s coming.

I take cover behind a nearby shrub, scanning the area. Shadows flicker in the dim light, and I spot the remaining guards positioned in a loose formation around the entrance. Their eyes dart nervously.

I lead the way while Elio and the men fan out behind me, hiding behind low shrubs and walls, effectively surrounding the building.

The bell from the church tolls in the distance, as if confirming we’re in the right place but also reminding me that time’s running out.

My gun finds its mark. A single shot—clean, silent—and the first guard’s body crumples without a sound. Elio does the same with the next. The path to the mansion opens up, and we jog toward the entrance, the bell still echoing faintly as if urging us forward. There’s no turning back now.

I’m suddenly grateful for silencers. Moving like shadows, we eliminate each guard without a sound until we finally reach the main door.

“Elio,” I whisper. I point to five men from the team, signaling with two fingers that he takes them to the side entrance on the left. “Go!” I command, and he nods, disappearing into the night.

I approach the front door slowly, the rest of the team following me closely. My fingers tighten around the gun, adrenaline coursing through me. This is it— Matteo’s lair. I’m going to tear it apart, brick by brick, if that’s what it takes to find Raven.

I gesture for two men to take a stance on either side of the door. My finger hovers over the trigger, ready for anything. We’ve got one shot at this. If we blow it, Matteo might disappear, and I’ll lose everything.

I nod at them, and they drive their shoulders through the double doors. The brown piece of wood groans open, and the instant it does, the hair on the back of my neck rises. The mansion is cloaked in darkness, and the crunch of our boots bounces off the walls.

Too quiet. My instincts scream at me, my senses on high alert, but I edge on.

Raven is all that matters.

I take out my emergency torchlight and place it on top of my gun; my men follow my lead. With a flick of my finger, I motion each man to every room, and every corner— the living room, halls, the bedrooms on all three floors. But the emptiness only grows as we make our way back to the ground floor.

“Let’s check this floor again,” I whisper to my men as worry starts to get the best of me. Did Matteo focus his guards outside, leaving the inside exposed?

The hallway bursts into a shorter corridor. I point to four men and motion for them to go ahead. “You with me,” I instruct the one man remaining, and we walk down the short stretch of plain gray walls.

My jaw clenches in frustration until we come to a bright red door. It’s different. I try the handle and it opens without a sound, revealing a narrow stairway leading to what must be a basement.

“No one gets past here, you hear me?” I warn the man, and he nods.

Suddenly, three loud gunshots echo in the distance.

“Elio,” I push the flashlight to my other hand and grab the walkie-talkie. “ Qualcosa da parte tua (Anything on your end)?” I murmur into the device.

“Nothing yet,” comes the reply, his voice urgent. “Still searching, Boss.”

“Heading down to the basement now,” I say, gritting my teeth.

“ Copiato, Capo (Copy that, Boss).”

I motion to the men behind me, and we begin our descent. The old wooden steps creak under our weight, my heartbeat resonating with each groan.

We finally get to the bottom of the stairs and find a long, narrow hallway with musty brown walls, dimly lit by recessed lights in the ceiling.

Without hesitation, I move forward, the sound of our footsteps echoing softly against the stone floors of the quiet hallway. We walk for a few minutes before the hall splits to the right.

I pause, assessing the path ahead and the new direction. Instincts kick in, and I turn, choosing the right. The narrow corridor feels suffocating as we march deeper into the mansion's belly.

At the end of the hall, a heavy door looms, its surface worn and thick. I take a deep breath, bracing myself as I reach for the handle. I can hear my pulse in my ears, louder now, almost drowning out everything else.

I twist the knob and push the door open, the stale air hitting me like a wall.

I take one look around, and my blood runs cold at the sight.